morbidteaparty
Putting the moron into oxymoron
- Location
- Westcombe Park
- Pronouns
- he/him
Born out of the increased competitiveness of the Olympic tournaments, which had become increasingly dominated by the national sides of South America, and met disdain by much of the sports traditional European powers (most notably the conservative and insular FAs of the British Isles), the first World Cup is particularly noteworthy for the sheer number of participants it had from outside of Europe, a number never since bettered.
Hosted in Uruguay, with the final taking place at the Estadio Centenario, constructed to celebrate the hundredth year of the country’s independence, the inaugural tournament contained only four European sides, one from Africa, two from Asia and the remaining nine from the Americas, with only the United States representing the region’s Anglosphere.
As the tournament was invite only, this remains the only competition not to have any form of qualifying, with the teams divided into four groups of four, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the final itself, a format which would be adopted again and become the standard in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The teams
The sixteen teams, some enthused by the tournaments, others cajoled by their governments, included:
Originally envisioned as a straight knockout tournament, and with invitations extended to all 28 member associations, the economic crisis in much of the world put a damper on interest in the tournament, with most of FIFA’s European members expressing reservation about the long journey as well as the time commitment for those internationals who were still amateur. The original deadline of February 16 1930 for entries was passed without a single European nation committing to take part, until direct intervention from FIFA General Secretary Jules Rimet (and in the case of Romania, King Carol II) saw the confirmed participation of four European sides. The four sides, and Egypt, as well as Rimet and other FIFA officials would travel on the same boat journey – apocryphal stories have been told of impromptu kickabouts amongst the teams on the long voyage.
In contrast, in the Americas, interest was widespread, with seven entries from South America, as well as the US and Mexico participating. Similarly, to Romania, both Japan and Siam were allowed to go following governmental intervention – this would mark the last time two Asian sides would participate until the 1980s.
Tournament summary
Group stages – Group 1
Group 1 saw France paired with three sides from the Americas in Argentina, Chile & Mexico, and saw the French comfortably win the opening game of the tournament[1] with a 5-2 victory over the Mexicans, two days after which they faced the much-fancied Argentines. In a game marred by suspect refereeing as well as injuries on both sides, Argentina eventually winning 2-1. France’s fixtures gave credence to the criticism that the tournament had been poorly scheduled – their game against Argentina being their second in forty-eight hours, while Chile were yet to play their first match (which they won 3-0 against Mexico the day after Argentina’s victory.)
France’s final match of the group stage was notable for seeing the first ever award of a penalty-kick in the tournament, which Carlos Vidal scored, eventually seeing the Chileans triumph 2-0. Argentina’s match against Mexico saw three penalties awarded, with Mexico’s Oscar Bonfiglio making the first penalty-save in the tournament’s history – Argentina nevertheless ran out 7-1 winners with a hat-trick from future national team manager Guillermo Stabile.
The decisive game of the group saw Argentina defeat their Andean neighbours Chile 2-1 in a bad-tempered match to top the group, setting themselves up for a quarter-final against the fancied Brazilians who had unexpectedly finished second to Yugoslavia.
Results
July 13 – France 5-2 Mexico
July 15 – Argentina 2-1 France
July 16 – Chile 3-0 Mexico
July 19 – Chile 2-0 France
July 19- Argentina 7-1 Mexico
July 22 – Argentina 2-1 Chile
Group stages – Group 2
The second group contained Brazil, who were one of the favourites for the tournament, Yugoslavia, Bolivia, who going into the tournament had never previously won an international match and Africa’s sole representative Egypt, who had made the semi-finals in the 1928 Olympics.
Brazil, were expected to top the group but unexpectedly lost their opener 3-2 to Yugoslavia, and despite a comfortable victory over Bolivia, only managed to qualify for the knockout stage with a last-minute equaliser against Egypt. The Egyptians, acquitted themselves well in their three group games, and became the first African side to win a match at the finals – however a narrow defeat to Yugoslavia coupled with Brazil’s superior goal difference saw them exit the tournament at the first hurdle.
The Yugoslavs meanwhile comfortably qualified the knockout stages where they faced Chile, while Brazil would face neighbours Argentina.
Results
July 14 – Yugoslavia 3-2 Brazil
July 15 – Bolivia 0-1 Egypt
July 17 – Yugoslavia 1-0 Egypt
July 18 – Brazil 4-0 Bolivia
July 20 – Egypt 1-1 Brazil
July 21 – Yugoslavia 4-0 Bolivia
Group stages – Group 3
Hosts Uruguay were placed in a group with Peru, Romania, and Siam. The opening match of this group saw the first ever player expulsion from the competition when Peruvian Placindo Galindo was sent off against Romania. The Romanians took advantage to win 4-2, including the fastest goal of the tournament; Adalbert Deșu opened the scoring after just 50 seconds.
Uruguay’s opening game saw them beat Siam 9-0 – their opponents playing in only their third ever international (having debuted against Indochina earlier that year) played well in the first half, going in at half-time only 2-0 down, before the Uruguayans greater experience told.
The hosts next game against Peru however was a much tighter affair with the game settled by one goal in the closing minutes of the second half, following an inspired display from Peruvian goalkeeper Jorge Pardon, and saw much criticism of the hosts in the local press. Uruguay closed out their tournament with a 5-1 victory over Romania[2] who finished second, with Peru finishing third after beating Siam 5-0.
Results
July 14 – Romania 4-2 Peru
July 18 – Uruguay 9-0 Siam
July 20 – Siam 0-4 Romania
July 21 – Uruguay 1-0 Peru
July 22 – Peru 5-0 Siam
July 23 – Uruguay 5-1 Romania
Group stages – Group 4
The final group comprised the United States, Belgium, Paraguay and Japan. The American team, comprised primarily of European immigrants (including two former Scottish professionals) were reputedly nicknamed the shot-putters in the French press due to their supposed rough style of play. They beat Belgium 2-1 in their opening game, a match which was marred by bad weather and a poor pitch, and saw the Belgians bemoan an offside winner from Bertrand Patenaude.[4]
Paraguay meanwhile began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Japan, who had warmed up for then tournament by winning the Far Eastern Championship. Paraguay’s second game saw them lose 3-0 to the US, while Belgium beat Japan 3-1. With the Americans already qualified, the match between the Belgians and Paraguay became a playoff to see who would join them, with Belgium eventually triumphing 1-0. Japan closed out their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to the Americans.
Results
July 13 – United States 2-1 Belgium
July 14 – Japan 0-2 Paraguay
July 17 – United States 3-0 Paraguay
July 18 – Belgium 3-1 Japan
July 20 – Japan 0-2 United States
July 21 – Paraguay 0-1 Belgium
The Quarter-finals
The four group winners and runners-up advanced to the quarter finals, with the first match taking place only a day after the final game of the group stage. The first game saw Argentina beat their neighbours Brazil 3-1 in a game marred by crowd trouble and a mass brawl sparked by a bad tackle on Brazilian strike Preguinho by Argentine captain Luis Monti, who to add insult to Brazil’s injury, scored the third goal with a superb free-kick in the 85th minute.
They were joined in the semi-finals by Yugoslavia who thrashed Chile 7-1 in a lopsided game which was decided by half time, with the Chileans having lost two players to injury. The Yugoslavs, who had scored four goals by half-time, eased off somewhat in the second half, but Ivan Bek (who played professionally in France) scored a second half hat-trick with Guillermo Subiabre scoring a late consolation for Chile.
The third quarter final between Romania and the United States ended up a draw, with both sides scoring in the final minutes of each half to leave the score at 1-1. As a result, the match was decided in extra-time with the United States scoring through Patenaude to win 2-1.
The hosts Uruguay, came from behind to beat a spirited Belgium, who played most of the game with 10-men following an injury to their captain Pierre Brain. Jan Didens had opened the scoring for the Belgians, only for the wily Hector Scarone to equalise for the hosts. Nevertheless despite attacking in waves, Uruguay found it impossible to break through, with veteran keeper Jean de Bie having a blinder in the Belgian goal. An own-goal from Nik Hoydonckx would cruelly send the Belgians out, though they had impressed the Uruguayan public with their display and were invited to a reception with the Uruguayan president before their departure.
Results
July 24 – Argentina 3-1 Brazil
July 24 – Yugoslavia 7-1 Chile
July 25 – Romania 1-2 United States (aet)
July 25 – Uruguay 2-1 Belgium
The Semi-Finals
The semi-finals, which took place two days after the quarter-finals had concluded saw two notably contrasting results, with Argentina comfortably dispatching the United States on a rain-drenched pitch 5-0, with the Americans wilting in the second half as Argentine pressure told. The margin of victory, saw Argentina’s goal tally for the tournament reach nineteen in five games, stoking increased triumphalism in the Argentine press. For the Americans, who have yet to match or better their result at the inaugural tournament, their exploits were barely noticed, with only cursory mentions in the sporting press.
In the second semi-final, Uruguay and Yugoslavia played out a thriller, with a Pedro Cea hat-trick seeing the hosts come back from being twice down to win 3-2, following goals from Djordje Vujadinovic and Ivan Bek. The Yugoslavs were denied an equaliser by a controversial offside decision[5] and upon the final whistle a near brawl broke out between the two sets of players. Nevertheless, the hosts were through to the final while the Yugoslavs faced a bronze medal match with the Americans.
Results
July 27 – United States 0-5 Argentina
July 28 – Uruguay 3-2 Yugoslavia
Bronze Medal match
The Yugoslavs, still angered by the refereeing in their match against Uruguay, comfortably dispatched the Americans in the third place match, with Ivan Bek scoring both goals as they ran out 2-0 winners in front of a sparse crowd at the newly built Estadio Centenario. While the Americans, true to their performances throughout most of the tournament, were spirited the Yugoslavs greater technical ability shone through. Yugoslavia’s third place finish would remain their highest position at the tournament, while the Americans have not reached a semi-final since.
Result
July 29 – Yugoslavia 2-0 United States
Final
Argentina and Uruguay’s victories set up a repeat of the 1928 Olympics final which Uruguay had won after a replay. Feelings around the match were high, with Argentine supporters crossing the river to chants of “victory or death”, while Montevideo’s harbour strained under the weight of thousands of Argentine supporters making the crossing, with an estimated 10-15,000 making the trip.
The game itself was watched by a capacity crowd of 93,000 with the stadium having been full since noon, while the referee, Belgian John Langenus, was only confirmed following the granting of assurances for his safety a few hours before the game, including the provision of a boat should he need to make a hasty exit. The final decision to be made before the teams took to the field, was which country’s ball should be used. With no agreement able to be reached a compromise was made with an Argentine ball used during the first half and a Uruguayan equivalent during the second.
The final, saw both teams go on the attack, with Uruguay opening the scoring through Pablo Dorado. Argentina equalised and then took the lead through Guillermo Stabile to leave half time poised at 2-1 to the Argentines, much to the disgust of the home crowd.
The second half began with sustained Uruguayan pressure and they equalised through Pedro Cea, and sustained Uruguayan pressure saw Cea add his second and Uruguay’s third ten minutes later. With twenty minutes of the match remaining, and the Argentines beginning to tire in the face of wave after wave of Uruguayan attacks, Victoriano Santos Iriate added the fourth in the 88th minute, sealing Uruguay’s victory as the first winners of the World Cup, to go with their Olympic triumphs of the 1920s.
[1] This remains the only tournament where the host nation did not participate in the opening match or, when group stages were used, take part in the first group itself.
[2] This gamed earned the distinction of having all six goals scored in the first half, which remains a World Cup record.
[3] Siam’s goal’s against and goal difference remain a record.
[4] Who was falsely claimed to be originally from Belgium in the Belgian reports of the match – Patenaude was of French-Canadian heritage and was born in Massachusetts.
[5] Refereeing became a bugbear for the European teams throughout the tournament with both Romania and Yugoslavia decrying what they saw as Latin American bias.
Hosted in Uruguay, with the final taking place at the Estadio Centenario, constructed to celebrate the hundredth year of the country’s independence, the inaugural tournament contained only four European sides, one from Africa, two from Asia and the remaining nine from the Americas, with only the United States representing the region’s Anglosphere.
As the tournament was invite only, this remains the only competition not to have any form of qualifying, with the teams divided into four groups of four, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the final itself, a format which would be adopted again and become the standard in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The teams
The sixteen teams, some enthused by the tournaments, others cajoled by their governments, included:
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Egypt
- France
- Japan
- Mexico
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Romania
- Siam
- United States
- Uruguay
- Yugoslavia
Originally envisioned as a straight knockout tournament, and with invitations extended to all 28 member associations, the economic crisis in much of the world put a damper on interest in the tournament, with most of FIFA’s European members expressing reservation about the long journey as well as the time commitment for those internationals who were still amateur. The original deadline of February 16 1930 for entries was passed without a single European nation committing to take part, until direct intervention from FIFA General Secretary Jules Rimet (and in the case of Romania, King Carol II) saw the confirmed participation of four European sides. The four sides, and Egypt, as well as Rimet and other FIFA officials would travel on the same boat journey – apocryphal stories have been told of impromptu kickabouts amongst the teams on the long voyage.
In contrast, in the Americas, interest was widespread, with seven entries from South America, as well as the US and Mexico participating. Similarly, to Romania, both Japan and Siam were allowed to go following governmental intervention – this would mark the last time two Asian sides would participate until the 1980s.
Tournament summary
Group stages – Group 1
Group 1 saw France paired with three sides from the Americas in Argentina, Chile & Mexico, and saw the French comfortably win the opening game of the tournament[1] with a 5-2 victory over the Mexicans, two days after which they faced the much-fancied Argentines. In a game marred by suspect refereeing as well as injuries on both sides, Argentina eventually winning 2-1. France’s fixtures gave credence to the criticism that the tournament had been poorly scheduled – their game against Argentina being their second in forty-eight hours, while Chile were yet to play their first match (which they won 3-0 against Mexico the day after Argentina’s victory.)
France’s final match of the group stage was notable for seeing the first ever award of a penalty-kick in the tournament, which Carlos Vidal scored, eventually seeing the Chileans triumph 2-0. Argentina’s match against Mexico saw three penalties awarded, with Mexico’s Oscar Bonfiglio making the first penalty-save in the tournament’s history – Argentina nevertheless ran out 7-1 winners with a hat-trick from future national team manager Guillermo Stabile.
The decisive game of the group saw Argentina defeat their Andean neighbours Chile 2-1 in a bad-tempered match to top the group, setting themselves up for a quarter-final against the fancied Brazilians who had unexpectedly finished second to Yugoslavia.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Argentina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 6 |
2 | Chile | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 |
3 | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Mexico | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 0 |
July 13 – France 5-2 Mexico
July 15 – Argentina 2-1 France
July 16 – Chile 3-0 Mexico
July 19 – Chile 2-0 France
July 19- Argentina 7-1 Mexico
July 22 – Argentina 2-1 Chile
Group stages – Group 2
The second group contained Brazil, who were one of the favourites for the tournament, Yugoslavia, Bolivia, who going into the tournament had never previously won an international match and Africa’s sole representative Egypt, who had made the semi-finals in the 1928 Olympics.
Brazil, were expected to top the group but unexpectedly lost their opener 3-2 to Yugoslavia, and despite a comfortable victory over Bolivia, only managed to qualify for the knockout stage with a last-minute equaliser against Egypt. The Egyptians, acquitted themselves well in their three group games, and became the first African side to win a match at the finals – however a narrow defeat to Yugoslavia coupled with Brazil’s superior goal difference saw them exit the tournament at the first hurdle.
The Yugoslavs meanwhile comfortably qualified the knockout stages where they faced Chile, while Brazil would face neighbours Argentina.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 6 |
2 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 3 |
3 | Egypt | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
4 | Bolivia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | -9 | 0 |
July 14 – Yugoslavia 3-2 Brazil
July 15 – Bolivia 0-1 Egypt
July 17 – Yugoslavia 1-0 Egypt
July 18 – Brazil 4-0 Bolivia
July 20 – Egypt 1-1 Brazil
July 21 – Yugoslavia 4-0 Bolivia
Group stages – Group 3
Hosts Uruguay were placed in a group with Peru, Romania, and Siam. The opening match of this group saw the first ever player expulsion from the competition when Peruvian Placindo Galindo was sent off against Romania. The Romanians took advantage to win 4-2, including the fastest goal of the tournament; Adalbert Deșu opened the scoring after just 50 seconds.
Uruguay’s opening game saw them beat Siam 9-0 – their opponents playing in only their third ever international (having debuted against Indochina earlier that year) played well in the first half, going in at half-time only 2-0 down, before the Uruguayans greater experience told.
The hosts next game against Peru however was a much tighter affair with the game settled by one goal in the closing minutes of the second half, following an inspired display from Peruvian goalkeeper Jorge Pardon, and saw much criticism of the hosts in the local press. Uruguay closed out their tournament with a 5-1 victory over Romania[2] who finished second, with Peru finishing third after beating Siam 5-0.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Uruguay (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 6 |
2 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 4 |
3 | Peru | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 2 |
4 | Siam | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | -18[3] | 0 |
July 14 – Romania 4-2 Peru
July 18 – Uruguay 9-0 Siam
July 20 – Siam 0-4 Romania
July 21 – Uruguay 1-0 Peru
July 22 – Peru 5-0 Siam
July 23 – Uruguay 5-1 Romania
Group stages – Group 4
The final group comprised the United States, Belgium, Paraguay and Japan. The American team, comprised primarily of European immigrants (including two former Scottish professionals) were reputedly nicknamed the shot-putters in the French press due to their supposed rough style of play. They beat Belgium 2-1 in their opening game, a match which was marred by bad weather and a poor pitch, and saw the Belgians bemoan an offside winner from Bertrand Patenaude.[4]
Paraguay meanwhile began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Japan, who had warmed up for then tournament by winning the Far Eastern Championship. Paraguay’s second game saw them lose 3-0 to the US, while Belgium beat Japan 3-1. With the Americans already qualified, the match between the Belgians and Paraguay became a playoff to see who would join them, with Belgium eventually triumphing 1-0. Japan closed out their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to the Americans.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 |
2 | Belgium | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 4 |
3 | Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
July 13 – United States 2-1 Belgium
July 14 – Japan 0-2 Paraguay
July 17 – United States 3-0 Paraguay
July 18 – Belgium 3-1 Japan
July 20 – Japan 0-2 United States
July 21 – Paraguay 0-1 Belgium
The Quarter-finals
The four group winners and runners-up advanced to the quarter finals, with the first match taking place only a day after the final game of the group stage. The first game saw Argentina beat their neighbours Brazil 3-1 in a game marred by crowd trouble and a mass brawl sparked by a bad tackle on Brazilian strike Preguinho by Argentine captain Luis Monti, who to add insult to Brazil’s injury, scored the third goal with a superb free-kick in the 85th minute.
They were joined in the semi-finals by Yugoslavia who thrashed Chile 7-1 in a lopsided game which was decided by half time, with the Chileans having lost two players to injury. The Yugoslavs, who had scored four goals by half-time, eased off somewhat in the second half, but Ivan Bek (who played professionally in France) scored a second half hat-trick with Guillermo Subiabre scoring a late consolation for Chile.
The third quarter final between Romania and the United States ended up a draw, with both sides scoring in the final minutes of each half to leave the score at 1-1. As a result, the match was decided in extra-time with the United States scoring through Patenaude to win 2-1.
The hosts Uruguay, came from behind to beat a spirited Belgium, who played most of the game with 10-men following an injury to their captain Pierre Brain. Jan Didens had opened the scoring for the Belgians, only for the wily Hector Scarone to equalise for the hosts. Nevertheless despite attacking in waves, Uruguay found it impossible to break through, with veteran keeper Jean de Bie having a blinder in the Belgian goal. An own-goal from Nik Hoydonckx would cruelly send the Belgians out, though they had impressed the Uruguayan public with their display and were invited to a reception with the Uruguayan president before their departure.
Results
July 24 – Argentina 3-1 Brazil
July 24 – Yugoslavia 7-1 Chile
July 25 – Romania 1-2 United States (aet)
July 25 – Uruguay 2-1 Belgium
The Semi-Finals
The semi-finals, which took place two days after the quarter-finals had concluded saw two notably contrasting results, with Argentina comfortably dispatching the United States on a rain-drenched pitch 5-0, with the Americans wilting in the second half as Argentine pressure told. The margin of victory, saw Argentina’s goal tally for the tournament reach nineteen in five games, stoking increased triumphalism in the Argentine press. For the Americans, who have yet to match or better their result at the inaugural tournament, their exploits were barely noticed, with only cursory mentions in the sporting press.
In the second semi-final, Uruguay and Yugoslavia played out a thriller, with a Pedro Cea hat-trick seeing the hosts come back from being twice down to win 3-2, following goals from Djordje Vujadinovic and Ivan Bek. The Yugoslavs were denied an equaliser by a controversial offside decision[5] and upon the final whistle a near brawl broke out between the two sets of players. Nevertheless, the hosts were through to the final while the Yugoslavs faced a bronze medal match with the Americans.
Results
July 27 – United States 0-5 Argentina
July 28 – Uruguay 3-2 Yugoslavia
Bronze Medal match
The Yugoslavs, still angered by the refereeing in their match against Uruguay, comfortably dispatched the Americans in the third place match, with Ivan Bek scoring both goals as they ran out 2-0 winners in front of a sparse crowd at the newly built Estadio Centenario. While the Americans, true to their performances throughout most of the tournament, were spirited the Yugoslavs greater technical ability shone through. Yugoslavia’s third place finish would remain their highest position at the tournament, while the Americans have not reached a semi-final since.
Result
July 29 – Yugoslavia 2-0 United States
Final
Argentina and Uruguay’s victories set up a repeat of the 1928 Olympics final which Uruguay had won after a replay. Feelings around the match were high, with Argentine supporters crossing the river to chants of “victory or death”, while Montevideo’s harbour strained under the weight of thousands of Argentine supporters making the crossing, with an estimated 10-15,000 making the trip.
The game itself was watched by a capacity crowd of 93,000 with the stadium having been full since noon, while the referee, Belgian John Langenus, was only confirmed following the granting of assurances for his safety a few hours before the game, including the provision of a boat should he need to make a hasty exit. The final decision to be made before the teams took to the field, was which country’s ball should be used. With no agreement able to be reached a compromise was made with an Argentine ball used during the first half and a Uruguayan equivalent during the second.
The final, saw both teams go on the attack, with Uruguay opening the scoring through Pablo Dorado. Argentina equalised and then took the lead through Guillermo Stabile to leave half time poised at 2-1 to the Argentines, much to the disgust of the home crowd.
The second half began with sustained Uruguayan pressure and they equalised through Pedro Cea, and sustained Uruguayan pressure saw Cea add his second and Uruguay’s third ten minutes later. With twenty minutes of the match remaining, and the Argentines beginning to tire in the face of wave after wave of Uruguayan attacks, Victoriano Santos Iriate added the fourth in the 88th minute, sealing Uruguay’s victory as the first winners of the World Cup, to go with their Olympic triumphs of the 1920s.
[1] This remains the only tournament where the host nation did not participate in the opening match or, when group stages were used, take part in the first group itself.
[2] This gamed earned the distinction of having all six goals scored in the first half, which remains a World Cup record.
[3] Siam’s goal’s against and goal difference remain a record.
[4] Who was falsely claimed to be originally from Belgium in the Belgian reports of the match – Patenaude was of French-Canadian heritage and was born in Massachusetts.
[5] Refereeing became a bugbear for the European teams throughout the tournament with both Romania and Yugoslavia decrying what they saw as Latin American bias.