 Eventual champions Uruguay before the match | |||||||
| Event | 1930 FIFA World Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 30 July 1930 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo | ||||||
| Referee | John Langenus (Belgium) | ||||||
| Attendance | 68,346 | ||||||
The 1930 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 1930 World Cup, the inaugural edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 30 July 1930, and was contested by Uruguay and Argentina. The tournament comprised hosts Uruguay and 12 other teams that were invited by FIFA to compete. The 13 teams competed in a group stage, from which 4 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Uruguay finished first in Group 3, with two wins, after which they defeated Yugoslavia in the semi-final. Argentina finished first in Group 1 with three wins, before defeating the United States in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 93,000 supporters with the stadium gates opening at eight in the morning six hours before kick-off, and at noon the ground was full, [1] [ full citation needed ] [2] , and was refereed by John Langenus from Belgium.
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Before the match, a disagreement overshadowed the build-up to the match as which team would provide the match ball. FIFA intervened with a compromise, that Argentina would provide the ball for the first half, and Uruguay for the second. [3] Uruguay opened the scoring in the 12th minute with Pablo Dorado opening the scoring. Carlos Peucelle equalised in the 20th minute, beating goalkeeper Enrique Ballestrero with a powerful shot. The tournament top scorer Guillermo Stábile gave Argentina a 2–1 lead going into the break. In the 57th minute, Uruguay leveled the score via a goal from Pedro Cea. Two more goals in the 68th and the 89th minute from Santos Iriarte and Héctor Castro put Uruguay up 4–2, sealing victory in the inaugural World Cup.
Uruguay manager Alberto Suppici was 31 at the time, and still holds the record for being youngest coach of a FIFA World Cup winning team. Jules Rimet, president of FIFA, presented Uruguay with the World Cup Trophy, later to be named after him. The following day was declared a national holiday in Uruguay. [2] In Buenos Aires, a mob threw stones at the Uruguayan consulate. [4] [ full citation needed ]
The last living player from the final was Argentine striker Francisco Varallo, who died on 30 August 2010 aged 100. [5] The last living Uruguayan from the final was Ernesto Mascheroni, who died on 3 July 1984 aged 76.
