FRANCE 98 – Match preview n°60
Most of Holland’s current crop of players were wearing shorts of a different kind when the Dutch lost the 1978 World Cup final to Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Striker Patrick Kluivert was just two years old at the time, but for those that can remember the match, the memories of that controversial 3-1 defeat will have constituted a bad childhood experience. But on Saturday Guus Hiddink’s side will have a chance to avenge the defeat – Holland’s second consecutive defeat in a World Cup final-when they face an Argentina side battered, bruised and drained from their epic clash with England in the second round.
The 1978 defeat still evokes bitter feelings among the Dutch who complained the Argentinians had deliberately, and unsportingly, set out to unsettle them by delaying their emergence onto the pitch for five minutes. The Dutch were further infuriated when the hosts refused to start the match unless Rene van de Kerkhof left the pitch to remove a protective arm shield which they claimed was dangerous. “It’s true that the 1978 final still rankles with us as a nation as we had a fine team which had played the best football throughout the tournament and lost to a negative side that relied on Mario Kempes for their win, “ says Holland defender Frank de Boer. But Holland legend Johann Neeskens, who played in the 1978 final and is working as assistant to Hiddink at France 98, said the Dutch should try and forget about the match. “It is the worst memory of my playing career,” says Neeskens. “But that’s in the past. Saturday is another match.” “People have said we were not well received in Argentina-but it’s not true,” added the former Ajax and Barcelona star. “We were made to feel very welcome except on the day of the final-but that’s understandable.”
Hiddink believes Saturday’s match at the Stade Velodrome is perfectly balanced between two sides who love to play attacking football. “I think it’s 50-50,” he says. “We know Argentina well and they have impressed me from the start. Argentinians have football in their blood.” Their team has a good mixture of youth and experience. They love to come out and play attacking football-and so do we. Both teams will remain true to their footballing philosophy. “The conditions seem perfect for an open and exciting match in Marseille and I will be astonished if the match finished 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes,” he added.
The Dutch will be hoping that Argentina’s gruelling victory on penalties over England in St Etienne will have left Daniel Passarella’s side mentally and physically exhausted. “We have had an extra day to recover after our win over Yugoslavia,” says Holland winger Marc Overmars. “Argentina had to play an extra half hour against England in an exhausting game. But I am not sure it will make much difference for Saturday’s match as they should be fine after four days rest,” added the Arsenal star, who added that he prefers to be facing Argentina than England. Passarella insists that this time round the Dutch will have no cause for complaint if they lose on Saturday and that he is determined to steer Argentina to a triumph at France 98 — unstained by controversy. “We have never won a World Cup without being muddied by some form of controversy,” he said. “1978 was the regime, 1986 was Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal and when we made the 1990 final it was done with a lack of finesse and disgraceful behaviour on the pitch. We had a fine team in 1994 and then Senor Maradona goes and blows it again leaving us once more with a sullied reputation and shamed on the world stage for the umpteenth time,” he added. “This time it will be different. I may be strict but so far it has paid off and the Dutch may moan about what happened 20 years ago but on Saturday they will have no grounds for complaint,” he said.