Memorable World Cup finals - II

Weeping fans, hysterical nations, psychic mollusks and threats of Calamari are all ensuring that this Sunday, history will be made no matter what kind of football is played.

In keeping with this spirit, we continue our memorable World Cup finals series with the most famous finals of all time. These are the ones that grown men cry over and nationalists talk about with fire in their eyes.

Firsts of the first

Jules Rimet organised the first FIFA World Cup back in 1930.

Uruguay, the 1928 Olympic champions and the hosts, stormed through the series to reach the final where they would play their Olympics opponents Argentina.

Uruguay had won that Olympic final 2-1 and emotions ran high. An estimated 93,000 spectators packed into the Estadio Centenario on 30 July - A harbinger of the popularity that this tournament would eventually see.

There was plenty of drama before the match even began - a sure sign of lasting notoriety. Luis Monti played for Argentina even though he received death threats.

The Belgium referee John Langenus requested a boat be kept on stand-by so that he could escape within the hour if things got ugly and each team refused to kick the opponent's football. A compromise was eventually reached where the Argentinean ball would be used in the first half and the Uruguayan ball in the second half.

Pablo Dorado scored the first goal for Uruguay, but Argentina equalised within eight minutes through Carlos Peucelle. By half-time Guillermo Stabile gave Argentina a 2-1 lead. In the second half, Uruguay had their own ball and dominated the match on their own terms.

Pedro Cea, Santos Iriarte and Castro each scored a goal to push Uruguay to an unassailable 4-2 lead when the final whistle was blown, crowning them the first Champions of football.

Uruguay declared the next day as a national holiday and mobs in Argentina stoned the Uruguayan consulate.

Heady days, indeed!

Image: Uruguay`s first goal in the World Cup Final against Argentina.

Text: Vinayak Hegde

Images: Associated Press/AFP. Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited