9781422278314

Still in use today, the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, was the site of the very first World Cup final match in 1930

Romania, and the former Yugoslavia to participate, making 13 teams in total.

To the surprise of no one, the powerful Uruguayans went undefeated through four matches. Playing in front of their passionate home fans, they gave up just three goals in all, while scoring 15 themselves. The final matched Uruguay against Argentina, and more than 90,000 fans jammed Estadio Centenario in the capital, Montevideo. The La Plata River separates the city from Argentina, and Argentines crossed the river by the thousands to support their team, led by the tournament’s top scorer Guillermo Stábile. Spectators were treated to an entertaining match, as Argentina took a 2–1 lead into halftime. The quality of the Uruguay side was too much, however, and goals 11 minutes apart by Pedro Cea and Santos Iriarte put Uruguay ahead to stay. The match ended 4–2, and the following day was declared a national holiday.

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