Date: 10-06-1978
Stage: first round
Place: ROSARIO
Running time: 100 min.
Colour: PAL
Quality: HD 1080 50fps (9,5)
Commentary: MULTI: english/polish
My rating: ***
Notes: Lato,Deyna,Boniek,Zmuda, Cuellar,Hugo Sanchez
MATCH SUMMARY
Saturday, 10 June 1978, 16:45
Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario
Attendance: 22,651
Meteo: Sunny, 18°C
POLAND
Jan Tomaszewski
Jerzy Gorgon
Wojciech Rudy
Antoni Szymanowski
Wladyslaw Zmuda
Zbigniew Boniek
Henryk Kasperczak
Bogdan Masztaler
Kazimierz Deyna (c)
Andrzej Iwan
Grzegorz Lato
Coach: Jacek Gmoch (POL)
76′ ↓Andrzej Iwan ↑Wlodzimierz Lubanski
84′ ↓Wojciech Rudy ↑Henryk Maculewicz
MEXICO
Pedro Soto
Rigoberto Cisneros
Ignacio Flores
Carlos Gomez
Arturo Vazquez Ayala (c)
Javier Cardenas Martinez
Leonardo Cuellar
Antonio de la Torre
Cristobal Ortega Martinez
Victor Rangel Ayala
Hugo Sanchez
Coach: Jose Antonio Roca (MEX)
46′ ↓Javier Cardenas Martinez ↑Guillermo Mendizabal
Referee: Jafar Namdar (IRN)
Goals:
42′ Zbigniew Boniek POL
51′ Victor Rangel Ayala MEX
56′ Kazimierz Deyna POL
83′ Zbigniew Boniek POL
Match overview
Poland opened their 1978 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Mexico. Zbigniew Boniek gave Poland the lead just before half-time, but Mexico responded early in the second half through Victor Rangel Ayala. Kazimierz Deyna restored Poland’s advantage, and Boniek sealed the win with his second goal late in the match. The result set a positive tone for Poland in Group 2.
Trivia
This match featured the World Cup debut of Hugo Sanchez, who would later become one of Mexico’s greatest footballers. Zbigniew Boniek’s brace highlighted his emergence as a key figure for Poland, while Kazimierz Deyna’s goal underlined his leadership and technical skill. The encounter marked a generational shift for both teams, with several young talents making their mark on the world stage.
