30 July 1930 - The First World Cup Final

On 30 July 1930, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup Final before a standing-room-only crowd of over 100,000 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.

FIFA chose Uruguay as the host country because its national team were reigning world champions, having taken the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Argentina had claimed the silver, after playing Uruguay to a 1-1 draw on 10 June 1928, then falling 2-1 in the replay three days later. So the two sides were very familiar with one another leading up to the 1930 World Cup.

Uruguay scored first in the Final, with a 12th-minute goal from striker Pablo Dorado, who shot the ball through the legs of Argentinian keeper Juan Botasso. Argentina rallied, however, and took a 2-1 lead into halftime with goals from right forward Carlos Peucelle (20') and center forward Guillermo Stábile (37'). Stábile's goal was his eighth of the tournament, making him the top scorer.

The second half, though, belonged to the home side. Inside-left forward Pedro Cea scored the equalizer in the 57th minute, then outside-left forward Santos Iriarte netted the eventual match-winner in the 68th minute. Center forward Héctor Castro added another for good measure in the 89th minute, completing Uruguay's victory.

27 December 1966 - The Death Of Guillermo Stábile

On 27 December 1966, Argentina star player and manager Guillermo Stábile died at the age of 61.

A center forward, he joined Huracán as a youth player in 1920, then played there professionally from 1924 to 1930. In that time, he scored 102 goals in 119 appearances, winning the Primera División title in 1925 and 1928.

In the summer of 1930, he participated in the inaugural World Cup, getting his first cap against Mexico in Argentina's second match of the tournament. He scored a hat-trick en route to a 6-3 victory, followed by a brace in the next game against Chile as Argentina topped their group. He scored two more against the United States in the semifinals, then netted in the final against Uruguay. Although Argentina lost that match 4-2, Stábile's eight goals made him the tournament's top scorer.

His performance attracted the attention of Genoa, where he played from 1930-34 before moving to Napoli for the 1934-35 season. he returned to Genoa briefly in 1935, then closed out his playing career with Red Star Paris, serving as player-manager from 1937 to 1939 when he left to manage Argentina.

As manager, he guided the national team to six South American Championships between 1941 and 1957 and the Panamerican Championship in 1960. While in charge there, he also took the reins of several different clubs, including San Lorenzo (1939-40), Estudiantes de la Plata (1940-41), Hurancán (1940-49), and finally Racing Club (1949-60), whom he led to three league titles.

In 1960, he stepped down to become the director of Argentina's national school of football, holding that post until his death in 1966.

30 July 1930 - The First World Cup Final

On 30 July 1930, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup Final before a standing-room-only crowd of over 100,000 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.

As previously mentioned, FIFA chose Uruguay as the host country because its national team were reigning world champions, having taken the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Argentina had claimed the silver, after playing Uruguay to a 1-1 draw on 10 June 1928, then falling 2-1 in the replay three days later. So the two sides were very familiar with one another leading up to the 1930 World Cup.

Uruguay scored first in the Final, with a 12th-minute goal from striker Pablo Dorado, who shot the ball through the legs of Argentinian keeper Juan Botasso. Argentina rallied, however, and took a 2-1 lead into halftime with goals from right forward Carlos Peucelle (20') and center forward Guillermo Stábile (37'). Stábile's goal was his eighth of the tournament, making him the top scorer.

The second half, though, belonged to the home side. Inside-left forward Pedro Cea scored the equalizer in the 57th minute, then outside-left forward Santos Iriarte netted the eventual match-winner in the 68th minute. Center forward Héctor Castro added another for good measure in the 89th minute, completing Uruguay's victory.