It's been 30 years
since one of Scotland’s most humiliating
sporting defeat —
and the Tartan Army is
still talking about it.
On this day in 1978 at
the World Cup in Argentina,
we were spanked
3-1 by South American
minnows Peru.
It was our opening Group 4
game at the Estadio Chateau
Carreras in Cordoba, and it
was a crushing blow.
The entire country actually
believed manager Ally
MacLeod’s boys were certs to
WIN the whole tournament.
The team enjoyed a pre-
World Cup send-off at Hampden
Park, and 600 fans made
the trip to Argentina.
They tried to get there on
boats and planes — and in
one case hitch-hiking a ride
on a submarine.
Some of them enjoyed the
South American experience
so much they never left.
Jim Todd, 55, from Kilmarnock,
travelled with 14 of his
pals. They were so confident
they’d bought tickets for the
final in advance.
He said: “We’d bought a
package deal including flights
and tickets to every round,
including the final.
“It cost us £3,000, which
back then was a lot of
money. But it was a once-ina-
lifetime thing.
“I left thinking the team
could really win it and
become World Champions.
“But at the end of the Peru
game I was totally gutted — I
couldn’t believe what had
happened.
”
Mechanic Jim added: “Still,
we had a fantastic time over there. It was a great place
and I can see why a few of
the boys decided to make it
their home for good.”
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