1979 FIFA World Youth Championship

1979 FIFA World Youth Championship
1979 FIFAワールドユース選手権
Tournament details
Host country Japan
Dates25 August – 7 September
Teams16 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)4 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Argentina (1st title)
Runners-up Soviet Union
Third place Uruguay
Fourth place Poland
Tournament statistics
Matches played32
Goals scored83 (2.59 per match)
Attendance454,500 (14,203 per match)
Top scorer(s)Argentina Ramón Díaz (8 goals)
Best player(s)Argentina Diego Maradona
Fair play award Poland
← 1977
1981 →
International football competition

The 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, the second staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Japan from 26 August to 7 September 1979. It was the first FIFA tournament played in Asia. The tournament took place in four cities — Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama — where a total of 32 matches were played, four more than in the previous edition due to the addition of a quarterfinal round in the knockout stage.

Argentina won the trophy after beating holders Soviet Union 3–1, in a final held at Tokyo's National Stadium. Argentina fielded an attack-minded high-scoring team, averaging 3.33 goals per game. They were led by the powerful duo of Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz, who were the tournament's best player and top scorer respectively. Between the two of them, they scored 14 of Argentina's 20 goals (70%).

Qualification

Confederation Qualifying Tournament Qualifier(s)
AFC (Asia) Host nation  Japan1
1978 AFC Youth Championship  Indonesia1
 South Korea1
CAF (Africa) 1979 African Youth Championship  Algeria1
 Guinea1
CONCACAF
(North, Central America & Caribbean) 		1978 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament  Canada1
 Mexico
CONMEBOL (South America) 1979 South American Youth Championship  Argentina1
 Paraguay
 Uruguay
UEFA (Europe) 1978 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship  Hungary
 Poland1
 Portugal1
 Soviet Union
 Spain
 Yugoslavia1
1.^ Teams that made their debut.

Squads

For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship squads.

Venues

Tokyo Omiya
National Stadium Omiya Stadium
Capacity: 48,000 Capacity: 15,500
Kobe Yokohama
Chuo Stadium Yokohama Mitsuzawa Football Stadium
Capacity: 13,000 Capacity: 15,000

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Spain 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Algeria 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 4
3  Mexico 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
4  Japan (H) 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2
Source: WorldFootball.net
(H) Hosts
Mexico 1–1 Algeria
Hernández 24' Report Yahi 67'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Anatoly Milchenko (Soviet Union)
Japan 0–1 Spain
Report Zúñiga 51'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Marjan Raus (Yugoslavia)
Spain 2–1 Mexico
Joaquín 8'
Gail 74'		 Report Díaz 56'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 28,000
Algeria 0–0 Japan
Report
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 32,000
Referee: Héctor Ortíz Ramírez (Paraguay)
Spain 0–1 Algeria
Report Bendjaballah 15'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Kosasih Kartadiredja (Indonesia)
Japan 1–1 Mexico
Mizunuma 58' Report Romero 69'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 38,000
Referee: Laszlo Padar (Hungary)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Argentina 3 3 0 0 10 1 +9 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Poland 3 2 0 1 9 4 +5 4
3  Yugoslavia 3 1 0 2 5 3 +2 2
4  Indonesia 3 0 0 3 0 16 −16 0
Source: WorldFootball.net
Poland 2–0 Yugoslavia
Pałasz 49'
Frankowski 76'		 Report
Attendance: 14,000
Argentina 5–0 Indonesia
Díaz 10', 23', 25'
Maradona 19', 39'		 Report
Attendance: 15,500
Referee: Rolando Fusco (Canada)
Yugoslavia 0–1 Argentina
Report Escudero 55'
Attendance: 9,500
Indonesia 0–6 Poland
Report Pałasz 11', 37'
Janiec 12'
Baran 22', 31'
Buda 73'
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Kazuo Yasudo (Japan)
Poland 1–4 Argentina
Pałasz 27' Report Maradona 7'
Calderón 23', 70'
Simón 35'
Attendance: 12,500
Referee: Marcel van Langenhove (Belgium)
Yugoslavia 5–0 Indonesia
Smajić 5', 77'
Milosavljević 19', 63'
Mlinarić 73'		 Report
Attendance: 7,500
Referee: Toshio Asami (Japan)

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Paraguay 3 2 0 1 6 1 +5 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Portugal 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1 3
3  South Korea 3 1 1 1 1 3 −2 3
4  Canada 3 1 0 2 3 5 −2 2
Source: WorldFootball.net
Canada 3–1 Portugal
Segota 7', 66'
Nagy 79'		 Report Grilo 46'
Attendance: 10,000
Paraguay 3–0 South Korea
Romero 5'
Cabañas 70', 74'		 Report
Attendance: 13,000
Portugal 1–0 Paraguay
Ferreira 23' Report
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Alojzy Jarguz (Poland)
South Korea 1–0 Canada
Lee Tae-ho 63' Report
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: George Joseph (Malaysia)
Canada 0–3 Paraguay
Report Romero 37', 58'
Isasi 40'
Attendance: 7,500
Referee: Morisaburo Kuramochi (Japan)
Portugal 0–0 South Korea
Report
Attendance: 7,500
Referee: Mario Rubio Vázquez (Mexico)

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Uruguay 3 3 0 0 8 0 +8 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Soviet Union 3 2 0 1 8 2 +6 4
3  Hungary 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 2
4  Guinea 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Source: WorldFootball.net
Soviet Union 5–1 Hungary
Ponomaryov 24'
Stukashov 41'
Zavarov 57'
Taran 71', 78'		 Report Kardos 9'
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Arturo Andrés Ithurralde (Argentina)
Uruguay 5–0 Guinea
Molina 7'
Revelez 22', 74'
Paz 53'
Vargas 76'		 Report
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Melvyn D'Souza (India)
Hungary 0–2 Uruguay
Report Vargas 23'
Paz 35'
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Marcel van Langenhove (Belgium)
Guinea 0–3 Soviet Union
Report Olefirenko 6'
Mikhalevsky 59'
Radenko 80'
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Suk Han-Kyu (South Korea)
Soviet Union 0–1 Uruguay
Report Martínez 66'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: César Correia Diaz da Luz (Portugal)
Hungary 2–0 Guinea
Segesvári 17'
Kerepeczky 80'		 Report

Knockout stage

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
2 September – National Stadium
 
 
 Argentina 5
 
4 September – National Stadium
 
 Algeria 0
 
 Argentina 2
 
2 September – Yokohama
 
 Uruguay 0
 
 Uruguay (a.e.t.)1
 
7 September – National Stadium
 
 Portugal 0
 
 Argentina 3
 
2 September – Omiya
 
 Soviet Union 1
 
 Spain 0 (3)
 
4 September – Kobe
 
 Poland (p)0 (4)
 
 Poland 0
 
2 September – Kobe
 
 Soviet Union 1 Third place
 
 Paraguay 2 (5)
 
6 September – National Stadium
 
 Soviet Union (p)2 (6)
 
 Uruguay (p)1 (5)
 
 
 Poland 1 (3)
 

Quarter-finals

Spain 0–0 (a.e.t.) Poland
Report
Penalties
Pichardo soccer ball with red X
Gail soccer ball with check mark
Manolo soccer ball with check mark
Zúñiga soccer ball with check mark
Tendillo soccer ball with red X		 3–4 soccer ball with check mark Chojnacki
soccer ball with check mark Buncol
soccer ball with check mark Jarosz
soccer ball with red X Pałasz
soccer ball with check mark Skrobowski
Attendance: 10,000
Argentina 5–0 Algeria
Maradona 25'
Calderón 34'
Díaz 39', 51', 66'		 Report
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: George Joseph (Malaysia)
Paraguay 2–2 (a.e.t.) Soviet Union
Romero 7'
Achucarro 22'		 Report Dumansky 3'
Ponomaryov 70'
Penalties
Miño soccer ball with red X
Valinotti soccer ball with check mark
Romero soccer ball with check mark
Giménez soccer ball with red X
Vera soccer ball with check mark
Olmedo soccer ball with red X
Mora soccer ball with check mark
Garcia soccer ball with check mark
Isasi soccer ball with red X		 5–6 soccer ball with red X Ponomaryov
soccer ball with check mark Polukarov
soccer ball with check mark Ovchinnikov
soccer ball with check mark Stukashov
soccer ball with red X Hurynovich
soccer ball with red X Mikhalevsky
soccer ball with check mark Khachatryan
soccer ball with check mark Dumanskyi
soccer ball with check mark Chanov
Attendance: 8,500
Uruguay 1–0 (a.e.t.) Portugal
Paz 94' Report
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Marcel van Langenhove (Belgium)

Semi-finals

Argentina 2–0 Uruguay
Díaz 52'
Maradona 74'		 Report
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 20,000
Poland 0–1 Soviet Union
Report Ponomaryov 50'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Marcel van Langenhove (Belgium)

Third place play-off

Uruguay 1–1 (a.e.t.) Poland
Paz 9' Report Pałasz 26'
Penalties
5–3
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 8,000

Final

Argentina 3–1 Soviet Union
Alves 68'
Díaz 71'
Maradona 76'		 Report Ponomaryov 52'
National Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 52,000

Result

 FIFA World Youth Championship 1979 winners 

Argentina
First title

Awards

Diego Maradona was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament
Golden Shoe Golden Ball Fair Play Award
Argentina Ramón Díaz Argentina Diego Maradona  Poland

Goalscorers

Ramón Díaz of Argentina won the Golden Shoe award for scoring eight goals. In total, 83 goals were scored by 48 different players, with none of them credited as own goal.

Ramón Díaz, top scorer of the tournament
8 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal

Final ranking

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1  Argentina 6 6 0 0 20 2 +18 12 Champions
2  Soviet Union 6 3 1 2 12 7 +5 7 Runners-up
3  Uruguay 6 4 1 1 10 3 +7 9 Third place
4  Poland 6 2 2 2 10 6 +4 6 Fourth place
5  Paraguay 4 2 1 1 8 3 +5 5 Eliminated in
Quarter-finals
6  Spain 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1 5
7  Algeria 4 1 2 1 2 6 −4 4
8  Portugal 4 1 1 2 2 4 −2 3
9  South Korea 3 1 1 1 1 3 −2 3 Eliminated in
Group stage
10  Yugoslavia 3 1 0 2 5 3 +2 2
11  Mexico 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
12  Japan (H) 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2
13  Canada 3 1 0 2 3 5 −2 2
14  Hungary 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 2
15  Guinea 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
16  Indonesia 3 0 0 3 0 16 −16 0
Source: rsssf.com
(H) Hosts

External links

  • FIFA World Youth Championship Japan 1979 Archived 2020-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, FIFA.com
  • RSSSF > FIFA World Youth Championship > 1979
  • FIFA Technical Report
  • All Matches of the Brazilian Soccer Team
  • Todos os Jogos da Seleção Brasileira de Futebol