Argentina can still go all the way, says 1978 hero

Daniel Bertoni, scorer of a goal in the final against the Netherlands in Buenos Aires, said teams can survive the kind of shaky start that Argentina has had here in Russia. “Lots of teams which went on to be champions started poorly and then recovered and moved on,” Bertoni said. 

“We lost to Italy and we got up straight away. I have faith in the character of the Argentine players, because they fight and have the passion, that’s why they play in top leagues.” 

“So I have confidence and I hope we will be world champions,” he added. “But we have to improve. We can’t look the other way nor believe that we’ve gone from being the worst to the best.” 

Bertoni was one of the mainstays in Argentina’s famous 1978 side that won the World Cup at home. He came off the bench in its first two group games, scoring the winner in its opening 2-1 win over Hungary. He started the third match, a 0-1 loss to Italy, but Argentina still qualified for the second round and Bertoni’s spirited performances on the right wing ensured his place in the starting line-up.

Forty years on he remains a household name alongside greats like Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella, Leopoldo Luque and Osvaldo Ardiles. However, Bertoni warned that Argentina needs to sort itself out after a chaotic start that included a 1-1 draw to tiny Iceland, a 3-0 hammering by Croatia, and a heroic 2-1 win over Nigeria that secured its qualification in the dying moments.

“We still haven’t gelled as a team, so far we’ve only got it together at the odd moment, such as in that first half hour (against Nigeria) with (Ever) Banega directing things in midfield and those individual moments of (Lionel) Messi,” Bertoni said. “We depend on Messi, we’re hoping he can make a move that decides the game. We live off Messi.”

“We were three or four minutes from being knocked out and luck was on our side. Now, we can change our mentality but football-wise it’s more difficult to change. It is not possible to build a team in the middle of the competition, but I am very happy because Argentina qualified and now I hope we will reach the final.”