3 July 1947 - Rensenbrink On The Rise

On 3 July 1947, forward Rob Rensenbrink was born in Amsterdam. He went on to star for Anderlecht and the Netherlands, winning the 1976 Onze d'Or.

He started his career in 1965 as an amateur with his hometown club DWS, then signed a professional contract with Brugge in 1969. In two seasons there, he scored 24 goals in 55 league appearances and won his first silverware, the 1970 Belgian Cup, before moving to Anderlecht in 1971. At Anderlecht, he continued the success that began in Brugge, winning four more Belgian Cups (1972, 1973, 1975, 1976) and two league titles (1972, 1974). He also enjoyed European success, twice winning both the Cup Winners' Cup (1976, 1978) and the UEFA Super Cup (1976, 1978). In 1976, he won the inaugural Onze d'Or, chosen by the readers of French magazine Onze Mondial.

He earned his first cap for the Netherlands in 1968, but labored under the shadow of Johan Cruyff, who played in Rensenbrink's preferred left forward position. To accommodate both of them, coach Rinus Michels played Rensenbrink on the left wing for the 1974 World Cup with the Netherlands finishing as runners-up to West Germany.

By 1978, Cruyff had retired, so Rensenbrink moved up to the now-vacant forward spot. The Dutch again advanced to the final, where Rensenbrink nearly gave them the win--in the last few seconds, with the match level, he fired from a narrow angle and just missed the goal, instead striking the post. Argentina went on to win the match in extra time.

He retired in 1982 after brief spells with the Portland Timbers (1980) and Toulouse (1981-82).

25 June 1978 - Argentina Treats The Dutch To A Loss

On 25 June 1978, hosts Argentina won their first World Cup, defeating the Netherlands 1-3 (aet), making them the fifth country to win the Cup as hosts.

The tournament took place during the reign of dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who had taken control of the nation through a military coup two years earlier. After the coup, several countries, including the Netherlands, publicly debated whether to withdraw from the tournament. But all of the qualified teams eventually chose to participate.

Both Argentina and the Netherlands finished second in their respective first-round groups, but advanced to the Final by finishing at the top of their second-round groups. Argentina did so controversially, as they entered their last second-round match against Peru needing to win by more than four goals in order to pass group leaders Brazil. They won 6-0.

Playing the Final before a crowd of 71,483 at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental, Argentina took a 37th-minute lead with a goal from Valencia striker Mario Kempes (pictured). The goal tied Kempes with Holland's Rob Rensenbrink as the tournament's top scorer. The Dutch, playing in their second consecutive Final, equalized with a header from midfielder Dick Nanninga in the 82nd minute. Rensenbrink came close to winning the match in stoppage time, but his shot hit the post.

In extra time, Kempes struck again in the 104th minute. It was his sixth goal of the tournament and earned him the golden boot. Winger Daniel Bertoni added an insurance goal in the 115th minute to complete the day's scoring.

11 June 1978 - Gemmill's Gem

On 11 June 1978, Scotland midfielder Archie Gemmill scored against the Netherlands in the group stages of the World Cup.

Playing in front of over 35,000 people at the Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza in Argentina, Scotland started the day tied with Iran at the bottom of the group with only one point each, while the Netherlands were tied at the top with Peru on 3 points. At the time, wins earned only two points, so in order to advance, the Scots needed to defeat the Dutch by 3 goals to pass them in the standings on goal differential.

Scotland's chances took a turn for the worse when the Netherlands were awarded a penalty, which forward Rob Rensenbrink converted in the 34th minute. Scotland equalized in the 44th minute, however, with a goal from forward Kenny Dalglish. Gemmill then scored to put them ahead in the 46th minute. He wasn't finished, though. In the 68th minute, Gemmill shot a goal past the Dutch keeper to give the Scots a 3-1 lead. As described by The Scotsman in the paper's match report, "The little midfield player homed in on goal, played a magnificent one-two with Dalglish, then sprinted into the box and thumped a glorious goal past Jongbloed to revive all the hopes which had died the death this past fortnight. It was an extraordinary goal and an extraordinary moment. Suddenly Scotland were dreaming of glory again."

The euphoria was short-lived, as Dutch winger Johnny Rep netted in the 71st minute and the match ended at 3-2, eliminating the Scots.

Despite the result, Gemmill's goal is remembered to this day as one of the greatest goals ever scored in the World Cup.