Argentinian soccer legend Leopoldo Luque has died at the age of 71 of coronavirus according to ESPN on Monday. Luque, a striker, is best known for being an instrumental part of the Argentinian squad that won the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Luque had four goals in five games as Argentina won their first World Cup in the history of their soccer team. They would also win in 1986 in Mexico.
At the 1978 World Cup, Luque scored in a 2-1 win over Hungary, in a 2-1 win over France, and twice in a 6-0 win over Peru. In all, Luque scored 21 goals in 43 games for Argentina from 1975 to 1980.
Luque was also the top scorer at Copa America in 1975. While playing for Argentina, Luque was the co-leader of the tournament in goals with four. Luque was tied with Ernesto Diaz of Colombia. The 1975 Copa America was not a successful tournament for Argentina however, as they were unable to win Group A, as they placed behind the eventual champions from Brazil. Luque registered one of two hat tricks in the tournament. It came in a 5-1 win over Venezuela. The other hat trick came from fellow Argentinian Daniel Killer in an 11-0 Argentina win over Venezuela. Luque also scored for Argentina in the 85th minute, in the 11-goal Argentina onslaught.
At the 1978 World Cup, Argentina placed second behind Italy in Group action. However, unlike Copa America from three years before, second place was good enough for Argentina to advance. Luque’s World Cup goals against France and Hungary came in Group 1 play, while his two goals against Peru came in the second round. In the final, Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time.
At the club level, Luque played in either Central or South America from 1972 to 1984. He played for Rosario Central, Union, River Plate, Racing Club, and the Chacarita Juniors in Argentina, Tampico Madero in Mexico, and Santos in Brazil. There have been 2,033,060 cases of coronavirus in Argentina, and 50,432 deaths.
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