Prior to the World Cup, the national squad defeated varied opponents such as China and Hungary. Once into the World Cup finals, Peru reached the top of their group after defeating Scotland (3–1), tying with the Netherlands (0–0), and defeating Iran (4–1). However, in the second round, Peru ended last in the group after losing to Brazil (0–3), Poland (0–1), and to Argentina (0–6) in a controversial match that some claim was bought by Argentina's military junta. After the tournament, the squad played some international friendlies to prepare for the Copa América of 1979; they would tie Scotland at Glasgow (1–1) and defeat Uruguay in Lima (2–0). Nonetheless, when the new tournament started, Peru was eliminated by Chile in the semifinals.