After 12 years in the wilderness, Hungary returned to the World Cup their first appearance since 1966. Lajos Baróti was the man tasked with guiding them back.
It was a tournament to forget for Hungary, who left without a single victory to their name.
Hungary found the group stage unforgiving, unable to pick up a single victory against their opponents. Their campaign featured a narrow 1-2 loss to Argentina, a 1-3 defeat against Italy, and a 1-3 defeat against France. The World Cup dream ended earlier than hoped, with Hungary bowing out in the first round.
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3scored8conceded
Lost all 3 matches conceded 8 in 3 matches.
Sándor Zombori led Hungary's attack with 1 goal at the 1978 World Cup. Shared the top-scorer honours with Csapó and Tóth, all with 1.
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2.0per match
2 red cards across the tournament Nyilasi booked twice.
The tactical mind behind Hungary's 1978 campaign. In charge for 4 consecutive World Cups 15 World Cup matches managed in total.
With limited squad size and no notable attacking prowess, Hungary relied on individual brilliance from players like Sándor Zombori to muster any scoring chances.
