Flight of the Big Bird: Story of the 1962 World Cup

Kinshuk Biswas turns back the clock to witness the flight of the Big Bird

The 1962 World Cup started the modern trend of countries contesting for the right to host the tournament. The last time such a contest had ensued was in 1938. Chile became the surprise choice over nations like Argentina and West Germany to host the ’62 World Cup. A relatively small country with a population of eight million, which had been devastated by an earthquake in 1960, raised many eyebrows after being selected as the host. The Chilean Football Association (FA) president Carlos Dittborn had pleaded with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) using the famous words, “We have to get the World Cup because we have nothing.”  Chile only had one stadium but eventually built three new stadia to accommodate the matches. Carlos Dittborn died a month before the start of the tournament and the new stadium at Arica was named after him.

The Brazilians were back and were the favourites with a 21-year old Pele and Garrincha at the height of his powers; Mario Zagallo, Didi and Vava were also back. The only concern was that, they had an ageing side with an average age of the players over 30. The Soviet Union had won the European Nations Cup in 1960 and had a very good team. They were considered to be the main challengers to Brazil. Yugoslavia had finally managed to win the Olympic gold in football after three consecutive losses in the final. They had a very good trio of forwards in Dragoslav Sekularac, Drazen Jerkovic and Milan Galic. They were coached by Ciric Milovan, one of the greatest man managers of those times. Uruguay was back and so were Argentina with a defensive-minded coach in Juan Carlos Lorenzo who believed in the physical aspect of the game.

Italy had loaded their team with South American imports like Omar Sivori and Humberto Maschio of Argentina and Jose Altafini of Brazil. Spain had similarly picked Jose Santamaria of Uruguay and the great Ferenc Puskas of Hungary. England was a team with some good players like Jimmy Greaves, Ray Wilson, Bobby Charlton and 21-year old Bobby Moore. The problem was that the only creative mid-fielder in their team was Johnny Haynes, the captain. Sweden, the runners-up of the last edition had not qualified and France had a good team but were defeated in qualifying by Bulgaria (shades of 1994), making their debut in the tournament with Columbia.

Eventually 16 teams were included with the hosts Chile and defending champions Brazil qualifying automatically. Again, there were no teams from Asia and Africa who had been eliminated in play-off matches against much superior European sides.

FIFA thankfully did not tinker too much with the format. The teams were divided into four groups with the top two teams qualifying for the quarterfinals. In case of teams being tied, average goals scored would determine the winner. The days of the play-offs were over. Knockout matches would have extra time followed by a draw of lots to decide the winner. The final was an exception with the provision of a replay in case the match was drawn after extra-time. In any case, the draw of lots was not required for any match in the tournament.  After the groups were drawn, four teams were seeded. The final groups were:

Group 1

The first match featured the debutants Columbia against the mighty Uruguayans. The debutants surprised their much fancied opponents by taking the lead through a Francisco Zuluaga penalty. The Uruguayans then grew frustrated and started making some dangerous tackles. Zuluaga was left with three broken ribs ending his international career. Eventually the equaliser came via a Luis Cubilla cross-cum-shot in the 57^th minute. Normal service was restored when Uruguay scored the winning goal through Jose Sasia. The other match was a repeat of the 1960 European Nation Cup final between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The result was identical with the Soviets winning 2-0 with goals from Valentin Ivanov and Viktor Ponedelnik. Lev Yashin had made two brilliant saves in the first half to deny Sekularac and Galic.

The second round of matches featured Uruguay against Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union against Columbia. The Uruguayans started well and took the lead through Ruben Cabrera. After that Sekularac took control of the midfield, Jerkovic was fouled in the penalty area which was converted by Josip Skoblar. Galic scored before halftime and Jerkovic scored just after the start of the second half. The final score was 3-1 in favour of the Yugoslavians. The Soviet Union and Columbia match was a classic. The Soviets cruised to a 3-0 lead with two goals from Ivanov and one from Igor Chislenko by the 13^th minute. German Aceros pulled one back but Ponedelnik scored a fourth Soviet goal in the 57^th minute to restore the three-goal margin. The Columbians were revived by a freak goal directly from a corner by Marcos Coli which was strangely allowed to cross the line by the Soviet defender Givi Chokheli at the near post much to the indignation of Yashin. Antonio Rada and Marino Klinger both scored due to errors from the great Yashin. The match finally finished 4-4.

Going into the last round of matches all the four teams had a chance of progression. The Soviet Union match against Uruguay showed that the last match against Columbia was just a bad day at the office for the European champions. The Soviets dominated the match and led through a goal from Aleksei Mamikin. The Uruguayans equalised against the run of play resulting from a loose free kick taken on the edge of the box by Yashin. The Soviets laid siege to the Uruguay goal after the equaliser. Chislenko was awarded a goal by the referee in the 75^th minute. The Soviet captain Igor Netto in great gesture of sportsmanship informed the referee that the ball had actually entered the goal through a hole in the side netting and got the goal disallowed. However, in the 89^th minute Ivanov scored using his pace to give the Soviet Union a deserved 2-1 victory and the top position in the group. In the other match Yugoslavia hammered Columbia 5-0 to claim the second position in the group.

Group 2

The first match featured the hosts against Switzerland. The Chileans were expected to win in front of a partisan home crowd. It were the Swiss who went into the lead with a goal from Rolf Wuthrich. After taking the lead, the Swiss sat back allowing the Chilean midfielders Jorge Toro and Eladio Rojas to control the game. Some display of hard tackling!  Chile was lucky to get the equaliser off a deflected Leonel Sanchez shot wrong-footing the keeper. The crowd invaded the pitch and police had to be brought in to clear the playing area. Jaime Ramirez gave Chile the lead and Sanchez scored a second to give the hosts a 3-1. The home support was stupendous, almost like an extra player on the field for the Chileans. The other match between Italy and West Germany was a 0-0 draw with Uwe Seeler and young 18-year old Gianni Rivera showing glimpses of their skill.

The next round featured a match, which would be remembered as one of the bloodiest and brutal encounters in a World Cup game – Chile versus Italy, better known as ‘The Battle of Santiago’. Two Italian journalists, Antonio Ghirelli and Corrado Pizzinelli had enraged the locals by a series of articles highlighting the poverty of Santiago and questioning the morals of the Chilean women. The journalists had gone back to Italy but the national team had to face the repercussions for their words.

Even while walking out it was claimed that the Chilean players were spitting at their opponents’ faces. The referee Ken Aston of England tried to bring in some control in the match but it was far too explosive to contain. Italian Giorgio Ferrini and Leonel Sanchez were kicking each other instead of the ball. After that, Ferrini was sent off for retaliation to a kick from Honorino Landa. Ferrini refused to leave and play was stopped for eight minutes until police had to intervene and escort him off the field.

Mario David of Italy was flattened by a punch from Sanchez who was unhappy with the former’s constant kicking without the ball. The referee did nothing, so David took matters in his own hand, rather foot by kicking Sanchez in the neck. He was promptly sent-off by Aston. Later David and Sanchez played together at Milan and became great friends. Toro demonstrated a perfect rugby tackle on the Italian defender Bruno Mora and held him down on the ground. The referee had to separate them like a wrestling official, but no sending off.

The match was won 2-0 by Chile with goals from Ramirez and Toro, who should not have been on the field in the 74^th and 88^th minutes respectively. Aston did not officiate in another match in this tournament. The only positive from this ugly match was the fact that Ken Aston came up with the idea of red and yellow cards. Aston’s refereeing on that day would make Graham Poll look like the best referee in the world. In the other match West Germany beat Switzerland 2-1 with goals from Seeler and Albert Brulls.

The last round of matches featured a 3-0 victory by Italy over Switzerland. The win was in vain as West Germany had defeated Chile 2-0 a day earlier to effectively decide the fate of the group. Italian goalkeeper Renzo Buffon who had not played against Chile yet is till date the only goalkeeper not to concede a goal in the World Cup playing more than one match. He was the cousin of the grandfather of Gigi Buffon, the current Italy and Juventus goalkeeping legend. West Germany topped the group followed by Chile.

Group 3

Brazil played Mexico in a repeat of their first group match in 1954. The result was the same as the last edition; however, the Mexicans finally had some sort of defensive strategy in place. They held the champions to a 0-0 till half-time. Pele then created a goal for Zagallo, winning a ball and providing a cross for a diving header. The second goal was Pele’s own where he nutmegged a player on the right touchline, went past three more and shot left-footed in the bottom corner after getting into the penalty area. The 2-0 score was a triumph of sorts for the Mexicans as they had conceded five goals last time. The Brazilian coach Aymore Moreira was brother of Zeze Moreira, the coach of the team in 1954. They are the only siblings to have been coaches in the finals of the World Cup. The second match was between Spain and Czechoslovakia. Santamaria and Puskas were both much older and slower and were negated by the physical presence of the Czech half backs. Eventually Jozef Stribranyi scored for the East Europeans to give them a 1-0 victory.

In the second round of matches, Brazil played Czechoslovakia and Spain played Mexico. The first match was a 0-0 draw. Pele had a groin injury before the start of the tournament. He had hidden the true extent of his injury from his manager and team doctor.

This injury got aggravated while attempting a shot. He spent the rest of the match helplessly standing and hobbling on the wing. Later, Pele would recall the actions of the Czech defenders Jan Popluhar and Jan Lala who refused to tackle him disobeying their coach.

He recalled the sporting spirit of the two individuals with the following words – “One of those things I shall always remember with emotion and one of the finest things that happened in my entire football career.” Pele’s tournament was over. In the second match Antonio Carbajal, the Mexican goalkeeper gave one of his finest performances but failed to hold on to a Francisco Gento shot, which allowed Joaquin Piero to score for Spain. The goal came in the 89^th minute and Carbajal was on his knees disconsolately weeping at the final whistle.

The last round of matches featured Brazil against Spain and Czechoslovakia being pitted against Mexico. The first match decided the fate of the group with Brazil winning 2-1 with two goals from Amarildo. Puskas had a great match creating the opening goal for Adelardo Rodriguez but it had to be the last appearance in the World Cup of an absolute legend. The last match was inconsequential as both Brazil and Czechoslovakia had qualified. The Czechs played a second string side. The match was won 3-1 by Mexico, their first win in the tournament at the 14^th attempt. This match also featured the fastest goal ever in the tournament scored after 15 seconds by VaclavMasek of Czechoslovakia which was not recognized by FIFA for over 40 years.  Brazil topped the group with Czechoslovakia in second place.

Group 4

The opening match of the group was Argentina against debutants Bulgaria. The only goal in the match was scored by Hector Facundo of Argentina in the fourth minute. Silvio Marzolini showed why he was considered one of the greatest left backs of all time. After the bright start the Argentines showed a very cynical side to their game by continuously fouling the best players of the opposition. Ivan Kolev was the most frequent target. Christo Iliev and Todor Diev were out injured for the rest of the tournament. Their coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo was notorious for instilling the ‘win at any cost even dirty’ mentality in his teams. He was later the manager of a Lazio team whose players brawled in the street with their opponents Arsenal. Also at Atletico Madrid who had three players sent-off in a European match against Celtic (Jose Mourinho must have studied his methods). The team had a lot of skill but the scars of the 6-1 loss to Czechoslovakia in 1958 probably made them play in the cynical style. In the second match England were given a lesson in tactics by Hungary. The Hungarians used creative ball-playing half backs like Erno Solymosi against a pedestrian opposition. The final score of 2-1 in favour of the Hungarians was flattering to England as they could have easily conceded four or five goals. The Hungarians looked a very good side with Florian Albert and Lajos Tichy in attack. England had to improve a lot and they had players who could do so.

The second round featured the very first England-Argentina match in the World Cup, a match-up which has become a bitter rivalry comparable with any derby or clasico. England won the match 3-1 with Bobby Charlton having a brilliant outing at the outside-left position. Walter Winterbottom had instructed his team to physically slug it out with the Argentines who after the opening 10 minutes stopped their cynical style against a physically superior side. In the other match the Hungarians established themselves as one of the favourites with a 6-1 thumping of Bulgaria with an Albert hat-trick, a brace from Tichy and a goal from Solymosi.

The last round of matches featured Argentina against Hungary. Hungary, who had virtually qualified played a reserve forward line and packed their defence and played out a 0-0 draw. The Argentines had to rely on Bulgaria beating England to progress. The England-Bulgaria match was described by Bobby Moore as the worst international match he had ever played. The final score was 0-0 giving the Bulgarians their first points of the World Cup. Hungary topped the group followed by England who progressed at Argentina’s expense. Argentina became the first team to be eliminated by a goal average.

The quarterfinal matches had been decided thus: The Soviet Union playing Chile, West Germany playing the same opponents of this stage for the third time in succession – Yugoslavia, Brazil facing England and an east European clash between Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Quarterfinals

The Soviets were favourites against Chile but were undone by the performance by their legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, which he later described as the worst of his career. Sanchez beat Yashin with a free kick towards his right. The Soviets had not formed a wall but it was an easy shot, which should have been saved. Chislenko equalised only to see Yashin surprised by a low shot from Rojas. The Chileans set up a 10-man defensive wall and backed by a vociferous crowd won 2-1. A genuine upset, which meant the team that had been billed as the main opponents of Brazil were eliminated. Yugoslavia was third time lucky against the West Germans winning 1-0 through a Petar Radakovic goal in the 85^th minute. It was the end of the road for the West German manager Sepp Herberger who was managing the team since 1938. The West German football federation as an aftermath to this loss started the Bundesliga.

The Brazil-England match was the cue for Garrincha to come alive. Early in the match he dribbled past three opponents to be tackled by Haynes. Then he showed a previously unseen skill by scoring with a powerful header off a Zagallo corner getting in front of his marker. England equalised through Gerry Hitchens. In the second half, the England goalkeeper Ron Springett scooped up a Garrincha free kick to Vava who promptly headed it into the goal. England and its World Cup goalkeepers!

Then Garrincha put the exclamation mark on his performance by receiving a pass from Amarildo outside the box and curling a right foot shot from outside the D to the top corner past a helpless Springett. A woolly black dog had invaded the pitch, it managed to side-step past Garrincha – something the English players could not manage throughout the match. The dog was eventually cornered and caught by Jimmy Greaves; if only he had managed the same success against Garrincha. It seemed the only way England could do well in this tournament was to make major tactical changes and of course host the tournament. In the last quarter-final, Hungary were favourites but a patchy pitch thwarted their slick passing game. Czechoslovakia had no such problems and slick passing between Josef Masopust and Albert Scherer led to a goal in the 13^th minute from the latter. After that it was a string of brilliant saves from Viliam Schrojf, the Czech goalkeeper. Tichy hit the bar for Hungarians who were yet again eliminated by a utilitarian side 1-0.

Semifinals

The first semi-final between Chile and Brazil attracted the biggest crowd of the tournament – 76,594 as per the official records. The Brazilians were too experienced to be affected by a partisan crowd. Rojas hit the post early on but Brazil was in control. Zagallo hit a long cross in the ninth minute, Vava missed his overhead kick and the loose ball was thumped into the top corner by Garrincha’s left foot from 20 yards. Then Garrincha pushed in a powerful header out of a Zagallo corner. Zagallo was constantly joining up in attack making the Brazilian 4-4-2 formation into a virtual 4-3-3. Toro raised the hopes of the hosts by scoring off a 25-yard free kick. Vava headed in a corner in the start of the second half. Zózimo gave away a penalty by handling the ball in the Brazilian box. Sanchez converted to give the Chileans a glimmer. It was extinguished by Vava headed in a Garrincha cross to make the final score 4-2 in favour of the defending champions. Landa was sent off for a kick on Zito, then Garrincha kicked Rojas and was sent off. On his way back to the dressing room, Garrincha was hit on the head by a missile from the crowd. The Brazilian management and federation immediately started negotiations to allow their best player to appear in the final.

The other semifinal between Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia was in contrast seen by only 5,890 people. The Czechs were the better side in balance of play but their goalkeeper Schrojf had to make a good save against Galic. The Czechs scored early in the second half after Josef Kadraba headed in off a rebound. The Yugoslavs hit the post twice in succession in the 56^th minute. The equaliser came in the 68^th minute through a Jerkovic back header, which was achieved by beating the goalkeeper to a cross. The Yugoslavian defence let them down when Scherer scored being completely unmarked in the 80^th minute. The Czechs made the match safe converting a penalty after a foolish handball in the Yugoslavia box. The final score was 3-1.

In the third place match Chile beat Yugoslavia 1-0 after a low shot by Rojas was deflected past the keeper.

Final

The final was a repeat of a group stage match, which finished goalless. Although the Brazilians were down to virtually 10 men for most of that match owing to Pele’s injury, Garrincha was allowed to play by FIFA. He was immediately in action crossing for Vava who hit the near post. After that Garrincha was surprisingly contained by the Czech captain Ladislav Novak who marshalled him brilliantly. The Czechs took the lead in the 14^th minute when Masopust scored off a low first time shot from a clever pass from Tomas Pospichal (0-1). The Brazilians were level after two minutes. Amarildo received a throw-in, shrugged off a defender then beat Svatopluk Pluskal, the centre back near the left hand goal line and hit the target at the near post (1-1). Schrojf had left a gaping hole expecting a cross. The Czechs had a valid penalty claim turned down when Djalma Santos handled the ball in his own box. The news archive videos show the handball clearly but Nikolai Latyshev, the Soviet referee decided otherwise. The Czech wingers had been playing well, as was Masopust but they lacked a true finisher. Rudolf Kucera, their best striker was back home in Prague injured before the tournament. The score remained 1-1 at half-time.

The match continued in a similar pattern for much of the second half with Brazil, with a lot of possession attacking and the Czech wingers using their pace to launch counter-attacks only to see the Brazilian defenders deal with their crosses easily. Then in the 69^th minute, Amarildo stamped his authority on the game. He was sent a pass on the left by Zito, which flummoxed the opposition defenders. Amarildo dummied to cross, then cut the ball back to his right foot and dinked a delightful ball over the goalkeeper to an unmarked Zito who had continued his run. Zito headed in his first goal for the national team in five years (2-1).

Schrojf made a few good saves as Brazil continued to attack. In the 78^th minute, Brazil won a throw-in near the opposition penalty area. Djalma Santos came up, held off an opponent by turning his back. Then he spun and hit a hopeful cross into the opposition penalty box. Schrojf came out to gather and completely overran the ball as it was coming out of the sun, he caught it behind him but the ball slipped out. It fell to Vava who slotted it in grinning like a Cheshire cat, becoming the first player to score in two different finals of the World Cup

(3-1). It was the end of the road for the Czechs who were a good team but too pedestrian for the ageing Brazilian team with a lot of class. The final whistle went and Brazil emulated Italy by winning the tournament twice in succession, a feat yet to be equalled till date.

The Brazilian captain Ramos de Oliveira better known as Mauro, was presented the trophy by Jules Rimet.

The average goal per match was 2.78; first time in the history of the tournament it fell below three. It has never crossed three since. It was the dawn of modern-day defensive strategies which made scoring difficult. The tournament was successful with a celebration for the hosts. Brazil were at the top of the world and it was difficult to see who could beat them in four years.

The Limping Major and the Comeback Kings

As many as 45 teams entered the qualifying round. In a major shock, Sweden was eliminated by Belgium and Spain defeated Turkey 4-1 at home but lost 0-1 away. Since there was no concept of aggregate goals, a decider was held at Rome, a neutral venue, but the match ended goalless. Luigi Franco Gemma, the son of the stadium gardener, was chosen to draw lots blindfolded, and Spain lived up to the sobriquet of being the unluckiest national team to be eliminated thus. Uruguay had lost their best player, Alcides Ghiggia to Italy but still had Juan Schiaffino, Obdulio Varela, Roque Máspoli and Rodríguez Andrade, and was yet to be beaten in the tournament.

West Germany was making their World Cup debut with a good bunch of players in their captain Fritz Walter, his brother Ottmar Walter, Helmut Rahn and Max Morlock. They had been playing under the same manager, Sepp Herberger since World War II. Herberger was a brilliant tactician and shrewd manager.

England and Scotland were both participating. Hungary were the overwhelming favourites coming into the tournament, unbeaten for four years and thirty matches. They had claimed an Olympic gold and their breathtaking brand of teamwork was unmatched in the footballing arena. They were one of the first teams to use a separate manager and a coach in Gusztav Sebes and Gyula Mandi, respectively. Sebes resorted to classic Swiss coach and forerunner of total football, Hugo Meisl’s tactics. Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti and Zoltan Czibor were all world class players. The team was nicknamed ‘Magical Magyars’ after they demolished England 6-3 in Hungary at Wembley on 25^th November 1953. This was the first time England had ever lost at home to a foreign country. The misery was compounded when England seeking retribution for their earlier loss were trounced 7-1 in Budapest on 23^rd May 1954. Austria, the last team to defeat Hungary, was a good but aging side whose best days were behind them. Yugoslavia, the Olympic silver medallists also had a good team, but the Hungarians were head and shoulders above the rest.

The Golden Hungarian team or the Magical Magyars

FIFA had decided after the dual league of 1950 to tinker with the system again. The new system they devised was unique and bizarre. There were four groups, each with 2 seeded and unseeded teams. There were only four matches in every group with the seeded teams playing the unseeded ones. One seeded or unseeded team would not play against another of same kind. In case of a match ending in a draw, extra-time would be played. The top 2 teams would qualify; in case the teams were tied with equal points, a draw of lots would decide the positions. If the second and third placed teams were level on points, there would be a play-off match. It was a strange system with an even stranger seeding criteria for the teams. As a result, a lot of good teams remained unseeded while many average teams got a seeding. FIFA decided against the round robin final group and went back to the knock-out quarterfinal, semi final and final with a third place play-off. If the knock-out matches were drawn, there would be a replay. If that too was drawn, the winner would to be decided by a draw of lots. So basically, the champion could well be decided upon by simply a draw of lots!

The Groups

Group 1

The first match of the tournament featured France against Yugoslavia. It was a mystery why the French were seeded and their opponents were not, as the Yugoslavs were by far the better team. They dominated possession and created chances after chances, eventually winning by a single goal by Milos Milutinovic. Milutinovic’s brother, Bora later became a famous national coach managing five different teams in the World Cup finals in the 90s and 2000s. The second match featured Brazil against Mexico. The famous three forwards Ademir de Menezes, Jair da Rosa Pinto and Thomaz Soares da Silva better known as Zizinho, were not selected post the infamous loss to Uruguay in the previous World Cup. They still had very good players in Didi and Julinho. Mexico was promptly dispatched for 5-0. In the second round, France defeated Mexico 3-2 in a match featuring the weaker teams of the group. Brazil met Yugoslavia in a repeat of the last group match of 1950. Both sides displayed great skills only to end the match in a 1-1 draw even after extra time. Both sides finished on equal points and progressed to the quarter finals. Brazil topped the group after the draw of lots.

Group 2

Hungary were the only team to be correctly seeded in this group. Turkey were seeded only because they qualified by defeating Spain (albeit by the draw of lots) who were seeded before the tournament started. It was a case of presumption of the worst kind by FIFA. Hungary played South Korea in one of the biggest mismatches in the history of the tournament. The Koreans, one of the three debutants in the tournament, had no training and were exhausted by the middle of the first half chasing after the quick passing Hungarians. The final score was 9-0 with Sandor Kocsis scoring a hattrick, Ferenc Puskas and Peter Palotas scoring a brace each and Czibor and Mihaly Lantos also on the score sheet. The West Germans, also debutants in the tournament, played Turkey and Herberger introduced a novelty. It was not in tactics or strategy but in equipment. Herberger had appointed Adolf (Adi) Dassler as the consultant for team shoes. Dassler invented adjustable spikes, which could be adjusted based on the condition of the pitch. Though it sounds rather simple, it was a revolutionary concept back in those days. Dassler went on to use his innovations and experience to establish Adidas, a company synonymous with football, till today. The West Germans promptly dispatched the Turks 4-1 making a mockery of the FIFA seeding system. Hans Schäfer, Morlock and Ottmar Walter were all on target. The second round of matches pitted the West Germans against the Hungarians. Herberger, the shrewd manager, put out a skeleton side with only four regular starters playing for a draw against Hungary. The Hungarians however were impressive as ever with a thumping 8-3 victory. Kocsis scored 4 goals, Hidegkuti and Puskas also scored a goal each. However, this match had the most key moment of the entire tournament when Werner Liebrich, the West German defender tackled Puskas and left him with a sprained ankle. This would put him out of the next two matches. The Turkish team steamrolled past the South Koreans 7-0. Hungary had qualified as group winners, West Germany and Turkey met in a play-off to decide the second team to qualify and the full strength Germans cruised to a 7-2 victory on the back of a Morlock hattrick.

Adolf (Adi) Dassler with his adjustable spikes in the West Germany bench

Group 3

Uruguay played Czechoslovakia on a heavy pitch which did not suit their style of play. They still had enough class to win 2-0 through a goal from Oscar Omar Miguez and a Juan Schiaffino free-kick which was curled in from the edge of the box over the Czech wall. Austrians who were touted as the best team in Europe after Hungary, made heavy weather of their match against the debutant Scotland team. They dominated play but could not find the net. Eventually Erich Probst scored to give them a hard fought 1-0 victory. The second round of matches featured Scotland buoyed by their narrow loss to Austria against Uruguay and Austria against Czechoslovakia. The Austrians showed that their result against Scotland was merely an aberration as they ran out 5-0 winners with the goal-scoring problems seeming a distant memory. The Uruguayans ran riot against the Scots, winning 7-0. It was a comprehensive defeat which made the Scottish team realise that they were not in the same league as the big boys. Uruguay and Austria both qualified and Uruguay won the group on the draw of lots.

Group 4

The first match featured England against Belgium, the shock conquerors of Sweden in the qualifying round. It was a brilliant match where Sir Stanley Matthews was outstanding, creating all the four English goals. At nearly 40 years, he was the best player on the field. However, the English defence could not emulate the great man and allowed four goals. The final score was 4-4 after extra time.

The hosts, Switzerland shocked Italy 2-1 in a match which was dominated by counterattacking wing play by both sides. Italy, to be fair, was rebuilding but still had a world class player in Benito Lorenzi. The second round matches featured England against the hosts. With Matthews and Nat Lofthouse both unfit, it was a refreshingly attacking English team who dominated the Swiss and won 2-0. The Italy-Belgium match promised a lot based on the Belgians’ performance against England. The Italians were in control and won easily 4-1. England topped the group to qualify for the quarters but Switzerland had to play Italy in a play-off match. The Italians started confidently but soon allowed the hosts to dominate possession. Eventually a 4-1 loss was greeted by Italian press as a complete ‘disaster’. Some Italian players complained of boredom in the training camp at Vevey. In reality, they were a side which was rebuilding itself and was a decade away from becoming the great team the Italians expect their national team to be.

Quarter Finals

FIFA, after the faux-pas of the groups and seeding system, went on to have a free draw for the quarterfinals which meant that the group winners might have to play each other. That’s what exactly happened with Uruguay drawn against England and Hungary against Brazil. Austria was playing the hosts Switzerland and West Germany met Yugoslavia. Uruguayans were superior to the English who were discovering that international football was not a stroll in the park. The South Americans comfortably controlled the game to win 4-2 with goals from Schiaffino and Varela. Stanley Matthews was again England’s only shining light. England played their best match of the World Cup yet but still ended up losing to a far better side.

The Austria-Switzerland match was a classic. The hosts quickly went up 3-0 by the 18^th minute. The Austrians scripted one of the greatest resurrection stories since Lazarus of the New Testament. They were level (3-3) by the 28^th minute and went into the break 5-4 up, a remarkable score-line. The second half did not have as many goals as the first, with only three. At the final whistle, the score was Austria- 7, Switzerland- 5. Till date, this remains the highest aggregate of goals scored in a World Cup match. The first match of this tournament was dubbed ‘The greatest match ever’, however this was an aperitif. Two more matches were played later in the tournament which laid claim to the same title. West Germany-Yugoslavia match was an evenly matched contest, with both sides attacking in earnest. The Yugoslav problem of scoring goals finally caught up with them and they were defeated 2-0 with an own goal and a Helmut Rahn strike late in the match.

Battle of Berne

The last quarterfinal featured the tournament’s highest scoring teams till then – Hungary and Brazil. With the array of attacking prowess on show, it should have been a spectacle. However, it ended up in a brawl which was dubbed ‘Battle of Berne’.

Both sides were not very good defensively. Hungary had two very average defenders in Gyula Lorant, a standard stopper and Lantos, much too well built for a full-back. Brazilian defenders were a bit too robust and rough in their style as well.

Hungary was given a flying start by the opposition defence when Joao Carlos Pinheiro tried to dribble out of his penalty area to lose the ball to Hidegkuti who blasted a shot which was saved by the keeper. The rebound came to Hidegkuti again who hit a high shot to the roof of the net. Then Hidegkuti’s shots were ripped by a Brazilian defender who took his job of man-to-man marking a bit too seriously. After that he clipped a magnificent cross which was headed in by Kocsis to give the Hungarians a 1-0 lead. Djalma Santos pulled a goal back from a penalty given when Jeno Buzanszky pulled down Indio in the area. Arthur Ellis, the English referee had lost control over the match as fouls were flying in from both ends. Ellis then gave a penalty to Hungary for a foul on Kocsis, who looked astonished. The penalty was duly converted to give the Hungarians a two-goal advantage. Julinho, one of Brazil’s greatest wingers, later overshadowed by a certain Garrincha, scored a fine goal cutting in from the right to make the score 3-2, in favour of Hungary.

In the meantime, Jozsef Bozsik was brought down by the large Brazilian defender, Bauer. He was infuriated and following treatment started an impromptu boxing match with Nilton Santos. Both were duly sent off by Ellis. Then the Brazilian mid-fielder, Humberto Tozzi jumped with both feet on Kocsis who had attempted a sliding shot off a rebound. The leap by Humberto was reminiscent of the jumps performed by athletes in the now defunct Olympics event of standing long jump. Of course, the referee was not impressed with his athletic prowess and sent him off. Kocsis remained on the field to score the final goal of the match with a driven shot from outside the box to give the Hungarians a 4-2 win.

Meanwhile the fighting continued along the touchline with Djalma Santos, a former bouncer at a Rio night club, chasing Czibor and Hidegkuti – the best player on the field, stamping on Indio who was trying to kick him while lying on the ground. The referee was at a total loss and strangely did not send off any of the players. After the final whistle, the brawl continued into the dressing rooms where the injured Puskas retaliated with bottles and broken glass. It was a shame that the best attacking teams of the tournament gave the world a glimpse of their hand-to-hand combat skills instead of the footballing acumen that they possessed.

Semi Finals

In the semi finals, due to FIFA’s draw, West Germany met Austria and Uruguay played Hungary. Austria had to play their second choice keeper Walter Zeman, considered one of the most reputed in Europe. Unfortunately he had the worst game of his career. Ernst Happel, one of the best defenders of the tournament, also had an off day. Together it spelt catastrophe for Austria as they were thrashed 6-1. Both Walter siblings scored a brace of goals while two other goals were scored by Morlock and Schafer.

West Germany were into the final on their World Cup debut but would be underdogs to the winner of the other semi-final which was arguably between the best two teams of the world at that time. The second semi-final was ‘one of the best games of football ever played’ – a term used for a lot of matches, but very befitting for this contest. Hungary started with an all out attack but the opposition defence was resolute. Then Roque Maspoli, the Uruguayan goalkeeper and hero of the last World Cup, gifted the Hungarians the lead when he could not hold on to a cross cum shot by Czibor. Schiaffino went around Gyula Grosics in the Hungarian goal but could not keep his balance and missed the target. The Hungarians held a slender lead at halftime.

After the break, Hungary was two goals up with a fantastic diving header from Hidegkuti off a Budai cross. Uruguay was facing their first ever defeat in the World Cup. The Uruguayans were then known as the comeback masters of international football and they lived up to their reputation (the tag would pass on after this tournament final). Juan Eduardo Hohberg, a naturalised Argentinean of German origin playing in the Uruguay forward line was put clear by a Schiaffino pass in the 76^th minute and he beat Grosics with a low cross-shot. With only three minutes remaining in normal time, Hohberg got a through pass from Schiaffino; he beat two defenders with his pace and pushed in the rebound after the first shot was saved by Grosics, to make it all square. The Uruguayan celebrations with the goalscorer were so robust that he had to undergo treatment. In extra-time, Hohberg hit the post after going through on the Hungarian goal again. The ageing Uruguayan players started tiring and Hungary regained the lead through a Kocsis header. Hungarians made the game safe with another header from Kocsis.

Sandor Kocsis, the highest scorer using his head

Kocsis was considered one of the greatest headers of the game ever. Standing only 5’9”, his thick neck which almost looked deformed on his slim frame gave him immense power from headers in around the edge of the box. The stage was set for a final between Hungary and West Germany. In the third placed match, a visibly tired Uruguay was overpowered by the Austrians 3-1.

Fritz Walter (L), Mervyn Griffith (C) and Ferenc Puskas (R)

Final – Miracle of Berne

The final of the 1954 World Cup has gone in the history and lore of football. The Hungarians, who had crushed their opponents 8-3 in a group match, were quietly confident. They had not been beaten for 34 matches. The biggest question was whether their talismanic captain, Ferenc Puskas would play in the final. He looked half fit, to be fair he often was, he looked rather rotund around the middle: his team seemed to do fine without him. Yet he was the most talented and inspirational player of that time. Legends have been woven around his left foot which was said to have juggled soap bars in the Real Madrid dressing room. To tell the truth, Hungary was always a better team with him playing. On the opposite end, Fritz Walter, the West German captain was a consummate team man. He was a survivor of a Soviet war camp who hated playing in the sun and loved it when there was a light drizzle. That type of weather is still called ‘Fritz Walter weather’ in Germany. Plus their manager, Sepp Herberger after studying the opponents decided that it was not Puskas or Kocsis but Hidegkuti who must play in the hole behind as the key to Hungary’s attacking system. He instructed his defender, Horst Eckel to follow Hidegkuti like a shadow even when he was dropping back (England should have thought of it during their two drubbings). Then it suddenly rained and the West German underdogs were gaining in confidence, equipped with flexible spikes on their shoes.

The Wankdorf stadium in Berne was filled to the rafters. There was a buzz in the stadium when the match started in a heavy pitch, sodden due to the rain. It did not seem to bother Hungary very much though. In the sixth minute, Bozsik passed to Kocsis in the penalty area. Kocsis took a prompt shot which rebounded off Liebrich to the left and Puskas beat Toni Turek, the goalkeeper with a low shot (1-0). Two minutes later, Bozsik tried to find Kocsis again only to have his pass intercepted by the opposition defender, Werner Kohlmeyer. Kohlmeyer then attempted a back pass to his goalkeeper which was intercepted by Czibor who kicked the ball into the goal (2-0). The repeat of the group stage match seemed imminent. The West Germans were rescued by their teamwork and understanding – six players in the starting line-up played for the same club (Kaiserslautern), and an instant comeback goal. Just two minutes after the second Hungarian goal, their defender, Jozsef Zakarias lunged facing his own goal, trying to intercept a cross from the left but only managing to push it back towards his keeper. Before Grosics could dive in to gather the ball, Max Morlock slid in to divert the ball past the goalkeeper’s right hand into the goal (1-2). The West Germans visibly lifted by the goal, attacked and gained a corner in the 19^th minute. Fritz Walter took the corner; Grosics could only flap the ball sideways, being challenged by Schäfer,and Helmut Rahn was on hand to stab a half volley past two Hungarian defenders on the line (2-2). The West Germans were now level against the best team in the world. The Hungarians were at last facing a team who were not intimidated by them. The scores were level till half-time.

West German celebrations after the equaliser

The Hungarians, stung by the reversal of their fortunes, came back with all guns blazing. Hidegkuti’s snap shot hit the post. German defender, Karl Mai was given the envious duty of marking Kocsis — a job he did quite successfully. Still Kocsis managed to hit the bar with one of his trademark headers. A shot from Mihaly Toth was cleared off the line by Kohlmeyer. It was a continuous procession of Hungarian attacks on the West German goal. The West Germans were still dangerous in the counterattacks through their wings led by Helmut Rahn. Five minutes from the end, Schäfer dispossessed Bozsik by a shoulder charge, and crossed. Hungarian defender, Lantos headed away under pressure only to find the dangerous Rahn. Rahn took it away from Lantos to the left and hit a low left footer past the right hand of Grosics (2-3). The ultimate comeback was complete but could the West Germans hold on till the end? In the dying minutes, Puskas ran from the inside left channel and slid the ball into the goal under Turek. The Welsh referee, Mervyn Griffiths deemed that he was off-side; a decision which has been discussed by football fans ever since. The videos are not conclusive either. Czibor hit a piledriver which was brilliantly saved by a 35-year old Toni Turek. The final whistle was blown and the West Germans had won the World Cup on their tournament debut. It was a great gift for a nation struggling to cope after the ravages of World War II and the guilt that they were responsible for it. It was the greatest final match of the tournament till then, which had both the ingredients of spectacle and drama. The West Germans were tagged as ‘comeback kings’, a name which they have lived up to, time and again, over the years.

Memorial at the Stade de Suisse which was built after demolishing the Wankdorf Stadium

Czibor and Kocsis of the Hungarian team played another final in the same stadium seven years later – the European Cup final for the Barcelona team. They both scored but once again ended up suffering a 2-3 defeat after being overwhelming favourites to win. Sandor Kocsis has the best-goal-per-match record for a player with more than 2 goals in the World Cup till date.

It was a spectacular tournament with most goals scored per match. There were huge crowds and FIFA was elated at the culmination of such a resounding success. The Hungarian golden team was destroyed by the Hungarian uprising of 1956 when nearly the entire team defected. Many of their players went on to achieve spectacular success at club level in Europe. They will still be remembered most for being the greatest team to have never won the World Cup.

West German players after the final whistle