Winners: England
Teams: 16
Teams in qualifiers: 70
Notable absentees None
Surprises North Korea
Golden Boot Eusébio (Portugal) - 9
Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Portugal (17) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 32
Innovations
• Doping controls were introduced
• FIFA banned the naturalisation of players
Controversies
• Sixteen African nations boycotted the tournament in protest at a 1964 ruling that required the champion team from the African zone to enter a play-off round against the winners of either the Asian or the Oceanian zone
Trivia
• The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a public display three months before the tournament and found under a hedge a week later by a mongrel dog called Pickles
• The draw was the first to be televised
• World Cup Willie was the first World Cup mascot
• One match between Uruguay and France was played at London's White City, not a traditional football venue, because there was greyhound racing scheduled for Wembley and the owners refused to cancel it
• The opening match between England and Uruguay was delayed because several of the England players left their ID cards at the team hotel. A police motorcyclist was sent to collect them
• As a security measure, the FA had a replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy made for post-match celebrations. It was bought by FIFA at auction in 1997 for £254,500
No prizes for knowing the outcome of this World Cup. Even Alf Ramsey knew the final result when in 1963 he proclaimed that England would win the tournament they were set to host. But, beforehand, the outcome was anything but a forgone conclusion. Brazil possessed many of the stars of 1962, Portugal had their greatest-ever team featuring Eusébio, José Torres and Mário Coluna, and both the Germans and Russians had their best teams in a generation.
England, whose status as host was chiefly down to Sir Stanley Rous' presidency of FIFA, were also given the slightly unfair boon of being able to play all their home games at Wembley. Nevertheless, they initially struggled, with Uruguay providing solid opposition in a dour 0-0 opening draw. Ramsey was still looking for the right combination in attack and midfield and he also lost predator supreme Jimmy Greaves to a nasty gash on his shin in a 2-0 win over Mexico in the second match.
Ramsey was soon to abandon wide attackers, thus creating the legend of his 'wingless wonders', in a formation that gave full-backs George Cohen and Ray Wilson licence to bomb forward and provide service to his strike force. Against a decent France side, it was Liverpool's Roger Hunt who benefitted twice from the new system as England again won 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-final stage.
The last eight brought the challenge of Argentina, who had qualified from a group also containing a West Germany side that, in Franz Beckenbauer, had a young player of incredible talent.
But the most exciting group was that featuring champions Brazil, a resurgent Hungary and the glittering Portugese, featuring many of the Benfica side that had been one of the best teams in European club football for half a decade. Bulgaria made up the numbers but played a crucial role in Pelé's tournament. In the group's opening game, the Bulgarians took it in turns to foul Pelé and he was eventually carried from the pitch. The sight of him stricken, covered in a blanket on the touchline, remains one of that tournament's enduring images.
The following game saw Hungary rip the Brazilians apart, with Flórián Albert and winger Ferenc Bene shining. Brazil's first defeat in the competition since 1954 blew the destiny of the trophy wide open in many observers' eyes. In the following game, Portugal's Eusébio eclipsed Pelé, who again came in for harsh treatment from opposing defenders. A 3-1 Portugal win sent Brazil home and Pelé swore never to play in a World Cup again.
Italy, meanwhile, were another side whose clubs were dominating Europe, and they would suffer an even greater upset than Brazil. Despite having been beaten by a crack Russian outfit, they seemed in little danger from their last group opponents, North Korea, but Pak Doo-Ik is a name guaranteed to wake Azzurri fans in a cold sweat and his goal sent the Italians home to a volley of rotten tomatoes.
And a similar fate seemed likely to befall the Portuguese when, after 22 minutes of their quarter-final, the Koreans found themselves 3-0 up. But Eusébio again grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a record four goals in just over half an hour. Though the Koreans would remain men of mystery, their impact on the tournament will never be forgotten.
West Germany made worryingly short work of the Uruguayans in a 4-0 win while the Russians got the better of Hungary in a 2-1 win. England's clash with Argentina, meanwhile, would become notorious. Though Geoff Hurst, Greaves' eventual replacement, scored a header from a superbly executed Martin Peters cross, the English were held back by some South American-style spoiling, with referee Kreitlein a constant target for abuse from Argentina captain Antonio Rattín.
Rattín eventually paid the price and was dismissed and, after ten minutes, the game was restarted and Hurst grabbed his goal. Ramsey refused to let his team swap shirts with their opponents after victory was secured and labelled Argentina 'animals'. It was not to be the last infamous World Cup incident between the two countries.
Portugal were the next opponents but, in England's best display of the tournament, they, and especially Bobby Charlton, were too much for a team for whom Torres and Eusébio again excelled.
In the other game, Russia's Lev Yashin, a goalkeeper regarded as the world's best and previously playing superbly, made a calamitous error to let Helmut Haller score as a nine-man Soviet outfit were well beaten.
The final hinged on two moments. England had, after the early setback of a Haller goal, looked likely to win the game through Martin Peters' 78th-minute strike. But in the last minute, Weber equalised after England failed to clear a free-kick. Ramsey's famous stated belief in his pre-extra-time pep-talk that the Germans were 'finished' proved to be correct. Alan Ball's outstanding running put the tired Germans to the sword.
Hurst's second goal remains much disputed. Did it cross the line or didn't it? Russian (actually from Azerbaijan but this was a time of the Soviet Union) linesman Bakhramov, the man who said 'yes', remains a legend in English football. Hurst, of course, completed his hat-trick with a blistering goal in the last minute and the cup was England's.
The tone was set for 44 years of remininiscing and Scottish disquiet.
No comments:
Post a Comment