Not really - the tournament still will expand to 24 in the future.
The World Is A Ball: A World Cup Timeline
- Thread starter Mildtryth
- Start date
Not really - the tournament still will expand to 24 in the future.
I see. It's still a cool concept though! Looking forward to the next part
Chapter XLIV
Chapter XLIV - Tarnished Rings
Group A
Group A
The first match of Group A would pit Algeria against Argentina. From the outset, the Algerians went on the defensive, and in the first counter-attack they got, they opened the score, when Raúl Páez couldn't control a bad throw by Roma, and Mekhloufi shot in from long range. The stadium reverberated with the sound of silence. The hosts only could find a breach in the Algerian defense shortly before the break, with Sívori’s low shot taking a deflection off Smaïn Ibrir[1] and wrongfooting the keeper, and in the second half, Argentina scored twice in ten minutes and decided the match.
Three days later, Algeria returned to the field to face Argentina, an once again, held out until the end of the first half, when, in the last play before the break, Albrecht Brülls opened the score for Germany. When a defender missed his tackle, hecollected the ball, turned inside a challenge, and shot low into the far corner. In the second half, Germany continued attacking, and Seeler scored the second at the 59th minute, after having hit a post a few minutes earlier. Algeria managed to pulled one back, when the experienced Mustfa Zitouni shot into the roof of the net following a corner, and one of Algeria's last counter-attacks almost resulted in a goal, with Fahrian pulling a diffuclt save after a shot from Oudjani, but Germany came off with the win.
Three days later, Germany faced the hosts, needing to win to qualify, since a tie favoured Argentina. This time it was Argentina's turn to be on the defensive, with the Germans dominating the match but being hampered by poor accuracy. Only two minutes in, Seeler hit the post with a low shot after running onto Haller’s pass, and at the 15th minute, Haller came out to he area unmarked, only to shoot the ball at Roma's head. Throughout the match, Germany was always close to scoring, and when it seemed like the 0x0 would remain until the end, Sívori pulled the ball back after working his way to the goal line, and then Silvio Marzolini, with his head bandaged after a collision with Seeler, lashed the ball high into the net from twelve meters.
Group B
The first match of the group would feature Brazil and Ecuador. Nervous after the recent unconvincing performances and being unable to count with Pelé, Brazil largely let Ecuador control the first minutes of the match, but opened the score at 20 minutes, when Nílton Santos sprinted up the left to provide a cross which Mazzola touched on to Didi, who hit it first time. However, they'd concede the equalizer shortly before the break, when Spencer took a pass from Leonardo Palacios, and from outside of the area, drove a low shot clean past Gilmar. In the second half, Brazil went to the attack, but would have no luck getting through the Ecuadorian defense until the 86th minute, when Garrincha, whose performances had been lackluster so far, at last got it right, beating three men before crossing for Mazzola to score the winning goal.
Three days later, it was England's time to face Ecuador and even taking the relative fragility of the opposition into account, pulled their greatest match in that edition, on a superb performance from Tommy Taylor, who scored the opening goal by cleverly diverting Charlton’s corner and the second when Mejía pushed out a shot by Haynes. Mejía was also at fault with Haynes’s first, rushing out and falling over the ball. Greaves scored the fourth goal, and after half-time, Taylor scored his third when Greaves ran through to set him up, only then Ecuador scored the honor goal, with Balseca shooting from the edge of the area, and finally, Haynes went past three men to score the last.
Three days later, Brazil and England, again, played for the semifinal berth, and spend the first half-hour studying each other, preotecting their defenses and risking little on the attack. The crowd might have thought that that match would just like the one in 1958 but then Garrincha took theresponsibility unto himself, and created all three Brazilian goals. Even before the scored, he beat three men before Haynes tackled him almost on the goal line. Then, he got in front of Norman (12 centimeters taller) at a Zagallo corner and headed past a stationary Springett and Armfield’s desperate dive. England equalised when Greaves hit the bar with a looping header and Taylor banged in an instant shot, But the roof fell in on Springett soon after half-time. When Garrincha’s free kick blazed through the wall, he bent down and scooped it up for Vavá to head in. Then Garrincha took Mazzola'lay-off just outside the half-moon and curled a marvellous shot into the top corner. At one point, a black dog had strayed onto the pitch and avoided capture until Greaves got down on all fours and caught it. But in the meantime, it achieved the rare feat of sidestepping Garrincha.
Group C
While Brazil and Ecuador played, Hungary and Scotland played only 600 meters away. Scotland had the initiative in the first few minutes, with Law forcing a save from Grosics, but soon enough, Hungary opened the score, when Fenyvesi crossed the ball from the touchline, and Tichy chested it down and pushed the volley across the keeper. Then Hungary doubled its lead when Puskás beat two men in the right before sending a hard, low shot past Brown. However, Scotland began reacting soon after and pulled one back when Mészöly failed to cut out a corner from Scott, and Law sent the ball against the post, only for Wilson to score from the rebound. Then St. John equalized from a soft ground shot. The second half started balanced, but at the 70th minute, Sipos, on a throw-in, threw the ball into the Scottish goal area, where Tichy headed it practically out of Brown's hands and into the net. The goal rattled the Scots, and eight minutes later, Albert scored the fourth with a brilliant shot from outside the area.
Three days later, Hungary faced Bohemia. With similar styles - fast touches and constant movement - Hungarians and Bohemians spent the whole match nulling each other, as if they knew what the other was planning to do. Hungary was a little better, thanks to Albert's lucid performance, and created some good chances, but were foiled by Schrojf, who made save after save, from Albert, Sandor, Puskás, and a Sipos thunderbolt, while Tichy hit the post. But the match's only goal would come from Bohemia, when their three halfbacks interpassed and Masopust’s through-ball cut out three defenders for Scherer to score.
Three days later, Scotland faced Bohemia, needing to win by three goals' difference to qualify. Although Scotland had the attacking momentum for most of the match, they were no more able to get through it than the Hungarians had been. In the other hand, their own defense was equally solid, and in such a match-up, the match went by without any goals, a result that suited Bohemia just fine.
Group D
Castille and Italy met in the first match of the group, the only one that would be hosted outside of the Buenos Aires area. Castille had some good news before the match - Di Stéfano, who had been injured, was returning to the team, and he made a impact almost immediately, opening the score off a pass from Adelardo. Castille remained in good form on the first minutes, but Italy equalized in the first good counter-attack it had, when Del Vecchio caught a through-ball from Bulgarelli and shot from the edge of the area. The match remained balanced on the rest of the first half, but then Castille began to wane in the second half, and Italy widened their advantage - first, Cucchiaroni lobbed the ball into the area and Del Vecchio headed it on for Milani to score. Eleven minutes later, Milani scored his second, beating Zamora[2] with a unsavable shot. Towards the end, Castille began reacting, and scored the second one minute from the end, when Suárez, who had also been on lackluster form so far, sent a centre from Gento into the roof of the net.
Three days later, Castille returned to face Russia, and needing to win, tried to go on the attack, but found little luck doing so, and ended up conceding a penalty when Ivanov, running a Russian counter-attack, was elbowed off the ball, and Igor Netto converted the kick. Russia remained on the defensive through the match, but they were hardly in danger, and eight minutes before the end, Ivanov headed a marvellous goal from a cross by Khusainov.
Three days later, Russia and Italy would play for the semifinal berth. Russia opened the score at 11 minutes, with a excellent low shot from Ponedelnik, but Italy tied after 15 minutes, on a rare error from Yashin - Cucchiaroni shot from the right on a free kick, while Yashin, who though the kick was supposed to be indirect, didn't move as the ball entered. Streltsov equalised when Buffon stopped Ponedelnik’s shot, then Ivanov hit a post, but the 2x1 held until the end.
And so the semifinals were defined:
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[1] - Son of Abderrahman Ibrir, who had played in 1958
[2] - Ricardo Zamora de Grassa, son of Ricardo Zamora, and who wound up playing for Castille because he was born in Madrid while his father played for Real Madrid.
Let me know your predictions and stay tuned for Part 45!
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Chapter XLV
Chaper XLV - The End of the Saga
In the first match of the semifinals, Brazil faced Bohemia. Garrincha, the great Brazilian hope, started the final with a 38-degree fever and had a discreet performance. Without his spark, Brazil and Bohemia played a coordinated, studied game, and at the 15th minute, Masopust, the only standout on the Bohemian team, opened the score, after running onto Pospíchal’s clever pass to hit a low first-time shot before Zózimo could get to him. Brazil equalized only two minutes later, Mazzola received a throw-in, shrugged off Kvašňák, beat Pluskal near the left-hand goal line, and shot in at the near post where Schrojf, expecting a cross, had left a wide gap. Midway through the second half, Brazil took the lead, when Zito sent Mazzola away on the left with a pass that convulsed Popluhár, then Mazzola dummied to cross, cut back onto his right foot, and dinked a cross beyond Schrojf. Zito, short but unmarked, couldn’t miss with the header. Then at the 78th minute, when Brazil won a throw-in near the Czech penalty area, Djalma Santos came up, held off an opponent by turning his back, then spun and hit a hopeful hanging cross with his left foot. Schrojf came out, overran the ball as it dropped out of the sun, and let it slip out behind him as he fell. Almost as soon as it hit the ground, Vavá knocked it it in.
Meanwhile, at Avellaneda, Argentina played for the only time outside of the Monumental against Russia. The match seemed like it was going to get rough early on, but the referee cut that short by warning all the 22 players that the next heavier foul would result in a sending off. In the first half, no chances, either clear or remote, were created, but it took only three minutes after the break for the score to be opened - after Sívori had missed two good chances in quick succession, Maschio headed in a rebound. Russia tried to react instantly, and came close to tying a few minutes later, when Ponedelnik and Khusainov hit the bar in close succession, and eventually the insistence paid off when Chislenko equalized with a back-hader after beating Roma to a cross. However, the hosts decided the match in the ten final minutes - first, Angelillo (returning from his earlier injury), unmarked, pushed a cross past the onrushing Yashin, then Krutikov conceded a penalty by handing the ball a long way from goal, and Angelillo converted the kick to settle the score.
Four days later, Bohemia and Russia played for the third place. The game started at a fast pace, and the opening eighteen minutes were agreeably entertaining, and then Bohemia opened the score, when Pospíchal took the ball along the right, and Scherer wisely allowed the ball to pass him when it came over, giving Josef Kadraba the opportunity of running in at full speed to send the ball hard and low into the net. Less than fifteen minutes later, Khusainov trailed the ball over to the left then suddenly wheeling to return it to the middle, and Ivanov took the ball, also going at top speed. On the second half, play slowed down considerably, but in the last minute, Ivanov scored the wining goal, with a long, low shot that deflected in off Novák.
The next day, the final would have the added component of deciding who would take the Jules Rimet trophy home permanently, since both sides had two titles to their name. Naturally this attracted the biggest attendance of the competition, but Brazil were too seasoned to be affected by a crowd, and Argentina found itself constantly having to play catch-up. Maschio hit a post early on, but Brazil opened the score at 9 minutes, when Zagallo hit a long cross, Mazzola missed his overhead kick, and Garrincha cracked the loose ball into the top corner from the edge of the area. at 21 minutes, Vavá had a goal disallowed by offside, but eleven minutes later, Garrincha hammered in another corner by Zagallo. Close to the break, Angelillo kept the hosts' hope alive with a fabulous 25-meter free kick, but almost as soon as the teams returned from the break, Brazil regained its two-goal lead, this time with Vavá heading in Garrincha's corner. Less than fifteen minutes later, a handball by Zózimo gave away a penalty to Argentina, which Sívori cracked past a stationary Gilmar, but at the 78th minute, Vavá headed in another cross by Zagallo and scored the fourth. As the play grew rougher, two players were sent off, Sívori for fouling Zito, and Garrincha for kicking Maschio, but after 40 years, the trophy finally had a definitive owner. Soon after the match, Stábile retired from managing the national team, after having been on the job for 23 years.
166 goals were scored in 46 matches, for a average of 3,60 goals a match. Tommy Taylor and Alberto Spencer were joint top goalscorers, with 6 goals each, followed by Lajos Tichy, Omar Sívori and Antonio Angelillo, all with five each, and six players (Pelé, Vavá, Garrincha, Puskás, Ivanov and Milani) with four each.
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Congratulations to @carlosperezesp and @ArupinumMaivista for getting the finalists right.
Stay tuned for the next part, which will show the 1964 European Championship!
Chapter XLVI
Chapter XLVI - The 1964 European Championship
The qualifier format ws done in much the same way as in 1960, but with the addition of Iceland, which necessitated the creation of a first preliminary round. The Icelanders were unable to make much of a impact, being eliminated by Savoy right in the first round. The other preliminary round also saw some surprises, as Pomerania eliminated Norway, who after the good 1962 qualifier performance, was touted as the favourite for that match, while Ruthenia, until then largely inconsequential in the European stage but with a good generation already blooming, smashed Sicily at Kiev and could afford to lose at Naples in the return match.
In the group stage of the qualifiers, Pomerania would also make a impact, with its only win in the group, against Sweden, guaranteeing Germany's qualification. In Group 3, The berth turned out to be hotly disputed by Castille, Bulgaria, (following up on the good 1962 qualifier performance) and Provence (also coming up with a good generation), and Bulgaria went off to their first continental tournament. In Group 6, Denmark also qualified, managing to overcome both Aragon and France, while Ruthenia followed up by eliminating Venice and qualifying as well. After all the berths were defined, Italy was chosen as the host.
In Group 1, Italy began the proceedings with a lackluster goalless draw against Bohemia, while Germany easily overcame the Bulgarians in the other match. In the second round, Bulgaria managed to snatch a tie in the final minutes against Bohemia, while Italy struggled to tie against Germany. In the third round, Bohemia beat Germany in a busy 7-goal match, which also forced Italy to beat Bulgaria to qualify. Although still not playing any better than in the previous matches, against the worst team of the group, the win finally came, and Italy qualified.
In Group 2, Denmark showed it still had more rabbits to pull out of its hat by beating Croatia, that had dominated its qualifier group, by 1x0. The next day, Hungary, not without some difficulty, beat Wallachia by 3x2. In the next round, Denmark snatched a tie with Hungary in the final 10 minutes and put one foot in the quarterfinals, while in the other match, in which all goals were scored in the final six minutes, Wallachia beat Croatia and kept its qualification chances alive, since the last round would be a direct confrontation against Denmark. In the final round, Hungary had little trouble dispatching Croatia, that once again had left the tournament without winning one match and by now, had last won a European championship match in 1952, while in the next day, despite starting behind in the score, Denmark rallied to qualify to the quarterfinals.
In Group 3, Scotland began its attempt at defending its title by beating Castille by 1x0, in a truncated match in which the only goal came off a penalty shot. The next day, Russia beat Swabia by 3x0. In the second round, Scotland managed to tie against Russia after trailing by two goals at half-time, while Castille eliminated Swabia with a 4x2 victory. In the final round, Castille opened a two-goal lead against Russia within only 10 minutes, and held out through most of the match, only conceding a goal six minutes from the end. That might have seemed to be the end for Russia, but Swabia not only managed to hold out against Scotland the next day, they scored the match's only goal near the end, in a victory that eliminated both sides and sent Russia to the quarterfinals.
In Group 4, England opened the procceedings beating Serbia by 4x0, which, in the back on the perfect record in the qualifiers, seemed to set them as favourites for the title. The next day, Portugal beat the Ruthenian debutants by 3x1. In the next round, Portugal managed to hold England to a tie, while Ruthenia lost to Serbia by the same score as in their previous match. In the last round, Ruthenia once again lost by 3x1, this time to England, while Serbia put up a good fight against Portugal, coming close to scoring a few times, and only conceding the match's only goal one minute before the end, when Eusébio finally got through Šoškić to guarantee Portugal's spot in the quarterfinals.
In the first match of the quarterfinals, Italy faced Denmark, and, continuing their string of poor performances, took a goal shortly before half-time. It was only in the final 15 minutes the team finally woke up, and scored three goals in only eight minutes to advance into the semifinals. Meanwhile, at Bologna, Hungary, facing Bohemia for the third consecutive time, played a balanced match that went into extra time, when in the final ten minutes, Hungary finally managed to prevail and reach the semifinals for the first time since 1952. The next day, Castille played against Portugal at Verona. While Castille opened the score, with Luis de Sol, Eusébio once again proved decisive for Portugal and scored twice to put Portugal in the semifinals. Meanwhile, England faced Russia at Genoa. The match started busy, with each team scoring one goal within only four minutes, but slowed down considerably after that, and also went into extra time. Three minutes in, Chislenko put Russia in the front, which finally heated up the match. Greaves equalized four minutes later, and the winning goal would only come two minutes from the end, with Ponedelnik.
In the first semifinal match, Italy, playing its best game in the entire tournament and finally seeming to be on the right track, took out Portugal, by then the sensation of the tournament, by 3x0 and went into the finals. Meanwhile, Hungary played against Russia at Milan. Russia opened the score late in the first half with Ivanov, but at 60 minutes, Flórián Albert equalized for Hungary. Eventually, at 79 minutes, Ivanov scored again to put Russia in the final. In the third-place playoff, in a match entirely decided in the first half, Hungary beat Portugal by 2x1.
In the final, Italy returned to Milan, in a match that began at a relatively slow pace, until the 33rd minute, when Ivanov dispossessed Corso, took the ball past Facchetti and after trading passes with Chislenko, crossed for Gusarov who scored to give Russia a 1–0 lead. the remainder of the half saw both sides competing in the midfield with several misplaced passes and fouls, although Yashin saved shots from both Mazzola[1] and Corso before Negri kept Chislenko's attempt out.
In the early stages of the second half, Italy began to dominate and missed several chances to score. Rivera struck the ball into the side netting before he then ran clear of the Russian defence and passed to Mora whose shot was tipped over the Soviet Union crossbar by Yashin. Chislenko then beat three Italian defenders before being brought down by Salvadore but the referee allowed play to continue. Then, at the 89th minute, Mora passed to Rivera down the center of the pitch and his weak shot was deflected in by Glotov to allow the equaliser, and the match went into extra time. Bouyed by the late equalizer, Italy remained on the attack, but couldn't get through the Russian defense, and gradually began exhausting themselves. With eight minutes of the match remaining, Anichkin passed to Voronin, who beat Guarneri and played in a cross which Salvadore did not clear, before Ponedelnik headed the winning goal inside the near post. Russia won the match 2x1 to win their first European Championship title.
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[1] - This one being the son of Valentino Mazzola.
Stay tuned for the next part, which will show the prelude to the 1966 FIFA World Cup!
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As a Swede descended from Swedish Pomerania, this may have completely killed my interest in football.
Good thing I wasn't alive then!
Good thing I wasn't alive then!
Beh, Croatia also did bad in this one. Life goes on, as they say
Chapter XLVII
Chapter XLVII - A New Beginning
For 1966, hosting duties fell back to Europe, and that time, competition was fierce, with France, Germany and England all posting their own bids, and England winning narrowly over Germany.
Continuous human habitation in England dates to around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the Last Glacial Period. The region has numerous remains from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age, such as Stonehenge and Avebury. In the Iron Age, all of Britain south of the Firth of Forth was inhabited by the Celtic people known as the Britons, including some Belgic tribes (e.g. the Atrebates, the Catuvellauni, the Trinovantes, etc.) in the south east. In AD 43 the Roman conquest of Britain began; the Romans maintained control of their province of Britannia until the early 5th century.
The end of Roman rule in Britain facilitated the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, which historians often regard as the origin of England and of the English people. The Anglo-Saxons, a collection of various Germanic peoples, established several kingdoms that became the primary powers in present-day England and parts of southern Scotland. They introduced the Old English language, which largely displaced the previous Brittonic language. The Anglo-Saxons warred with British successor states in western Britain and the Hen Ogledd (Old North; the Brittonic-speaking parts of northern Britain), as well as with each other. Raids by Vikings became frequent after about AD 800, and the Norsemen settled in large parts of what is now England. During this period, several rulers attempted to unite the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, an effort that led to the emergence of the Kingdom of England by the 10th century.
In 1066, a Norman expedition invaded and conquered England. The Norman dynasty, established by William the Conqueror, ruled England for over half a century before the period of succession crisis known as the Anarchy (1135–1154). Following the Anarchy, England came under the rule of the House of Plantagenet, a dynasty which later inherited claims to the Kingdom of France. During this period, Magna Carta was signed and Parliament became established. In this period, the English kings began attempting to expand the kingdom within the British Isles, establishing a presence in Ireland in the 12th century, conquering Wales in the 13th century and attempting to use a succession dispute to gain control of the Kingdom of Scotland, though this developed into a costly and drawn-out military campaign that ended with an English defeat.
A succession crisis in France led to the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), a series of conflicts involving the peoples of both nations. Following the Hundred Years' Wars, England became embroiled in its own succession wars. The Wars of the Roses pitted two branches of the House of Plantagenet against one another, the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The Lancastrian Henry Tudor ended the War of the Roses and established the Tudor dynasty in 1485.
Under the Tudors, England began attempting to bring Ireland under royal control, in which they were opposed by Scotland, leading to a series of wars that ended with England establishing control over the entirety of Ireland by 1700. England also became a colonial power curing this period. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, technological advances and mechanisation resulted in the Industrial Revolution which transformed a largely agrarian society and caused considerable social upheaval, and would result on significant migration from England to the New World, mainly to Louisiana and Canada. By 1966, England had over 40 million inhabitants, 7 million of those living in and around the capital, London.
In regards to football, besides having credit for inventing the sport, England was regularly competitive on the World Cup and the European tournaments, but the World Cup was still missing from the English roll of honours. That Cup would also be the first one to feature the new trophy[1], which was almost lost before it could be awarded. A few months before the Cup, the trophy was placed in a exhibition display, where it was stolen by unknown persons. A nationwide hunt for the icon ensued, ending after one week, when it was found by a dog named Pickles. The format of the competition would remain the same as in 1962 - the groups again were set on a regional basis, with Southampton and Portsmouth hosting one group, Sheffield and Birmingham another, Sunderland and Middlesbrough another, Manchester and Liverpool and another, and England's group being played entirely at Wembley.
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[1] - It doesn't look the same as OTL - ITTL, the concept is similar to the Jules Rimet trophy, but with a globe instead of the decagonal cup on top, and Nike in a different style.
Stay tuned for the next part, with the qualifiers.
Chapter XLVIII
Chapter XLVIII - Dusting Off the Forties
Europe
Europe
After their European Championship victory, Russia were the main favourites to win the berth in their group, and didn't disappoint, winning its first five matches and qualifying with one round to go, especially once its opponents kept tripping over each other. Wales was the only team to beat them, but was hampered by a abysmal away record, losing even to Morea and Denmark, and its failure made sure that the prospect of all four British teams qualifying to the same Cup would have to wait.
In contrast, Group 2 was effectively the death group of the European qualifiers, and its dispute was as heated as it was expected. Castille took an early lead, scoring five points in its first three matches, followed by Swabia, with four, Venice, with 2, and Ireland, with 1. However, Ireland began waking up right after, beating Castille at Dublin, while Venice was eliminated after losing to Swabia. Castille saw things get even more complicated in the following round, after losing by 4x1 to the already eliminated Venetians, while Ireland beat Swabia at Basel and left the definition of the berth to the last round, where Castille had to beat Swabia at home and hope that Ireland didn't beat Venice. While Ireland did beat Venice, Castille also did their part and qualified on goal difference.
In Group 3, the dispute after the first three rounds was almost as heated, with Savoy and Sweden tied with four points, Bohemia following with 3, and Norway with 1. But after the next round, Sweden and Bohemia were tied for the lead, the Swedes having tripped on Norway at Oslo while the Bohemians beat Savoy at Breslau. In the following round, Bohemia isolated itself in the lead after beating Sweden at Prague, while Norway beat Savoy at Oslo, and killed the slim Savoyard qualification chances for good. On the last round, Sweden would have to beat Savoy and hope that Norway beat Bohemia at Oslo. The Sweds did their part, winning by 2x0, and in the other match, Norway managed to hold out against Bohemia until the 77th minute, when Siegfried Held scored the winning goal and sent Bohemia on to another Cup.
Meanwhile, at Group 4, eager to prove itself after losing the European championship at home, Italy didn't give any slack to its group competitors, winning all six matches and qualifying with ease.
In Group 5, after the first three rounds, despite the poor performance in the European championship qualifiers and a overall weak generation, Austria led the group after the first three rounds, with 5 points, followed by Poland with 4 and France with 3, Estonia being the undisputed lantern with no points and 15 goals conceded. In the fourth round, things became even more tangled up after Poland managed to lose to Estonia at Tallinn, and France beat Austria at Paris. In the following round, Poland came back into the dispute after beating France by 3x1, a result that eliminated the Bleus, while Austria beat Estonia. Thus, the berth would be defined in the match between Austria and Poland. Austria had the home advantage, and took the lead early on with Hans Buzek (the last veteran from the 1958 team), and held onto the result for most of the match, then, at the last five minutes, Poland reacted, and with two goals from Ernest Pohl and Jerzy Sadek, returned to the Cup after 40 years.
Meanwhile, Group 6 also was short on emotion, with Scotland winning the berth with ease, the only hiccup on their campaign being a 3x3 tie with Iceland at Reykjavík.
Similarly, despite the theoretically heavy competition, with Serbia and an up-and-coming Ruthenia, Hungary had little difficulty getting through both of them. The group also featured Pskov debuting and losing all its six matches.
In Group 8, Portugal, after reaching the semifinals in the European championship, was the favourite to qualify, although its journey wouldn't be as easy. After the first three matches, it led the group with six points, followed by Navarra, Bosnia (equally coming up) and Sicily (with quite possibly its weakest generation in decades), all with 2. In the fourth round, Bosnia revived its qualification chances after beating Sicily at Vhrbosna while Portugal and Navarra tied. then competition became even tighter when Bosnia won at home again, this time against Portugal, while Navarra went through Sicily with ease at Bilbao. By the last round, Navarra and Bosnia playing each other, still had chances to qualify, but both had to hope Portugal didn't beat Sicily at Lisbon, which didn't happen, the Portuguese winning by 2x0 and rendering the Navarrese victory useless.
Group 9 saw another debut, as Cyprus moved from the Asian qualifiers to join UEFA, but found itself completely out of its depth, losing nearly all of its matches by large margins and somehow managing to tie against Aragon at Famagusta. However, Aragon still acquainted itself well with the other two teams in the group, Germany and Provence, and could have qualified if not for a away loss and a home tie against Germany.
In Group 10, Candia[1] also made its debut, but was almost as much of a punching bag as Cyprus. The dispute for the berth was almost from the outset dominated by Wallachia and Bulgaria, with he latter securing their qualification in the fifth round, with a categorical 4x0 win against the Vlachs at Sredets. Wallachia still had mathematical chances after this, but since the next Bulgarian match was against Candia, qualification was all but assured, although the Bulgarians almost made a hash of it, coming out of Candia with only a 2x1 win.
In Group 11, the only one with three teams, Burgundy won both of its matches against White Ruthenia with ease, plus its home match against the Papal States, but lost their away match against the Romans. However, that was their only win during the qualification as they tied both matches against White Ruthenia and gave away the qualification to Burgundy.
South America
The 1963 tournament had seen Charcas, playing at home, win its first South American championship, and in the qualifiers for 1965, falling into a group with Chile and Araucania, Charcas had no trouble qualifying. Similarly, Venezuela wasn't much of a challenge to New Granada and Argentina. Things would be a little more complicated on Group 2, where Peru and Paraguay won their respective matches against each other, and the qualification was defined by their performance against Uruguay. Peru lost both matches, and Paraguay advanced thanks to a win in Asunción. Meanwhile, in Group 1, Brazil once again sent a experimental side to the qualifiers, given their only competition was Grão-Pará and Ecuador. That side went well enough, winning three matches and tying only one, against Grão-Pará at Belém, a result that wound up qualifying the Amazonian side, as they had two head-to-head points against Ecuador.
Chile was chosen to host the final tournament, and this time, after losing the Nations' Cup to Argentina at home, Brazil sent something close to its regular side to Chile. After the first three rounds, to the surprise of nearly every expert, Grão-Pará, of all teams, led the competition, having won all of its matches until then. Despite their reputation as a punching bag in previous years, they had cobbled together a decent side, with a mix of experienced names like Quarentinha I[2], Pau Preto, Quarentinha II[3] and young revelations like Manoel Maria, Robilotta and Faustino, plus the naturalized Surinamese François Thijm on the goal, and earlier on the year, Paysandu (the base of the national team) had beaten Peñarol (likewise, the base of the Uruguayan team and coming off a 13-match unbeaten streak) by 3x0. Following Grão-Pará on the table were Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile, with 4 points, Brazil and Uruguay, with 3, and New Granada and Charcas, the latter apparently completely helpless away from the altitude, with no points.
In the following round, Uruguay inflicted Grão-Pará's first defeat, winning by 1x0, while Brazil beat Charcas, Chile beat Argentina, and New Granada beat Paraguay. In the fifth round, Brazil and Chile took the lead from Grão-Pará, with Brazil winning the direct match against Grão-Pará by 3x0, and Chile tying against Uruguay. Meanwhile, Argentina fell to sixth place, just outside the qualification zone, after tying against New Granada, while Charcas lost again to Paraguay. Then, in the sixth round, Argentina, after beating Paraguay by 3x0, jumped back into the qualification zone, but that result, added to Chile's victory over Grão-Pará, New Granada's victory against Charcas, and Brazil's win against Uruguay, tangled the entire dispute for the World Cup berths.
By the last round, only Brazil and Chile had their qualifications assured, only two points separated the third placer (Argentina) from the seventh (New Granada) and there were three berths in dispute. and of course, the title was also undefined. In the title front, Brazil beat Paraguay by 2x1, but lost the title thanks to Chile's thrashing of New Granada by 7x2, which gave the title to Chile by one goal's difference. And in the World Cup berth front, Uruguay and Argentina clinched their berths with 2x1 victores over Charcas and Grão-Pará, respectively, and the last berth went to Grão-Pará, that even after the fourth consecutive defeat, prevailed over Paraguay by two goals' difference and went on to its World Cup debut.
Africa
The qualifiers had grown, with 15 teams entering this time. While the format with a final triangular was kept, the 15 teams were divided into six groups, with the winners going through a knockout stage to define the final three. In Group 1, the Gold Coast eliminated French Guinea after winning by 5x1 at Accra and tying at Conakry. In Group 2, Nubia eliminated Cameroon and Boa Esperança, while in Group 3, Algeria struggled to eliminate Tunisia and Sierra Leone. In Group 4, Morocco eliminated Senegal and Tukulor. In Group 5, Abyssinia only qualified over Congo thanks to a larger goal difference. The berth on Group 6 was also defined through goal difference, with Egypt and Nigeria winning one match each, but the berth on the second round going to Egypt.
In the second round, the Gold Coast beat Abyssinia at home by 2x0, but was eliminated after losing by 4x0 at Gondar; Nubia dispatched Morocco with two wins, while Algeria, after tying with Egypt at Cairo, advanced after a 3x0 win at Algiers. In the final round, Abyssinia failed to win against Algeria, tying away and losing at home, but qualified to the Cup thanks to winning both matches against Nubia, who helped them further by beating the Argelines both away and home.
Asia
The first round had grown enough that the teams had to be subdivided into eight groups. That group stage saw the debuts of Arabia, Bukhara, Mysore and Sumatra, who all fell in the first round. Save for Georgia and Australia, the quarterfinalists were the same as in 1962. Georgia and Korea took out Syria and Australia, respectively, with two wins, while Burma beat Japan at Tokyo and held to a 1x1 at Yadanarbon, while Iran, after tying at Delhi, beat India by 2x1 at Esfahan. In the semifinals, Georgia beat Iran by 3x0 at Tbilisi and held to a 0x0 away, while Burma beat Korea by 2x0 at home, but lost to 4x1 at Hanseong. Thus, the finals would be between Georgia and Korea, and Korea got the berth after beating Georgia twice.
North America
The preliminaries went on a very simiar fashion as in 1962, with only one different team qualifying - New Burgundy, that had beaten New Scotland in its group. That qualifier also saw the debut of the French Antilles. In the final stage, played Mexico was closely challenged by Guatemala, playing at home, and the berth was only decided in the final round, with Mexico holding out to a 1x1 tie and going to its fifth consecutive tournament.
And thus, the groups were drawn:
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[1] - OTL Crete. ITTL, the island was a Venetian possession until Venice began decilining militarily in the 18th century, when it, along with Cyprus, was taken by the Seljuks in 1715, but Turkish control of the islands didn't last, as Spain took both islands in 1734. Unlike the other Spanish overseas possessions, they both were made kingdoms under the Crown of Aragon rather than Castille.
[2] - Who had enough quality to play alongside Garrincha at Botafogo, become the club's all-time top scorer, and had even been capped for Brazil multiple times, but never at a World Cup or its qualifiers, which enabled him to go back and represent Grão-Pará in 1965, after he had left Botafogo.
[3] - They both were in a similar situation to the Mazzolas in Brazil and Italy. Quarentinha I (Waldir Cardoso Lebrêgo) got his name from his father, Luiz Gonzaga Lêbrego, who was a mainstay of the Grão-Pará team in the 30s and the 40s, and who was nicknamed Quarenta, while Quarentinha II (Paulo Benedito dos Santos Braga) got his nickname due to his style resembling the one of the original Quarenta. There was also a Quarentinha III - younger brother of Quarentinha I, just to make things more confusing. The latter also was called up for the tournament, as his brother's reserve.
Let me know your predictions and stay tuned for Part 49!
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Chapter XLIX
Chapter XLIX - The Harder They Come
Group 1
Group 1
The opening match of the cup pit England against Bohemia, in one of that tournament's sleepiest matches. Bohemia's defense remained as tight as in the previous tournament, their nine-man blanket defence smothering the England attack. England spent most of the match passing the ball around while trying and failing to find any openings. No real goal chances were created all through the match. England were now unbeaten in their last ten matches, and losing only once in their last twenty-one, but this was a subpar performance that disappointed the 86,000 crowd.
The next day, Argentina debuted against Bulgaria. The Bulgarians spent most of the match in the defensive, and after a barren first half, Argentina finally began finding breaches in the second half. Luis Artime took the only chance he had and opened the score, shooting in off a post after the Bulgarians had given the ball away, and later, Oscar Más ran onto a return pass from Maschio and lobbed Naydenov as the latter and Penev collided.
Three days later, England faced Bulgaria and started behind on the score, as four minutes in, a misplaced back pass by Ron Flowers gifted Giorgi Asparuhov a goal, but from then on England totally dominated the match. Jimmy Greaves scored four goals, all of them in the first half - first off a cross by Terry Paine, then after a long pass from Edwards that caught the Bulgarian defence by surprise, the third after catching a ball that went loose when Taylor and Naydenov collided, and the fourth by shotting from the edge of the area after a pass by Bobby Charlton. Bobby Moore got on the scoresheet with a twenty-five meter drive that could have come from the foot of Bobby Charlton, who created the sixth goal for Paine in a second half played at exhibition pace.
The next day, Bohemia faced Argentina. The rain that had been falling since the previous night had left the pitch heavy andf the ball passing (the forte of both teams) was hampered. In any case, Bohemia began the first few minutes in the offensive, and opened the score at 16 minutes, when Edmund Schmidt was fouled in the area, and Masopust converted the penalty kick. Then, at 30 minutes, Siegfried Held headed in a cross from František Veselý. However, Argentina improved in the second half, and tied the match with two goals from Artime. First, he converted Maschio's low cross from the right and dragged Onega’s pass past a defender before hitting a left-foot shot.
Three days later, Bohemia went up against Bulgaria. the Bohemians were in a godd position to qualify. Even a tie would might do depending on the other groups' results, but the best way to guarantee the qualification was to win. Bulgaria, in the other hand, was virtually eliminated - the goal difference was insurmountable. After a lukewarm first 40 minutes, Bohemia began creating some dangerous chances, and Jozef Adamec opened the score in the last play before the break. In the second half, Adamec scored again, and eleven minutes before the end, Veselý settled the score.
The next day, Argentina faced England, with both teams virtually qualified, but playing for the top spot, and England having the advantage of the tie. But the match became rough quickly. Rafael Albrecht was sent off midway through the second half after kneeing Peters in the groin, and another eight players were booked by the referee. Eventually, after Roma had made a solid save from Greaves, England scored a very good goal. From wide on the right, Edwards hit a kind of brisk lob which left Roma confused, and Taylor came in to glance his header across the keeper and inside the far post. Despite the fact that England had committed even more fouls than Argentina and played just as roughly, only the Argentines got a warning from the FIFA disciplinary committee.
Group 2
Italy and Chile made the first match of the group at Portsmouth, on a thoroughly tepid match, frustratingly so after Italy’s upbeat start. Angelo Domenghini had a shot kicked off the line by a defender before being sent clear by Bulgarelli’s perfect pass inside Luis Eyzaguirre. Juan Olivares saved the shot, but Mazzola slid in to score, but after that, the Italians retreated to the defense, even after they were one man up when Armando Tobar injured himself in the early second half. Rivera and the rest of the attack also didn't produce much, and it was only in the final two minutes that Italy finally managed to score the second, when Marino Perani made just enough room on the outside to hit a leftfooted shot high to the near post.
Meanwhile, Burgundy played against Korea at Southampton. Korea was a practically unknown team made up of mostly short players, but from the start, Burgundy went through the match with a energetic, violent even, posture from their players. Concentrated, the Burgundians opened a two-goal lead within two minutes, goals from Paul Van Himst and Armand Jurion, and kept playing with the same seriousness until they scored the third, Van Himst again, two minutes from the end. But there was a reason for this excess of zeal. In the run-up to the Cup, on their way to England, Korea had played two friendlies in Burgundy and had beaten Anderlecht (the base of the national team) by 2x0. Thus, the Burgundians were the only ones who knew what the Koreans were capable of, but Chile and Italy remained thinking that beating the Koreans would be easy...
Three days later, Chile visited Korea at Southampton. But Chile found the Koreans not only hard to stop, but also hard to see, because they wouldn't stop running. So, after Rubén Marcos scored one goal on a penalty kick, fruit of Shin Yung-kyoo's competent tackling on Pedro Araya, Chile struggled to keep up with the Koreans. and two minutes from the end, just as the match finally seemed to be under control, six Koreans came up out of nowhere in the Chilean area and Park Seung-zin scored on a fierce low volley after a defensive header dropped to him on the edge of the box.
The next day Italy visited Burgundy at Portsmouth. A tie seemed like a good result for Italy, the three points putting them on a good position to qualify, even if somehow Korea managed to snatch a tie in he next match, so they went for a more defensive scheme, leaving Mazzola as the only center-forward and switching both wingers. It worked on the first half, but then, early in the second half, Van Himst scored and Italy wound up needing to attack while having a weak forward line. Klaas Nuninga (naturalized German) made things worse at 67 minutes, scoring on a free kick. Even then, Italy tried to get back into the match with what they had and towards the end, Bulgarelli slipped Bernardus Muller’s tackle down the right and crossed for the unmarked Meroni to get in a powerful header that Graafland couldn't reach.
Four days later, Chile visited Burgundy needing a win to keep their qualification hopes alive, even if only in third place. Once both teams wen into the pitch, things seemed easier, since the Burgundian manager, Constant Vanden Stock, had switched nearly all the players, given they were already qualified. Among those debuting that day was 19-year old Johan Cruyff, winning his first cap for the national team. But things weren't so easy for Chile when the match got going - the Burgundian reserves seemed to be almost as good as the first team, and opened the score on a counter-attack - Coen Moulijn drove in a rebound from Wilfried Puis's shot. Chile equalized soon after with Marcos again, but couldn't get through the Burgundian defence for the rest of the match, and then, five minutes from the end, in another counter-attack, Cruyff scored the winning goal after lobbing the ball over Olivares.
Meanwhile, at Southampton, Italy faced Korea, with the London bookmakers giving Korea odds of 1000/1 before the match. the Italian manager, Edmondo Fabbri, returned to the attack that had played against Chile and set up a theoretically more agile defence. Thus, the match had many goal opportunities, but, unused to the Korean rhythm, the Italians were always just a fraction of second too late to conclude their plays, while the Korean attack traded passes at a breakneck pace. To make things worse, Bulgarelli (who had already been having problems with his knee since the beginning of the competition) injured himself trying to tackle Park Seung-zin and spent the rest of the match limping on the left wing. Then, 42 minutes in, an Italian clearance was headed back towards their area and Pak Doo-ik let it run into his stride before hitting a ground shot across Albertosi. Italy didn't fret, figuring that surely the Koreans wouldn't be keeping that pace through the second half, but they did, and Italy wasn't able to equalize.
Group 3
After the 1962 tournament, the Brazilian press began preaching the need of a renovation in the national team, given the team had had the oldest average age on the tournament. The renovation was attempted, with 47 different players representing the team between 1963 and 1965, and only Pelé having a guaranteed spot on the team. The results were mixed - the team had won most of its matches in this period, but lost to Burgundy by 5x1 in 1963, lost the Nations' Cup (a friendly tournament in celebration of CBD's 50th anniversary) to Argentina at home, then lost the South American Championship to Chile by only one goal. But the biggest worry of the team these years was to find the 'ideal partner' for Pelé - eleven centerforwards were tested and none of them seemed to have it all, but the people were still confident that the title would come regardless.
But a few months before the Cup, there was a break between the CBD chairman, João Havelange, and the head of the delegation in the previous two Cup, Paulo Machado de Carvalho. The sticking point was the choice of coach, with Doctor Paulo favoring Aymoré Moreira (Vicente Feola would manage the team during the matches but Aymoré would be responsible for the tactical preparation), but Havelange nominated Paulo Amaral instead, and Doctor Paulo quit the delegation after that. His leadership had been vital for the victories in 1958 and 1962, since he had been able to harmonize the often contradictory interests of the São Paulo and Rio teams, and keep the press and club officials' pressures at bay. Havelange then chose to head the delegation himself, and with more suggestible officials at the helm, the club pressures began before the first call-up, continued during the preparation and continued even into the tournament. The result was that 47 players were called up to begin training in late March, over half of them being cut by the time the final list was defined. And even then, besides the many baffling cuts (Carlos Alberto and Servílio, for example), there was a clear preference in the final list for already-established names, with Gilmar, Djalma Santos and Bellini (35, 37 and 36 years old, respectively) being called up and being intended to be on the starting team, along with Orlando, 30, Zito - 33, and kept on the list despite a injury - and Garrincha, 32, and clearly past his prime by then.
The Brazilian debut would be against Abyssinia, another team that few knew what to expect from. the Walias came up with a defensive formation and made it clear from the first minute they would do all they could to stop Pelé. Thus, both goals came through free kicks. The first was scored by Pelé, on a kick that went through the barrier and went in on Gilamichael Teklemariam's right post, and the second by Garrincha, who smashed the ball into the top near corner with the outside of his right foot. But aside of that, Garrincha did very little, and at some point, the Abyssinian forward Netsere Woldeselassié stole the ball from him and dribbled past him three times in a row. Brazil wasn't helped by the referee's passivity - Pelé's marker, Negasi Gebreselassié, fouled him nine times before the referee thought of booking him.
Meanwhile, at Manchester, Portugal faced Hungary. Talk beforehand centred round Eusébio. No-one was disappointed. Showing his intent in the very first minute, he beat Sdévari and Kaposzta to force a corner, which José Augusto headed in. Eusébio would later go on to hit the post twice. Hungary, forced to come out at once, dominated the next hour, but they needed a reciprocal goalkeeping error for their equaliser, Carvalho losing the ball in Albert’s challenge to leave Ferenc Bene with an open goal. Within five minutes, they were back where they started. Szentmihályi, who had been injured in the very first minute, let an easy cross from Torres bounce off his chest for José Augusto to head in again. At the very end Torres, 194cm tall, headed in Eusébio’s corner.
Three days later, Brazil visited Hungary at Manchester, still confident. Less than one year before, their B team, largely made out of São Paulo teams players, had beaten Hungary's first team by 5x3. Brazil had made two changes - Pelé was spared for the match against Portugal, while Gérson, recovering from an injury, went in on Denílson's place. In a far cry from the defensive matches the cup had seen until then, both teams played fearlessly (on total, there were 19 goal shots through the match). Only two minutes in, Sipos pushed the ball out to Bene on the right, the winger jagged inside to stop Altair in his tracks, left him on his backside by beating him on the outside, cut inside Bellini, and scored with a low left-footer inside the near post. A little jewel, and just the start Hungary needed. Brazil recovered quickly, though. At 14 minutes, Lima's free kick deflected throug the barrier to Tostão, whose left foot struck it high to Gelei’s left. Then, Alcindo shot at the open goal to put Brazil in the lead, but twisted his ankle, all by himself, only one minute later.
Brazil held on to the lead through the first half, but Hungary improved in the second half, and 19 minutes in, equalized: Albert clipped a first-time pass up the right wing. Instead of beating his man, Bene looked up and hit a cross which dropped just above the penalty spot. Farkas, running full pelt, caught it with his instep just above the ground and a fraction behind him. The shot nearly holed the net behind a stationary Gilmar. The goal invigorated the Magyars and disorientated the Brazilians. Less than ten minutes later, Bene was brought down by Paulo Henrique in the area and Kálmán Mészöly converted the penalty kick. There was still time for Hungary to score one more, when Albert took the ball from the midfield all down to the penalty spot, then passed to Farkas, coming up unmarked, who shot into Gilmar's left corner.
The next day, at Liverpool, Abyssinia faced Portugal. Needing to win, the Abyssinian manager, Tessema Wolde, tried to field a more offensive team, but to little avail. Only nine minutes in, Torres sent in a high cross that was headed in by Eusébio, to open the score. Abyssinia managed to equalize soon after, with Mengistu Worku heading in a free kick by Woldeselassié, but Portugal regained the lead five minues later, with José Augusto. Eusébio scored the third before the second half was through, and Torres ended the scoring by following Gebrehiwot's feeble back-pass into the net.
Four days later, Brazil went back to Liverpool to play against Portugal, and needing at least a tie to qualify. After the recent weak performances, Feola and the rest of the staff had not only brought Pelé back in, but also switched another eight players, including Gilmar. His substitute, Manga, looked nervous from the start, and soon Eusébio gave him good reason, beating his man on the left and putting over a near-post cross which Manga batted straight onto the head of Simões. Eleven minutes later, Coluna took a free kick deep on the right, Torres soared to head it back from the far post, Eusébio headed almost through the stationary Manga, flattening Orlando in the process. Then four minutes later, Morais took Pelé out of the match with a double foul on the edge of the penalty area for which he wasn't even booked. In the second half, Rildo pulled one back with a stern ground shot, but any hopes of a tie vanished twelve minutes later, when Eusébio scored the third. Two days later, the organizing committee proposed allowing substitutions for the next Cup - they were already practiced regularly in South American tournaments for decades before, but hadn't been allowed in the World Cup yet.
Meanwhile, at Manchester, Hungary played against Abyssinia. Still keeping the same scheme as in the previous match, Abyssinia had improved further and managed to open the score, again with Worku. Late in the first half, Gebreselassié lunged in at a cross from Rákosi, but the ball went into his own net. Abyssinia took the lead right after, when Hailé Tesfagabre hammered in a half-volley into the top corner. However, Hungary grew in the second half and managed to equalize nine minutes in, when Bene headed in a cross from Albert.
Group 4
The first match of the group pit Uruguay against Scotland. The match kept up the highly defensive football that had been seen the previous day - Scotland went out on the attack, pushed by the large crowd that had crossed the border to watch them, and Uruguay went on the defensive, using Troche as sweeper behind a back four, and everyone else in withdrawn positions, including their two most creative players Pedro Rocha and Julio César Cortés — a web the Scottish players rarely looked like breaking. Jim Baxter came the closest, his header dropping onto the top of the bar, but that was it.
Meanwhile, Poland faced Mexico at Sunderland. The Poles were proud of their speed, but their ball control and passing were lamentable and they never came to terms with Enrique Borja. When Szeja saved his shot, from Padilla’s cross, he pushed the loose ball in from close range. Poland equalized later, also scored from a rebound, Włodzimierz Lubański's ground shot going in off a post, but at 72 minutes, Salvador Reyes went into the area and once the defense began closing in, passed to Borja, coming up from the left, who scored from the edge of the area.
Three days later, Scotland visited Mexico at Sunderland. Seventen minutes in, Reyes headed in a cross from Borja and opened the score. Scotland was the better team through most of the match, their attack moving with fluency and precision, largely due to Baxter's skillful and accurate passing, but there was no one in the middle to respond with the same point and enterprise, a situation made worse by the fact that Denis Law had been injured before the tournament and wasn't predicted to return until after the group stage, and so, Mexico for the first time, won two matches in a row and was virtually qualified as a result.
The next day, Uruguay faced Poland at Middlesbrough. Again the Poles were quick, Sadek taking a return pass at speed and hurtling towards the right-hand goal line, where Manicera pulled him back with a better sense of where the penalty area was than the referee, and the kick was converted by Józef Gałeczka. That goal seemed to wake the Uruguayans up, who soon began dominating the match and took the lead before half-time - First they kept possession interminably until Rocha shot home from the right, then Cortés smashed in a volley from a similar position. On the second half, Uruguay returned to the same defensive posture of the first match.
Four days later, Mexico, already qualified, faced Uruguay at Middlesbrough. With Uruguay only needing a tie, and both teams being known for their defensive solidity, the score couldn't really be anything else than a 0x0. Despite Uruguay having more of a reason to attack, it was Mexico that came the closest to scoring, with Cisneros hitting a post in the first half, and Borja always a threat in the air. Good news for Carbajal, who had his first clean sheet for Mexico after 16 years.
Meanwhile, Scotland played against Poland needing to win to have a better chance of qualifying. And it seemed like they could do it, as 38 minutes in, Alex Young put the loose ball in from right next to a goalpost after Greig had headed a cross from Baxter against the base of the other post, but 15 minutes before the end, Bobby Ferguson fumbled a header from Suski's cross and allowed Poland to equalize. Again, Scotland couldn't find the goal they needed and fell on the group stage.
Group 5
Russia debuted against Castille at Birmingham, and was rather lucky on coming out with a win, as the Castillians played better all through the match. However, the Castillians, despite having about ten clear goal chances, were unable to convert them, while Russia took the only chances they had. Even the Castillian goal only came on a penalty kick, as Danilov grabbed Suárez inside the area and Gento converted the penalty kick. Both Russian goals only came in the second half - First, Chislenko headed a cross from Streltsov against Betancort and then shot the rebound past the keeper. Then, Reija mishit a clearance and Malofeyev enabled Khusainov to go through for a shot that entered the net between Betancort and the near post.
Meanwhile, at Sheffield, Grão-Pará debuted against Germany and found themselves entirely outclassed. After Jürgen Nöldner put in the rebound when Seeler’s shot was saved, they scored three of the best goals seen in a single World Cup match, Beckenbauer (twice) and Haller striding through to score with confidence and perfect technique, a masterclass of finishing from midfield. Seeler, at the hub of everything, played a part in all three goals and was fouled for the penalty. Out of all the 20 teams that played on the first round, Germany seemed to be the most balanced, with a solid defense, a good attack and a excellent midfield.
Three days later, Grão-Pará visited Castille at Birmingham, and against a less well-rounded team, seemed to improve. Castille opened the score at 24 minutes, when Ufarte got past Assis on the right and gave a low cross to Suárez, who went over Abel's tackle and sent the ball soaring into the net with a swing from his left foot, from just inside the area. Grão-Pará equalized only seven minutes later, when João Tavares sent Quarentinha II away on the right, Manoel Maria shooting home the cross. However, Castille improved in the second half. Rivilla had already served warning with a strong run through the middle, and now scored a sensational individual goal, beating man after man before hammering the ball into the roof of the net for his only goal in international football. The next goal was just as good, Gento going on a long run down the left that recalled his prime, Amancio diving to head in the cross.
The next day, Germany faced Russia at Sheffield. No one expected it, but the match was violent from the outset. The first victim was Gusarov, who twisted an ankle trying to foul Beckenbauer. Near the end of the first half, Schnellinger went into a typical tackle on Chislenko. He took ball and man, leaving Chislenko clutching his ankle, then showed the other side of his game by running powerfully upfield before hitting a pass to the righthand side of the penalty area, where it was met by Haller’s diagonal run and strong shot. Immediately after the kick-off, a limping Chislenko lost the ball to Nöldner, gave him a kick on the back of the ankle and was sent off for his troubles. In the second half, the violence continued and even Voronin and Beckenbauer wound up booked. Germany scored the second migway through the second half, when Beckenbauer drifted outside a pack of players on the edge of the area before shooting left-footed just inside the lefthand post. Two minutes before the end, Streltsov scored when Tilkowski dropped the ball under pressure from Malofeyev.
Four days later, Castille faced Germany. The Spanish manager, José Villalonga, switched nearly the entire forward and midfield, partly because Suárez and Del Sol were injured. However, the eleven players that went to the field had never even trained together. Despite that, Castille opened the score, when Luis Aragonés ran onto Marcelino’s lob. However, Germany woke up after that and their better teamwork prevailed. Lothar Emmerich equalised with a staggering goal, chasing a loose ball to the left-hand goal line and battering it into the roof of the net from an impossible angle. Then Nöldner went back to the left, beat Rivilla, and hit a low cross which Seeler controlled and pushed home.
Meanwhile, Russia faced Grão-Pará at Sheffield, and the Paraese combined a good performance with the Russians still struggling with the losses from the previous match to score their first point. Grão-Pará opened the score quickly, when Robilotta's shot hit the post and Quarentinha I caught the rebound, but Russia didn't take long to equalize, when Malofeyed pushed through a ball that François had fumbled. Early in the second half, Kopayev put Russia on the lead with a right-foot shot following a pass by Voronin and a swift run up the center, but were unable to do much else against Grão-Pará in the next half-hour, and two minutes from the end, the debutants equalized with a beautiful effort - Quarentinha II started the effort passing to Pau Preto on the right. With his back to the Russian goal, the 37-year old winger (who retired right after the Cup) deftly turned the ball to Quarentinha I, who shot without delay into the net. Despite the tie, the result was still good enough for Russia, who qualified in second place.
And thus, the second round groups were drawn:
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Let me know your predictions and stay tuned for Part 50!
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Group A: England, Uruguay, Castille
Group B: Argentina, Hungary, Burgundy
Group C: Portugal, Russia, Korea
Group D: Germany, Bohemia, Mexico
Group B: Argentina, Hungary, Burgundy
Group C: Portugal, Russia, Korea
Group D: Germany, Bohemia, Mexico
Chapter L
Chapter L - On A Mission
Group A
Group A
The first match in Group A (England x Uruguay) was originally supposed to be played at Wembley, but the match fell on July 15, which was the day of the annual greyhound race at the stadium. Negotiations to postpone the race until after the match were unsuccessful, so the match was moved to White City stadium, that had been built for the 1908 Olympics and had only occasional use as a football pitch, having last been used by Queens Park Rangers in 1963. Unlike the previous matches, Uruguay began the match on the attack and was rewarded with an early goal, when George Cohen cleary handled the ball in the area , and Héctor Silva converted the penalty kick. Uruguay then procceeded to retreat into the defense as usual, trying to hold on to the advantage, but to no avail, as five minutes later, Taylor shot towards the goal, and the ball deflected off Greaves before going in. England then dominated the actions through most of the match, but would only score its second only after Uruguay was one man down, after Horacio Troche was sent off after a harsh tackle on Taylor. Seven minutes before the end, Edwards took Greaves’s return pass around the keeper and scored the English winning goal.
Four days later, Uruguay returned to the pitch to face Castille. Once again, Uruguay deployed its usual tactic, and saw Castille dominate most of the first half and make no headway against the Uruguayan defense, save for a missed penalty by Suárez at 35 minutes. Eventually, Uruguay scored shortly before the break, when Pérez received a through-ball from Pedro Rocha, beat Rivilla and shot from just inside the area. The second half was more of the same, but Castille got the equalizer at 77 minutes, when Marcelino charged up the left before passing inside to Gento, who scored from a tight angle. The result eliminated Uruguay, while Castille now needed to beat England in order to advance.
Three days later, England returned to face Castille. Although the first half ended without any goals, Castille had a slight predominance, having created the only dangerous chance so far, with Marcelino. However, early in the second half, Amancio was injured in a collison with Ray Wilson, and eventually, England, with the numerical advantage, began dominating the match and opened the score at 70 minutes, when Edwards' centre to the far post was headed down by Alan Ball into the path of Roger Hunt (brought in on Taylor's place due to injury), whose shot was blocked and Jimmy Greaves banged in the rebound. Hunt scored England's second goal six minutes later, after a cross from Ball.
Group B
Meanwhile, at Liverpool, Hungary and Burgundy opened Group B. Although Hungary dominated most of the first half, it was Burgundy who opened the score, with a shot from outside the area by Muller. The goal emboldened the Burgundians, who began creating more chances, and doubled their lead early in the second half, when Muller led another counter-attack and passed the ball to Keizer, who shot from the edge of the area. Hungary, however, began reacting after that, and at 70 minutes, Graafland palmed away a shot by Farkas and Albert drove in the rebound. Then, two minutes from the end, Hungary equalized, when Mészöly headed in a short cross by Albert.
Four days later, Hungary returned to face Argentina. The most decisive men of that atch were both keepers: Roma, who saved Argentina, and Gelei, who sank the Magyars. Before the match had even warmed up, Gelei had let a weak shot by Más go under his body, and all that Onega had to do was to push it in. Early in the second half, Más' free kick from the left reached Artime absurdly unmarked at the far post, and Gelei just stood stationary as the ball went in. Hungary sketched out a reaction a few minutes later, when Mészöly pushed forward in the second half, and burst through a tackle to set up a goal for Bene, but from then on, the star of the match would be Roma, who pulled half a dozen anthological saves and kept Argentina's chances alive.
Three days later, Argentina faced Burgundy, and started well, opening the score with Angelillo. However, at this point, after the multiple examples they had seen of referees and the disciplinary commission turning a blind eye to violent play by the European teams, especially against non-Europeans, the Argentinian captain, Antonio Rattín, gave himself the responsiblity of not letting the referee seeing fouls on only one side. The play that defined the match happened late in the first half. Until then, Rattín had been arguing with the referee - in Spanish, which the referee couldn't understand - on all decision, and had already been booked at 21 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, after a foul favoring Burgundy, Rattín tried to argue again, but the referee, thinking he was insulting him, sent him off. Rattín refused to leave, and his teammates mobbed the referee. After eight minutes that seemed an eternity, Rattin allowed himself to be led off, tried to sit on the touchlines, was talked out of it by the police, and took the scenic route back to the changing room, stopping from time to time to observe the play.
Surprisingly, Argentina acquainted itself well despite the numerical disadvantage, and it was only in the final fifteen minutes that the Burgundians finally broke through. First, Verheyen exchanged a series of passes in the left before sending Van Himst in to shoot at Roma, who could only push the ball straight to Puis. That result still qualified Argentina, but six minutes later, taking Jurion’s pass in the centre circle, Jan Verheyen set off towards the opposite penalty area. With the Argentines holding off instead of challenging, he swerved to his right with a kind of hitch-kick before hitting a long shot across the keeper at about chest height, and put Burgundy in the semifinals for the first time since 1934.
Group C
Russia faced Korea for the first match of the group. Korea began the match on the offensive, but it was Russia who opened the score, with a free kick by Voronin at the 19th minute. However, Korea didn't take long to equalize - 32 minutes in, Han Bong-zin rolled the ball square from the right and Im-Seung-hwi struck it cleanly with the outside of his left foot into the top lefthand corner. Russia began creating more chances in the second half, but at the 67th minute, after a Korean counter-attack, Pak Doo-ik’s shot fell to Yang Seung-kook, who kept his cool to take it round a defender and leave Yashin standing with a ground shot. Russia redoubled their attacks after that, but Korea held on to the result.
Four days later, Russia faced Portugal. For that match, the Russians couldn't count with Shesternyov, who had about the same height as Torres, and replaced him with Alexey Korneyev, who wasn't as good on high balls, Torres' forte. But the long- anticipated play - Torres outjumping Korneyev and heading the ball in - only materialized after 87 minutes. Before that, the match had been tied since the end of the first half - for the Portuguese goal, Danilov committed an unnecessary handball, and the penalty was converted by Eusébio, and just before the break, Pereira fumbled Malofeyev's long shot for Streltsov to put in the rebound.
Three days later, Portugal faced Korea. Even conceding a goal at the first minute, Portugal didn't seem worried, much like the Italians, figuring their opponents wouldn't be able to keep their pace after four matches. Then they conceded another two in the space of two minutes. Only then the Portuguese woke up, and Eusébio took on the responsibility, asking Coluna and Jaime Graça to throw some short passes his way instead of trying through-balls. So, in three skillfull and strong plays, plus a penalty on Torres, Eusébio scored four times in a row and gave Portugal the lead, but they'd only rest after scoring the fifth with José Augusto, when there were only five minutes to go.
Group D
The first match in the group would pit Germany against Mexico, and Mexico didn't hesitate to repeat the defensive style of the last three matches. As such, Germany, despite dominating the actions, could only score on a penalty shot, by Seeler, in what turned out to be the only goal scored during the match.
Four days later, Mexico returned to the field to face Bohemia. With both teams needing to win to keep themselves alive, and Mexico needing to win big and hope for a particular combination of results, both teams focused on the attack, but Bohemia dominated the match almost from the start, and opened the score at the 15th minute, when Edmund Schmidt received a pass from Held and shot from the edge of the goal area. Mexico equalized almost immediately after, on a scramble around the area in which Borja managed to get the ball in, but four minutes later, Schmidt tried his luck again in a very similar play as the one that had resulted in the first one. This time, the ball hit the post, but Veselý caught the rebound. Seven minutes later, Held shot from the edge of the area to score the third. On the second half, Mexico retreated back to the defense, and would only concede one more goal, when Arturo Chaires tackled Schmidt inside the area and Adamec converted the penalty.
Three days later, Bohemia faced Germany. Holding the advantage of the tie, Bohemia didn't set out to do much more than that in the first half, but were behind on the sxore before the break, courtesy of a free kick from Beckenbauer in the 42th minute. On the second half, Bohemia assumed a more tentative posture, having to go out on the attack to kep itself in the competition, but trying to not to expose itself too much. It almost worked - Held forced a difficult save from Tilkowski and Adamec hit a post, but it wasn't enough, and Germany were in the semifinals for the first time since 1938.
Thus, the semifinal matches were defined:
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Let me know your predictions and stay tuned for Part 51!
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Very spicy knockout stage, but I feel like it's coming home.
England v Germany
Portugal v Burgundy
England v Germany
Portugal v Burgundy
Chapter LI
Chapter LI - Home Again
The first match of the semifinals pit Germany against England, and the history favoured England - since the first match in 1899, Germany had never beaten England, with the last tie having taken place in 1948. Once the match began, Germany bet on incursions with short touches and low balls, while England went for their usual area crossings, and Germany made the better start, on a pitch greased by rain, aided by an England error or three. From out on the left, Nöldner hit a deep cross towards the far post, Wilson went up too early for the header, knocking it down too close to goal. Haller reached back to collect it and shot along the ground past Jack Charlton and Banks. It wasn't six minutes until England tied - Moore came up a long way on the left until Overath brought him down. Taking the free kick before the referee’s whistle, he clipped it in to coincide with Taylor's perfect run and downward header. The next hour was something of a impasse, with both defences in control, only punctuated by sporadic shots, and then, at the 78th minute, Ball took a corner on the right, the ball reached Taylor on the edge of the area, he shot, optimistically and badly, a lunging block by Höttges sent the ball ballooning behind him, and Edwards beat Jack Charlton to it on the way down. Edwards drove it in from seven meters past Tilkowski and Schnellinger, who both ended up sitting on the goal line.
At the last regular-time minute, when the English fans thought the match to be effectively over, a free kick by Emmerich ricocheted on the barrier and went to Nöldner, who ran almost to the goal line and crossed to the area, where the ball passed by multiple players before ending up with Wolfgang Weber, who scooped it over Wilson’s leg and Banks’ hands. England pressed forward on extra time and created several chances. In particular, with 11 minutes of extra time gone, Alan Ball put in a cross and Greaves swivelled and shot from close range. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced down, came up a few milimeters from crossing the goal line and was cleared. One minute before the end, the Germans sent their defenders forward in a desperate attempt to score the winning goal. Stealing the ball, Bobby Moore picked out the unmarked Greaves with a long pass, which Greaves carried forward. Greaves then, outside of the area, tried to cross to Taylor from an angle, but the shot was too strong, and instead, the ball went straight to the top corner of Hans Tilkowski's net, putting England in the final.
Meanwhile, at Liverpool, Portugal and Burgundy faced, both teams standing to reach the final for the first time.Eusébio's performance against Korea persuaded Vanden Stock to put a man on him, and chose Verheyen for the task. It worked well enough, with Eusébio being basically nulled through most of the match, and the first half went by without any goals from either side, and Burgundy creating the most dangerous chances, but in the second half, the rest of the Portuguese team stepped up to the task. At the 53rd minute, José Augusto, after trading passes with Coluna, crossed to Torres, who passed inside to António Simões, who shot from 10 meters to open the score. Ten minutes later, José Augusto once again tried to cross to Torres, who this time, hit the crossbar. Schrijvers caught the rebound and tried to kick it away from the area, but he instead shot it directly into the path of Coluna, who shot from outside the area to double the Portuguese lead. At the 82nd minute, Simões crossed from the left - Graafland punched out the ball weakly, and it went into the path of Jaime Graça, who passed it to Eusébio, who, espacing from his marker, shot from the edge of the area and put Portugal up by 3x0. Burgundy would score in the next minute, on a penalty kick by Van Himst, but it was too late by then.
Germany and Burgundy played for the third place three days later, at Wembley, both teams having at best only having gone to fourth place in previous tournaments and looking to top their record. Germany prevailed in the first twenty minutes, neutralizing most Burgundian attacks and opening a 2x0 advantage in the meantime. First, Seeler opened the score at the 7th minute with a strong shot from outside the area, and nine minutes later, after receiving a pass from Weber, Nöldner gave a short cross to Emmerich, who scored the second on a diving header. However, Burgundy got back in the match soon enough, with Keizer forcing a save from Tilkowski five minutes later, and the minute after that, Puis, running in from the left, received a through-ball from Semmeling and passed it for Sjaak Swart to score. Seventeen minutes later, Germany scored the third, with Beckenbauer, who received a pass from Brülls, shrugged off a challenge from Hanon and shot from the penalty spot. The match remained busy into the early second half, and Burgundy scored the second within three minutes, when Van Himst headed in a cross from Swart. Two minutes later, Beckenbauer scored again, on another of his runs into the area, this time from the edge of the area. The two teams would still have some chances after this, but the scoreline would remain 4x2.
The next day, England and Portugal faced in the final. Partly due to being intimidated by the sanctions of the disciplinary committee and partly due to their two harshest players, Vicente and Morais, being injured, the Portuguese were almost preposterously genteel. No-one to mark Bobby Charlton, no fouls in the first twenty minutes, and England opened the score within 30 minutes. England’s opening goal stemmed from a long pass by Wilson into the path of Hunt (now improvised in the left wing), who cleverly touched the ball one side of José Carlos and ran round the other. Pereira rushed out, made a sliding tackle instead of diving at Hunt’s feet, and the ball reached Bobby Charlton, who sidefooted it back between goalkeeper and defender into the net. The other full-back and front runner laid the groundwork for his second goal, Greaves chasing Cohen’s long ball to the right-hand goal line. José Carlos should have won the ball but lost it, and Greaves rolled it back for Charlton to smash in one of the famous England goals. He hit the ball quite low but so hard it appeared to hit a pocket of air and rise sharply.
But still, Portugal did't give up, Simões, running on the right, hit a high ball to the far post, Banks came out and missed it, Torres headed in, Jack Charlton handled. Eusébio thumped his penalty in the usual place, which annoyed Banks, who’d intended to dive that way but thought that he might switch directions that time. Then, almost apologizing for the daring, Portugal went out to the attack and had two good chances to equalize - first, Torres beat Charlton in the air again and knocked the ball down for Simões to nudge it wide as Banks rushed out. In the last minute, Banks would pull an excellent save when Coluna sidestepped a tackle and put everything into a shot just under the bar. England had won its first title and Portugal lost a once-in-a-lifetime chance of winning the Cup.
143 goals were scored in 46 matches, for a average of 3,10 goals a match. The top goalscorer was Eusébio, with 11 goals, followed by Jimmy Greaves, with 7, and Franz Beckenbauer, with 6.
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Congratulations to @carlosperezesp and @ArupinumMaivista for getting the finalists right again.
Stay tuned for the next part, which will show the 1968 European Championship!
Chapter LII
Chapter LII - The 1968 European Championship
For 1968, the qualifier format for the European championship had changed - the additions of Malta, Pskov, Cyprus and Candia had increased the amount of competing teams to 45, and thus, now, there would be 10 groups of 4 teams, the winner qualifying directly along with thebest two second-placers and the other eight second-placers playing for the remaining four berths. Before that phase, there would also be a preliminary with 10 teams.
The preliminaries didn't hold many surprises other than Livonia being eliminated by White Ruthenia. The greatest surprise of them all came in Group 8, where Russia, the reigning champion, was eliminated by Bulgaria and Pomerania. Despite winning all three matches at home, they earned only one point away, somehow lost to Cyprus at Nicosia and missed out on second place by only two goals' difference. Morea also managed to qualify for the playoffs, eliminating Denmark and Navarra, the latter coming up with a decent generation of its own, in its group, while Croatia was eliminated by Provence and Ireland and missed out for the first time since 1948.
In the playoffs, Morea qualified after beating Aragon twice, while Venice had its revenge on Ruthenia after the latter had eliminated them in 1964. Meanwhile, Pomerania and Serbia won their home matches by the same goal difference, and after the extra match ended up tied too, the berth had to be decided through drawing of lots, and Pomerania advanced. Meanwhile, Sweden, that had gone to the playoffs as the worst second-placed team (although they had fallen in a group in which Germany won all its matches), beat Portugal at Oeiras and held on to the tie at Solna to qualify for the first time since 1956. Venice was chosen to host the tournament.
In Group 1, Venice opened the tournament beating Bohemia by 1x0. The next day, Provence beat Pomerania at Treviso. For the second round, Bohemia kept its chances alive by beating Pomerania by 2x1, but Venice complicated its situation by losing to Provence by 2x0. All this put Venice on the situation of not only having to hope Provence lost to Bohemia in the last round, but also having to win big to overcome their goal differences. The matches were one day apart from the other, and after Bohemia took a advantage of an uncharacteristically poor showing of the Provençal defense to win by 3x0, Venice knew they needed to win by at least three goals' difference, and went beyond that, winning by 6x1 and qualifying in first place.
In Group 2, Germany beat Bulgaria by 3x2 in the first round, while Hungary beat Ireland by 1x0 in the same day. in the second round, Hungary lost to Germany by 2x1, while Ireland tied against Bulgaria by 1x1, a result that all but eliminated Ireland, unless they beat Germany while Bulgaria tied against Hungary, the last part being the most important. Bulgaria proceeded to lose by 4x1, but even eliminated, the Irish still put up a good fight against the Germans, who struggled to come out with a tie.
Meanwhile, in Group 3, Scotland debuted with a goalless draw against Burgundy, while England beat Poland by 3x0. In the second round, Scotland and England tied by 1x1, while Burgundy racked up another goalless draw against Poland. Only in the third round Burgundy finally scored, but only came out with a tie against England. There was stll some hope of qualification, provided that Scotland lost to Poland by a low enough score, and in the first half, it seemed as if that could come to pass, as Poland went into half-time leading by 1x0, but a hat-trick by Alan Gilzean in the second half sent Scotland through.
In Group 4, The two first round matches both ended in ties, with Morea snatching a tie against Castille in the final minutes and Sweden tying against Italy by 2x2. In the second round, Sweden beat Castille by 3x2, while Italy beat Morea by 4x0. In the last round, while Italy beat Castille by 3x1 at Spalato, another upset was taking place at Scutari, where after starting out behind in the score, Morea scored four goals in less than half an hour, and for three minutes, it was advancing to the quarterfinals. However, Leif Eriksson managed to score the second Swedish goal, and after that, the Swedish defense got itself together and held on until the end, clinching their qualification.
In the first match of the quarterfinals, Venice faced Hungary at its home stadium in Mestre[1]. Károly Jokl opened the score for Hungary four minutes in, but Lucio Mujesan tied for Venice almost immediately after. Venice then opened a two-goal lead over the next half-hour, with Scoblar scoring twice, but Hungary was quick to react, pulling one back with Albert only five minutes after Scoblar's second goal. Hungary improved in the second half, and two goals from Albert and Farkas sent Hungary through to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Germany and Bohemia faced at Trieste. Germany established a two-goal lead within less than one hour, but it took only one minute for that lead to disappear, and the match went to extra time. Overath put Germany in the lead again after only two minutes, but with only nine minutes to go, Held tied for Bohemia again, and the match remained at 3x3. As a result, for the first time, the berth had to be decided through a coin toss, which favored Germany.
The next day, England faced Sweden at Udine, and had little trouble with their opposition, leading by 2x0 at half-time and having enough time to score another. There was a worrying climax to the game when Swedish goalkeeper Sven Gunnar Larsson was carried off with a fractured skull after he had bravely dived at the feet of Alan Mullery, and Thomas Nordahl (son of Gunnar Nordahl) had to be improvised on the goal. Somehow, Sweden performed better despite the numerical disadvantage and scored their only goal in these final minutes, with Inge Ejderstedt.
Meanwhile, Italy faced Scotland at Spalato, and in a match where the defenses prevailed, managed to advance only through a penalty kick by Rivera at the 78th minute.
In the semifinals, Hungary beat England by 1x0 also with a goal in the final minutes, by Ferenc Bene, who had returned to the team after missing the first matches due to injury. Meanwhile, at Spalato, once again Germany began the match with the lead, with Gerd Müller opening the score midway through the first half, but Italy scored three times in the second half, with two goals from Riva (who had entered the team in the place of Rivera, injured in the previous match), and went to the final again.
The third-place playoff, which was also the only match played at Venice, also went by mostly without goals, with the only one coming eight minutes from the end, when Brian Labone deflected a Beckenbauer shot wide of Gordon Banks.
The final was played at a crowded Stadio Marsiale at Mestre. Italy began the match in the offensive, and scored twice within 31 minutes - First, at the 12th minute, Corso took possession of a loose ball in the 12th minute and struck a low shot with his left foot which Szentmihályi pushed round the Hungarian goalpost. Then, Domenghini passed to Mazzola who kicked the ball to Riva. He flicked the ball up and volleyed it into the corner of the Hungarian goal to double his side's lead. However, Hungary began reacting soon after that and scored within eight minutes - Albert made a run down the right wing and crossed for Bene whose control was initially poor but was still able to get a shot away into the Italy net. Five minutes after half-time, Bene struck a shot that went in at Zoff's near post, equalizing for Hungary.
While the Hungarian attack was certainly working, their defense was not up to the same standard, and they came close to conceding the lead a few times before Mazzola headed Corso's corner down but the ball hit the post before Riva managed to push it through, at the 71st minute. Three minutes later, Hungary equalized again, when Zoff pushed out a low cross from Kuna and the ball fell to Farkas, who shot into the empty net. With ten minutes of the match remaining, Corso was fouled on the edge of the Hungarian penalty area by Ihász. Domenghini's subsequent right-footed free kick went through the wall and past Szentmihályi who did not move, and secured the title for Italy.
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[1] - There is a stadium located in Venice proper, but being located in a relatively small island, it only fits 26,000 people and has little room to expand, so eventually, the national team began hosting its matches at Mestre, that had a stadium with about the same capacity but with space to expand. Then, the Venetian Cup matches began being hosted there too. By 1968, it had grown to 50,000.
Stay tuned for the next part, which will show the prelude to the 1970 FIFA World Cup!
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