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World Cup : 1954
posted Jun-02 | 391 hits
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Background
The fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup was widely expected to be a cakewalk for the great Hungarian side known as the Mighty Magyars, but things didn’t quite work out that way but it was an entertaining tournament and one that returned an average of 5.38 goals per game, the highest ever.
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The Tournament
Group Stages
Four groups of four teams took part, with each side only playing two matches in the pool stages, yet many of the familiar faces, including England, Brazil and Uruguay, managed to negotiate their way through.
No team had enjoyed the success of the feared Hungarians in their opening two games. South Korea were smacked 9-0 in the opening game, before the Germans were trounced 8-3. It was in the second encounter that one of the competition’s defining moments took place. Ferenc Puskas was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge to his famous left foot and would be forced to sit out two of the Golden Team’s subsequent matches.
There were nervy times for the Germans, however, as they required a playoff to see off Turkey, though they completed the task in emphatic style, winning 7-2. The hosts also progressed after an additional match, eliminating Italy after both sides had registered one win and one defeat in Group 4.
Quarter-Finals
The quarter-finals saw the hosts eliminated after an incredible 7-5 encounter against near-neighbours Austria, who would be the underdogs in the last four.
Uruguay, who were unbeaten in World Cup competition to this point, were able to keep a nose ahead of England throughout their encounter, ultimately winning 4-2 in Basel.
Hungary battled their way through after an ill-tempered affair with a physical Brazil side, while West Germany were busy making progress in a comparatively serene encounter with Yugoslavia.
Semi-Finals
When the Magyars met Uruguay in the semi-finals, it really was a clash of the titans, but it would ultimately be Hungary who would progress after extra-time, largely thanks to a couple of headed goals from Sandor Kosics.
Concurrently in Basel, Germany were making easy progress to the final, moving past Austria by an emphatic 6-1 margin.
Final
A memorable final was claimed by West Germany, who shocked the world by defeating the Golden Team 3-2 in a match now remembered as ‘the Miracle of Berne’. Hungary had burst into a two goal lead in the opening nine minutes, but by the midway point of the first half the match was all square. Germany won the crown with a late goal.
Heroes And Villains
A large portion of the Hungarian side are remembered as greats, with Sandor Kocsis, who scored a tournament high 11 goals, and goalkeeper Gyula Grosics are amongst the names still revered today.
Though Helmut Rahn achieved cult status with his decisive goal in the final, captain and playmaker Fritz Walter is remembered as one of Germany’s most important sporting figures and the man most decisive in their cherished victory. For the hosts, Erich Probst excelled in a goal-getting capacity.
Arguably the decisive player of the tournament was West Germany’s Werner Liebrich, who was a rock throughout, but who inflicted the damaging injury to Ferenc Puskas that so destroyed what should have been the all-time great’s career defining tournament.
The Games To Remember
The quarter-final between Hungary and Brazil was dubbed ‘the Battle of Berne’ and has gone down in footballing infamy as one of the most unsporting games in the sport’s history. Three players were dismissed due to the violent nature of the contest, which broke out into little more than a boxing match at times.
Hungary progressed to the semi-finals against Uruguay protecting an unbeaten record stretching back six years, while their opponents had never lost a game at the World Cup to that point. A terrific match ensued, with the Europeans taking a 2-0 lead before a brace from Juan Hohberg in the final 15 minutes took the game to extra-time. In those additional periods, Kosics, proved to be the match-winner for the Hungarians, displaying all of his aerial prowess in striking twice.
What followed is now known as ‘the Miracle of Berne’. A repeat of Hungary’s group stage mauling inflicted upon the Germans seemed on the cards when Puskas, suspect left ankle and all, drilled a low shot into the net after just six minutes. This goal was quickly complimented by an effort from Czibor. But this was to prove to be a very different game from the simple victory previously recorded.
Germany coach Sepp Herberger had played what was effectively a fringe squad in that group stage match. Now when it mattered, Hungary were faced with very different opponents, with no fewer than five changes made to their opponents’ side.
Max Morlock started the comeback, and his goal was quickly followed by a strike from Helmut Rahn, getting the Germans level by midway through the first half. There would be no more scoring until six minutes before the end, when Rahn’s scored a goal unthinkable at the time. Puskas thought he had levelled late on, but his effort was controversially rule out for offside.
Top Scorers
11 - Sandor Kocsis
6 - Erich Probst
6 - Max Morlock
6 - Josef Huegi
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