| England V Hungary (1953) |
Article Index for England |
Website Links For England |
Information AboutEngland V Hungary (1953) |
|
England v Hungary ( 1953 ) refers to a seminal and historic Football match that broke England's 90-year unbeaten streak on home soil that had stood since the expansion of the game to include sides from outside the British Isles . It was an anxiously anticipated matchup for the current world's number 1 team in Hungary pitted against the inventors of the game in England, the world's number 3 team. During the buildup, the British press dubbed it "The Game of the Century" and it was regarded as the sternest test for the " Magnificent Magyars " of Hungary who were Olympic champions and who were coming in with an impressive train of 24 unbeaten games. The result precipitated a spirit of self-inquiry, by England, into the antiquated style of tactical play that seemed unequal to the style of football being developed on the continent. The game took place on November 25 , 1953 in English football's hallowed cathedral, old Wembley Stadium , and included many famous names that are now well-known in football lore. For England, there were players such as Billy Wright and Stanley Matthews , while Hungary, undefeated in almost three and a half years - fielded a talented lineup led by captain Ferenc Puskás , Sándor Kocsis , and Nándor Hidegkuti . The referee was the Dutchman Leo Horn . FIRST HALF The Hungarians took the lead within 60 seconds as Hidegkuti scored, but England soon equalised through Sheffield Wednesday's Jackie Sewell , who had been set up by a well-timed pass from Stan Mortensen . The Hungarians, however, were not to be outdone and three more goals followed from a team copying the 'English style' of play with great success. Hidegkuti struck the first of these following an unsuccessful attempt from England to clear the ball. Ferenc Puskás added another to make it 3-1 and then he diverted a József Bozsik free-kick into the net to make it 4-1 to Hungary. Shortly before half-time, Stan Mortensen scored a goal for England, giving them hope as the whistle blew. SECOND HALF Ten minutes after the restart, Bozsik scored and then Hidegkuti completed his Hat-trick to make the score 6-2 to Hungary. Alf Ramsey later managed to score a penalty for England, but the game ended 6-3 to Hungary and a famous victory had been won by one of the greatest football teams that century, and the center of world football had shifted eastward across the channel. Six months later, on May 23, 1954, the Golden Team of Hungary gave a masterclass in the sport's new offensive nature in Budapest against the same outpaced English side with an 7-1 win that heralded a new world order in football. It still ranks as England's worst defeat. DISCUSSION According to some sources, England were unprepared for the Hungarian 4-2-4 formation. With Hidegkuti playing in midfield but wearing the no. 9 shirt, Harry Johnston, the England center half, marked him, but ended up getting pulled out of position when Hidegkuti drifted around the pitch. England were also undone by the use of Kocsis and Puskás as the main strikers. As these two were wearing nos. 8 and 10 respectively, England thought they were inside forwards. This led to uncertainty about who should mark them. To further confuse the English players, the Hungarian forward players were continually swapping positions, confusing their inflexible defence. Statistics tell the story of the game: Hungary had 35 shots compared to England's 5. The English fans lived up to their then reputation as good sports and stood and clapped as the Hungarians left the field. When a reunion was held in the early 1970s , Sir Alf Ramsey greeted one of his team-mates on that day by saying, "Er, hello...it is Bill, isn't it?' This prompted Puskás to remark, "It was like that when they played us - the team hardly seemed to know each other's names!" Of England's 11 players that day, only Merrick, Sewell and Robb are still living. Hungary's team that day also has only 3 survivors: Grosics, Buzánszky and Puskás. TEAMS Hungary:
England:
FOOTNOTE # England's first ''ever'' home defeat was by 3–1 to Scotland at Kennington Oval in 1877 . Their first defeat to a team outside the four Home Nations was by 2–0 to the Republic Of Ireland at Goodison Park in 1949 . |
|
|