by Nick Holt
South Korea and Morocco, the Asian and African winners, fell to Spain and Yugoslavia – seriously, what chance did they have? Morocco acquitted themselves really well against a Spain side that included the great Di Stéfano – the closest he ever got to a World Cup Finals.
European qualification was at least a little more demanding, except for Spain and Yugoslavia, who had to win only one two-leg tie to reach their play-off and an almost certain qualifying spot. Wales and Poland were the sides they beat.
The 1958 finalists didn’t make it. Sweden were always facing problems once their ageing stars from 1958 retired, but they were still in the box seat before the last game, needing only a draw against an ordinary Switzerland side. They thought they had it with an equaliser with ten minutes left but a late Swiss goal forced a replay, which Switzerland won 2–1 after trailing at half-time. France, the losing semi-finalists from 1958, also fell by the wayside, surprisingly losing a play-off to Bulgaria, who reached the Finals for the first time. Had either of these groups been decided on goal difference, Sweden and France would have advanced.
The other play-off involved Scotland, who finished level on points with Czechoslovakia despite a 4–0 hammering in Prague. Two Denis Law goals won them the return match 3–2 and the replay was equally close, going to extra-time before the Czechs wore down the Scots to win 4–2. Scotland had some quality (Law, Ian St John, Paddy Crerand, Jim Baxter) but also some gaps, and the better side qualified.
West Germany, Holland, England, Italy and the Soviet Union all qualified easily; England, the Soviets and West Germany looked the strongest European contenders, although Italy had bolstered their team with more oriundi, including the clever Argentinian Omar Sivori. Spain did much the same, naming Di Stéfano (now thirty-five) and Puskás (a year older) in their squad. Di Stéfano never got on the pitch – it was all a bit of a mystery and it was later reported he was injured – so why take a half-fit thirty-five-year-old to sit on the bench?
Finals
The clear favourites were Brazil; if they had won in 1958 in Europe, who could stop them in South America? This was a new Brazil, with a new capital (Brasilia was officially opened the day after the 1958 World Cup Final) and a new government headed by the left-wing former Minister of Labour Goulart. But it was virtually the same team – Brazil had much the same squad as in 1958, although one or two had been in and out of the team in the meantime. Most of them were now past thirty, Pelé being an obvious exception, but in terms of ability they were streets ahead of the competition.
There was a minor change in format – no play-offs, but goal average was to separate teams who finished level on points. Goal average was the precursor of goal difference and was the ratio of goals scored to goals conceded. So twelve scored and eight conceded gave a goal average of 1.5 whereas twenty scored and fifteen conceded gave a goal average of only 1.33. Under the later system, goal difference, 20–15 would have topped 12–8 – it was introduced to encourage teams to attack and score more.
GROUP 1
The top group featured the strongest two East European sides, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, and probably the two weakest South American sides, Uruguay, in a bit of a trough and lacking real quality, and Colombia.
Two years previously the USSR and Yugoslavia had met in the first European Nations’ Cup Final. This new competition was ignored by England and the other home nations (how typical), and also by Italy and West Germany. The USSR won the final, but it took a winner in extra-time after Yugoslavia scored first, all of which suggests there was little between the teams.
The gulf seemed wider here. An early flurry from Yugoslavia saw the gifted but infuriating Sekularac bring a superb save out of Yashin, but once the Soviets scored early in the second half the Yugoslavs lost their composure. Jerkovic should have been sent off for manhandling the referee, and Mujic broke Dubinsky’s leg with a shocker that should have also seen red. The tone was set for the tournament; bad tackling, lack of discipline, poor refereeing.
The first goal came from a free-kick won by Ponedelnik; he took it himself and crashed a thunderbolt against the bar from nearly thirty yards. Valentin Ivanov beat everyone to the rebound and nodded the ball over the line. Ponedelnik scored the late second himself, playing a fine one-two with Voronin and beating Soskic with an angled shot.
Contemporary commentary refers casually to the Soviet side as Russians – the two were commonly presumed to be the same thing, Russia being the dominant state in the union. Their team for this first match included only seven actual Russians; Viktor Kanevsky was from Lyiv in the Ukraine, Metreveli and Meskhi were Georgian and left-back Ostrovsky was a Latvian Jew, the first Latvian to represent the Soviet Union. They were a physically strong team and not without skill. The captain, Igor Netto, was a quality midfield general; he had played only one match in the previous World Cup, when only half-fit, and was anxious to make amends here. Metreveli was a tricky customer and Ponedelnik was an unstoppable bruiser of a centre-forward, always pointing straight at goal and hard to knock off the ball. Had Eduard Streltsov (see Best Players Never to Play in the World Cup) been available, this Soviet squad would have been a genuine threat to Brazil.
Yugoslavia seemed always to offer the same mix of talent and self-destruction, and in this tournament the uneasy mix of Serbs, Croatians and Bosnians fell short in familiar manner. They were a young squad – only two players over thirty – and suffered from the lack of a genuine leader. Dragoslav Sekularac was one of the great under-achievers, hugely talented but a fair weather player and petulant to a fault – he served an eighteen-month ban after striking a referee later that year.
Uruguay, who won their first match against Colombia (another rough affair), started well against Yugoslavia, and Sasía had already missed one glorious chance before Cabrera headed them into the lead. Yugoslavia responded better than against the Soviets, and Sekularac and Galic began to dictate the game. Skoblar converted a penalty after a blatant foul on Jerkovic, whose snap volley caught out Sosa two minutes later – the Uruguayan ’keeper managed only a feeble half-save and Galic poked home the loose ball. A third goal – a brave header from the rangy Jerkovic after Galic ran his man ragged on the right – settled it, but Uruguay kept pressing and hit the post. Sasía was a bit over-eager; the Uruguayan striker’s late challenge on Soskic provoked a fracas in the Yugoslav penalty area that saw Cabrera and Popovic (one from each side) dismissed. Galba, the Czech referee, did well to restore order, so, of course, FIFA didn’t use him again.
Colombia picked up their only point against the USSR. It was a bizarre game. With an hour gone the Soviets were coasting, 4–1 ahead after an opening blitz that saw Ivanov (twice) and Chislenko give them a 3–0 lead inside fifteen minutes. The Colombian goalkeeper Sánchez did not cover himself in glory. Over-confident, the USSR sat back, and Colombia, skilful and willing if not especially quick, hit back. Coll hit a woeful corner to the near post, but the Soviet right-back wandered off the post and the ball bobbled and rolled almost apologetically over the line. Flustered, the Soviet defence failed to clear a cross three minutes later and Rada put it away after a few seconds of penalty-area pinball. Another five minutes and Yashin, of all people, failed to get down properly to a through ball and Klinger broke his challenge and scored the equaliser. Twenty mad minutes and the USSR went from cruise control to damage limitation, holding on for a draw.
Colombia’s quality was put in perspective by Yugoslavia, who ran in five without reply, two each for Galic and Jerkovic, who was looking one of the tournament’s top strikers. The USSR needed to beat Uruguay to top the group, and they did, just, with a late goal from Valentin Ivanov.
GROUP 2
* These are official figures and are manufactured. Reports suggest only the Chile matches saw the stadium full; the other games attracted less than half the figures suggested here – Italy against Switzerland probably no more than 15,000.
The Germans were a strong and physical side, with Karl-Heinz Schnellinger added to
an already muscular defence. Their 0–0 draw with Italy in the opening game set the tone for their campaign; two weak defences stifling two attacks short on creativity. The second game was equally poor, West Germany making heavy weather of seeing off a Switzerland side reduced to ten men for the second half. A win against Chile meant the Germans would win the group, and it came courtesy of a referee (Bobby Davidson of Scotland) brave enough to give a penalty against the hosts – it was a clear barge, Davidson was absolutely correct – and a diving header from Seeler. Germany’s tactics were of note – Herberger played a cannily defensive game, using the pace and power and fitness traditionally associated with German sides to contain and counter.
With all three sides beating Switzerland, the second spot in the group would go to the winners of Chile v Italy, in the second pair of matches. The game was introduced on the BBC’s highlights programme by David Coleman as “The most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game.” It was a typically pompous British response, especially when a dreadful refereeing performance by Ken Aston was a factor in the mayhem, but it may be accurate.
The run-up to the game was a controversy in itself. Two Italian journalists had run a couple of lifestyle pieces suggesting Santiago was little more than a crime-and-prostitution-infested slum. The two culprits promptly scarpered and left the team to try to repair the diplomatic damage. They failed, approaching this game as if the only response to assumed hostility from the opposition was to get one’s retaliation in first. Both sides were at it; spitting, shirt-pulling, sly little digs off the ball. Ken Aston – by all accounts a decent ref at home, and the man who would oversee the introduction of yellow and red cards – just couldn’t get a handle on it. In England, sir, one simply kicks one’s opponent in a decent and honourable manner, sir! Aston had stood by in Chile’s first match against Switzerland and let them get away with some intimidatory tackling and a lot of complaining – presumably they liked what they saw because he was drafted in here as a late change to the schedule with no explanation offered. He sent off Ferrini for retaliation after seven minutes, despite ignoring worse offences in the opening exchanges, and then stood helpless as the police had to clear the pitch when Ferrini refused to go and half the Italian retinue crowded onto the playing area. A running feud between David and Leonel Sánchez ended with David following his compatriot down the tunnel – apparently a left hook by Sánchez in front of the referee didn’t merit the same treatment. At least two other Chilean players threw punches without punishment. The Italians were far from guiltless in the affair, but it’s no wonder they accused Aston of being dodgy, he was anything but even-handed – although the explanation probably lies in lack of competence. It was Aston’s last World Cup match in charge.
Oh, and Chile scored two late goals to win the game and go through.
GROUP 3
The favourites found themselves in a cosy group. Brazil opened up against Mexico but found opening up Mexico tougher than expected. Two bursts from Pelé settled the game. First he attacked down the inside-right channel, lost the ball, got it back from Didi and dinked a nice cross for Zagallo to dive in and head past Carbajal. The Mexican goalkeeper was making a bit of history – he was the first player to appear in four World Cup Finals – and he wasn’t done yet.
Czechoslovakia made a good start against Spain, winning with a late goal from Stibrányi. They were a good technical side with a good defence who knew their limitations. Less reliant on the Prague teams than of old, they included a number of Slovaks in the squad, including Popluhár, a solid centre-half, Scherer, the centre-forward, and Jozef Adamec, a free-scoring inside-forward. Adamec was one of a number of players with the army team Dukla Prague but he returned to Slovakia at the end of his national service. Most of the play came through the left-half Josef Masopust, a ball-carrier with good positional sense and defensive nous.
The Czech defence neutered Brazil in the next game, but in the main it was because Pelé suffered a groin strain in the first half and spent the rest of the game a passenger. The Czechs were courteous opponents and never went in to hurt the young genius, and the match petered out in a rather gentlemanly stalemate very much out of kilter with this tournament.
Mexico played well against Spain but again failed to score and lost by the odd goal, scored agonisingly late. The veteran Puskás wasn’t making the impact Spain had hoped and the former Uruguay international José Santamaría, another of the Real Madrid oriundi, looked well past his best. Spain’s best player was the left-winger Francisco Gento, another Madrid star. His shot was only half stopped by the excellent Carbajal and Peiró put in the rebound.
Gento made inroads against Brazil as well; he was extra quick and had the beating of Djalma Santos, who was no spring chicken. Shortly after Adelardo gave Spain the lead with a good early strike from a through ball, Gento outpaced the Brazilian defence and sent over a hanging cross that was volleyed narrowly over by the Atlético Madrid youngster. Brazil seemed unsure of themselves without the injured Pelé. Garrincha was in his shell and Vavá seemed to have lost some of the oomph he had in 1958. In the second half Spain had claims for a penalty when Enrique Collar was sent tumbling on the edge of the penalty area, and a smart overhead kick from Peiró was ruled out for no apparent reason by the Chilean referee.
Brazil needed something or they were going out, assuming Czechoslovakia beat Mexico. Something came from Amarildo, Pelé’s replacement; first he converted a low cross from the left by his Botafogo team-mate Zagallo, nipping between two static defenders. Then Garrincha rediscovered his mojo, sprinted down the right and sent over a hanging cross, which was met by Amarildo at the far post for the winning header.
The following day Czechoslovakia blew their chance to top the group and suffered a surprise defeat to Mexico, despite taking the lead after only fifteen seconds – the fastest goal in the Finals until 2002. Their response was terrific, the lively forward line repeatedly picking their way through a defence that looked far less secure than against Brazil. The win, Mexico’s first in their fifth appearance in the Finals, was a splendid birthday treat for captain Carbajal.
GROUP 4
England’s group produced little football worth watching, and the little that emerged was played by the Hungarians. Argentina, under Juan Carlos Lorenzo, were ugly and defensive, England lacked creativity and Bulgaria just weren’t very good.
England were completely outplayed in their first game – in fairness Hungary looked a tasty side, their centre-forward Flórián Albert was the best striker in the tournament. Alongside him the giant Tichy caused problems with his power and shooting, while England struggled to make anything happen in the final third, with Haynes suppressed by the close marking of Rákosi. The England backs’ tendency to go to ground when tackling left them very exposed on a wet surface, and Hungary exploited it. Tichy was allowed to run with the ball from the centre circle, shaped to shoot with his right to wrong-foot Bobby Moore, then switched to his left to unleash an unstoppable drive. England’s equaliser came from a corner, when Sárosi saved Greaves’ shot on the line – all very well except Sárosi wasn’t the goalkeeper, he (Grosics) was on the ground after a borderline legal challenge from Hitchens. England looked more solid at the back in the second half until Flowers slipped in the mud and Albert sprinted past him, went round Springett and squeezed the ball in at the near post past the covering full-back.
Hungary (and Albert) were even more impressive in their second game, annihilating Bulgaria. The Ferencváros centre-forward was already one of the most talked-about players in the tournament, especially now Pelé was out through injury. Albert scored twice inside six minutes (Hungary were four-up after twelve) and completed a hat-trick in the second half; none were outstanding goals but all were taken with efficiency and coolness. With the impressive Tichy alongside and a competent defence, Hungary looked the most likely threat to Brazilian pre-eminence. The margin of victory did not flatter Hungary, who were be
tter than Bulgaria in every area of the pitch.
The previous day in the Rancagua Stadium, England had partially redeemed themselves after their poor showing against Hungary by beating Argentina. It was another rough game, but England refused to be intimidated and managed to play some decent football in between the kicking. Bobby Charlton had a good game, playing as a conventional outside-left, and the gamble on picking debutant Alan Peacock of Middlesbrough up front paid off as he proved more effective than Hitchens in the first game. For the second game running England were awarded a penalty after a man handled on the line – an automatic red card for this came much later. Ron Flowers was a penalty taker of some repute and scored both.
I shall draw a polite veil over the final two games in the group. Both finished 0–0; both were unwatchable.
QUARTER-FINALS (all 10 June)
For the third time West Germany would play Yugoslavia in the quarter-final, confident of victory having seen off the same opponents at the same stage in the previous two tournaments. It was a cagey game, West Germany negative again and Yugoslavia nervous of their unsuccessful history against these opponents. Szymaniak, the German enforcer (not that the others were anything other than rugged in the tackle), controlled Sekularac, and the German attackers created little other than the occasional run from Seeler. The No.9 hit the post, but clear chances were rare. The winner came late, when the Yugoslavia captain Galik, who was having an outstanding tournament, got behind the German defence and cut the ball back for Radakovic to hit home. Third time lucky for Yugoslavia and a disappointing German campaign was over; like England they paid for a lack of creative spark. It was Sepp Herberger’s last World Cup match in charge of the national team he served so admirably. His successor was Helmut Schön, born in Dresden but now living in the West. In 1953 West Germany played the region of Saarland in a World Cup qualifier; in 1956 the former German territory rejoined West Germany and Schön joined Herberger’s staff. He now faced the task of replacing and matching his mentor.