by Nick Holt
Fontaine was still firing in France’s second game, converting a left-wing cross while the Yugoslav defence stood and watched. He added a late second, outpacing the defence in what was becoming a familiar style. Unfortunately for France, there was some defending to do in between and they were characteristically negligent in that regard. Petakovic diverted Milutinovic’s shot during a goalmouth melee and Veselinovic scored twice from crosses that bypassed a clutch of Frenchmen on their way to him.
Scotland played better in their last match (Mackay was picked; horse, stable door . . .) but full-back John Hewie missed a penalty just after Kopa opened the scoring, and they couldn’t cope with Fontaine’s greyhound speed. He added the second just before halftime and Baird’s second-half goal was merely consolation for an improved performance. The win meant France topped the group, as Paraguay confirmed three was their favourite number against Yugoslavia. Had Yugoslavia not also scored three, Paraguay would have qualified. They provided huge entertainment – and some huge bruises – on their debut, but their defending just wasn’t up to scratch.
Scotland Squad 1958:
GK: Tommy Younger (Liverpool, 28 years old, 22 caps), Bill Brown (Dundee, 26, 0)
DEF: Eric Caldow (Glasgow Rangers, 24, 10), Doug Cowie (Dundee, 32, 18), Tommy Docherty (Preston North End, 29, 22), Bobby Evans (Glasgow Celtic, 30, 34), John Hewie (Charlton Athletic, 30, 12), Harry Haddock (Clyde, 32, 6), Ian McColl (Rangers, 31, 14), Alex Parker (Everton, 22, 14)
MID & WIDE: Sammy Baird (Rangers, 28, 6), Bobby Collins (Celtic, 27, 19), Dave Mackay (Heart of Midlothian, 23, 1), Archie Robertson (Clyde, 28, 4), Stewart Imlach* (Nottingham Forest, 26, 2), Graham Leggat (Aberdeen, 23, 5), Alex Scott (Rangers, 20, 5)
FWD: John Coyle (Clyde, 25, 0), Willie Fernie (Celtic, 29, 11), Jackie Mudie (Blackpool, 28, 14), Jimmy Murray (Hearts, 25, 3), Eddie Turnbull (Hibernian, 35, 5)
GROUP 3
The hosts were given a gentle opener, perhaps in deference to their years; the team had an average age of thirty, over thirty-one if you take out the stylish winger Hamrin and the new young striker Agne Simonsson. The two biggest names, Nils Liedholm of Milan and Gunnar Gren, now back in Sweden with Örgryte, were thirty-five and thirty-seven respectively. The Swedish FA had finally accepted the need to pick the Italian-based professional stars a couple of years earlier; presumably the thought of embarrassing themselves at their own World Cup served as suitable motivation. So Hamrin, Liedholm, Gustavsson and Skoglund were all available. Mexico had a few moments, but Sweden slowed the game down and took control in the second half. Skoglund and Hamrin tormented the Mexican defence and created all three goals, two of them coolly finished by Simonsson.
Wales had endured a fretful time prior to the tournament. Their best player, John Charles, played for Juventus in Italy, where he was known as Il Gigante Buono (Gentle Giant) for his courteous demeanour and clean playing style. Juve, perhaps in a little fit of pique at Italy’s failure to qualify, sought to deny Charles the right to play in the tournament and the will-he-won’t-he saga went on for a week or two before it was confirmed Charles would definitely play in Sweden. Charles’ brother, Mel, was a decent centre-half, while the other attacking Welsh star was Ivor Allchurch of Swansea – and he also had a brother, Len, in the squad.
John Charles was fantastic in the air, and he scored Wales’ equaliser against Hungary in their first game. Hungary were a fading team, with few of the superstars left from 1954; here they resorted to the sort of spoiling that marred their game against Brazil four years earlier, Sipos clattering Charles on numerous occasions – enough, certainly, to attract censure even from the forgiving referees in the 1950s. One of the stars of old, Bozsik, by now an MP in the Hungarian Parliament, rolled back the years with a super dribble and floated chip for the opening goal.
Wales were disappointing against Mexico; they seemed unsure what tactics to use, whether to use Charles’ aerial dominance or get the wingers behind the defence. They should have learned from Sweden that Mexico were vulnerable down the flanks but Colin Webster and Cliff Jones, the latter about to join Tottenham from Swansea and become part of their famous double-winning team, didn’t see enough of the ball and didn’t go and look for it.
The group was proving a godsend for Sweden, who were able to win their second game without being overtaxed by Hungary. Hungary claimed a shot from Tichy crossed the line after bouncing down off the bar at 1–0 down, but it didn’t, and Grosics was the busier goalkeeper. Hamrin shot home in the first half after two defenders failed to clear, and got a second when Mátrai’s challenge ballooned the ball off his shin and over the stranded Grosics. Tichy (who really wasn’t) hit another blockbuster in the second period and this time it was under the bar. By then Sweden had offered them a reprieve when Liedholm steered a woeful penalty two feet wide of the post.
The Swedes left a few of the old guard out for the game against Wales, and a stalemate ensued, although again the opposition goalkeeper was the busier, Jack Kelsey making a couple of fine saves. Hungary’s comfortable win over Mexico meant they faced Wales again for a place in the quarter-finals, as goal difference meant diddly-squat in this tournament.
Hard to find much sympathy for Hungary, given their tactic in the play-off match seemed to involve kicking John Charles even harder. For almost an hour it seemed it might work as Tichy’s goal separated the sides. When Charles flicked a pass to Ivor Allchurch on the left-hand edge of the penalty area, there seemed little or no danger. Allchurch watched the ball drop and swung, and the perfect volley arced across and past Gyula Grosics. Twenty minutes later Terry Medwin pinched the ball off Sárosi and ran clear to score; in the dying minutes Sipos finally got the sending off various Hungarians had merited over the two matches. Wales were through, courtesy of team spirit, some dogged defending and a good goalkeeper, but Charles would play no further part, victim of three hours of Hungarian spite.
It was a sad end for the Magical Magyars; the revolution and counter-revolution of 1956 had torn the team apart, despite a heart-warming tour organised by the players themselves the same year in defiance of the authorities. Imre Nagy, the free Hungarian leader, was executed during this tournament and black flags and protest banners were seen at their games.
GROUP 4
* Mazzola’s grown-up name was José Altafini, and that was the name he adopted when he moved to Milan from Palmeiras later in the summer. He won just eight caps for Brazil (he was only twenty in July that year) and only six more for Italy, as the rules were tightened during his time in Serie A. He scored over 120 goals for Milan and nearly 100 more in spells with Napoli and Juventus, leaving him on 216, the same as the great Giuseppe Meazza. (The pre-war star Piola, Francesco Totti and Sweden’s Gunnar Nordahl are the three most prolific goalscorers in the Italian top flight.) He named himself after one of the great players lost in the 1949 Torino air crash, Valentino Mazzola.
The bottom group was a tough draw for England. Deprived of three top players, they needed a break with the draw and didn’t get one. Brazil were jam-packed with exciting attackers and the Soviets were a powerful and athletic side. Austria looked like they might offer a crumb of comfort, as they were a shadow of their former selves.
Brazil predictably steamrollered Austria; the nineteen-year-old Mazzola scored twice, the first a fabulous first-time hit from Didi’s pinpoint cross. England and the USSR were engaged in a far less one-sided affair in Gothenburg. England goalkeeper Colin McDonald gifted the Soviets the opener, palming a cross into Simonian’s path and the Soviet skipper returned it with interest. England huffed and puffed but Kessarev and Voinov were getting away with some strong-arm stuff on Tom Finney and England’s options looked limited with the rather static Derek Kevan at centre-forward. When Alekasandr Ivanov broke clear and added a second ten minutes into the second half it looked all over.
Lev Yashin, the legendary Soviet goalkeeper, proved even the greats have off moments when he couldn’t deal with a long free-kick and the ball found the back of the net o
ff Kevan’s head without the West Brom striker knowing too much about it. Another Kevan goal was disallowed for a foul on Yashin by Bobby Robson; plenty of worse challenges went unpunished, so a rather flaky penalty converted by Finney was just about fair. Yashin threw a rather undignified little wobbly after the penalty award – not the great man’s best moment.
The USSR, like Brazil before them, kept a clean sheet against Austria, but only because Hans Buzek missed a penalty at 1–0. Valentin Ivanov’s goal settled the game. There were two Ivanovs involved here. Valentin of Torpedo Moscow arrived with a reputation; he played two World Cups and ended his international scorer as the USSR’s highest scorer to date – only Blokhin and Protasov subsequently passed his tally. He was married to an Olympic gymnast and his son became a referee. Aleksandr Ivanov was no relation; he played for Zenit St Petersburg, which was not then a fashionable club, and had not won a full cap before the World Cup, making his debut against England, aged thirty. This Soviet squad was largely Russian, with a handful of Ukrainians from Dynamo Kyiv, and a Latvian, Leonid Ostrovsky, who didn’t get on the pitch (for now).
Against Brazil, England opted wisely for caution. They sacrificed a half-back to bolster the defence and played Wright almost as a sweeper to counter the runs of Mazzola. It worked, but Mazzola was wasteful, too, hitting a post when he should have scored and shooting when colleagues were better placed. England offered little at the other end. It was the first 0–0 in World Cup Finals history.
England expected to beat Austria and hoped Brazil would do them a favour and beat the Soviets. Brazil did their bit, with help from a couple of team changes. Vicente Feola, the coach, was miffed with Mazzola after his selfish showing against England, and replaced him with seventeen-year-old Edson do Nascimento. He wanted more thrust on the flanks and brought back the maverick Botafogo winger Manuel dos Santos. Some suggest player power was at work, and the senior players demanded the inclusion of the two newcomers, but there is no consistency to these claims, so I shall give the coach the benefit of the doubt. Dos Santos was better known to football followers as Garrincha and the relatively unknown do Nascimento preferred to be called Pelé. Nice reserves, Vicente. Feola kept faith with the battering-ram centre-forward Vavá, brought in against England but well handled by a defence who played against big lads every week. Garrincha had already skinned Kuznetsov and hammered a shot against the post before Vavá scored in the third minute, thumping home a beautifully threaded through ball from Orlando. The second goal came late, with Vavá prodding home after the ball broke to him in the area after a move broke down. The Soviets worked hard, as always, and chased, but much of the time they were chasing a ball that had already moved on.
So England qualified for the second phase . . . no, hang on, they didn’t, because they failed to finish the job and beat Austria. With Finney injured and unlikely to play in the tournament again, the press clamoured for the inclusion of young Bobby Charlton, a survivor of the Munich air crash and the rising star of the Busby Babes, as Matt Busby’s young Manchester United team was dubbed. Instead, the committee had included Alan A’Court of Liverpool, an inferior player in every aspect of the game. He contributed little against Brazil but was picked again to play Austria. England dominated the game, but Austria scored two excellent goals, twice taking the lead. England’s full-backs, Howe and Banks, were steady, and Wright had improved as a player since switching to centre-half and was still in good fettle at thirty-four. The half-backs were a problem, England just couldn’t find the right combination; having picked two defensively minded players in Clamp and Slater to combat Brazil, they stuck with them here and found themselves short of creativity, with Haynes struggling to impose his skills at this level. England equalised in the second half when Szanwald spilled a shot (hit with all the pace of a measured back-pass) at the feet of Haynes, but went behind again soon after when McDonald was unsighted and couldn’t reach Körner’s scuffed shot. Kevan scored the second when found in space by Haynes. It was the big striker’s second goal, but he was easy to mark and Lofthouse, even at thirty-three, would surely have caused more problems for international defences. Walter Winterbottom had a theory that continental defences and goalkeepers were vulnerable to the ball to the back post; it may have been true of some, but Hanappi and co looked comfortable enough here. Lofthouse was a cleverer, more experienced player, or maybe England could have gambled and taken the uncapped Brian Clough – anything to offer an alternative to the one-dimensional football the team offered in Sweden.
After a disappointing performance, England changed things around for the USSR match, but the changes weren’t the ones the pundits wanted. A’Court stayed but Douglas and Bobby Robson (who had done little wrong) made way for Peter Brabrook and Peter Broadbent – surely not a game to be introducing two new caps? Clamp, who had a poor tournament, was replaced by Blackburn’s Ronnie Clayton, an equally defensive player, and he did no better.
In the event the two new caps did well, and Haynes played better. Broadbent was a good player (George Best was a big admirer) and Brabrook, big and strong for a winger, played with youthful freedom. He had England’s best chances, hitting the post twice after forcing his way through, and finding the net with a fine solo effort, only for play to be called back as he had handled the bobbling ball during a long run on goal. Unfortunately, he missed his best chance when Broadbent’s pass found him unmarked six yards out – it was easier to score than do what he did and scoop the ball into Yashin’s hands. The Soviets made chances too, and their own right-winger, Ivanov, caused problems all afternoon. The USSR’s goal was avoidable. They won possession from a rank bad goal-kick and the ball came back with interest, finding Ilyin unmarked amid regrouping defenders, and he shot home via the base of the post. The margin of victory was very fine – a post’s width – but England had underachieved again. Later that year they annihilated the Soviets at Wembley, with Haynes, no longer fettered by the expectation of a World Cup, scoring a brilliant hat-trick and the recalled Lofthouse leading the line. It was Tom Finney’s last game and Lofthouse played only one more – both scored thirty goals for England, the same mark as Alan Shearer.
England Squad 1958:
GK: Colin McDonald (Burnley, 27 years old, 1 cap), Eddie Hopkinson (Bolton Wanderers, 22, 6), Alan Hodgkinson (Sheffield United, 21, 4)
DEF: Tommy Banks (Bolton, 28, 1), Eddie Clamp (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 23, 1), Ronnie Clayton (Blackburn Rovers, 23, 20), Don Howe (West Bromwich Albion, 22, 7), Maurice Norman (Tottenham Hotspur, 24, 0), Peter Sillett (Chelsea, 25, 3), Billy Wright* (Wolves, 34, 92)
MID & WIDE: Peter Broadbent (Wolves, 25, 0), Johnny Haynes (Fulham, 23, 20), Bobby Robson (West Brom, 25, 2), Maurice Setters (West Brom, 21, 0), Bill Slater (Wolves, 31, 6), Alan A’Court (Liverpool, 23, 1), Peter Brabrook (Chelsea, 20, 0), Bryan Douglas (Blackburn, 24, 7), Tom Finney (Preston North End, 36, 73)
FWD: Bobby Charlton (Manchester United, 20, 3), Derek Kevan (West Brom, 23, 7), Bobby Smith (Tottenham, 25, 0)
QUARTER-FINALS (all 19 June)
Three sides in the quarter-finals had sandwiched an extra play-off game in between the groups and the knockout rounds, which meant they were playing for the third time in four days. It showed – they all lost.
Wales struggled manfully against Brazil without their best player, and Arsenal ’keeper Kelsey had another blinder. Suggestions that Brazil were lucky are ill-judged. They made all the play and had a goal disallowed – a brilliant overhead kick by Mazzola, back in for Vavá, rested after picking up a minor injury against the USSR. Pelé’s goal came after he cleverly took down a cross and forced the ball home through a despairing tackle. Wales didn’t disgrace themselves on their only appearance in the Finals, but it was a campaign strait-jacketed by caution and over-reliance on one player, and they were, in truth, lucky to be there at all, having had a reprieve in qualifying and a second bite in their group without winning a game.
A third game in four days against France proved a bridge too far for a side w
ith an injured goalkeeper. Harry Gregg’s understudy, Portsmouth’s Norman Uprichard, had broken his hand and no replacements were allowed back then, so Gregg limped through the match; the twenty-third player in the squad to accommodate a third goalkeeper was some way off. Northern Ireland defended stoutly for forty-four minutes but once France got their noses in front the game was a procession and the 4–0 scoreline could have been worse.
The USSR paid the price for their efforts against England. Their energy levels deserted them against Sweden, and Gren and Liedholm were allowed to dictate the pace and pattern of the game. Hamrin, becoming one of the tournament’s big stars, had too much wit for Kuznetsov, although his goal had an element of luck. He tried to slip the ball inside the covering defender to Simonsson, but the ball looped up off the defender’s foot. Hamrin had simply to incline his head to send it bouncing past a goalkeeper already committed to the save. Simonsson added a late second after Hamrin set him up. The USSR had only one clear-cut chance, when Gustavsson headed a shot off the line after a corner fell kindly for Salnikov.
