moderator
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Soe Rock Bo Yo - Nga Lam vv
Posts: 35,048
Thanks: 1,500
Thanked 4,736 Times in 2,701 Posts
Mentioned: 567 Post(s)
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rondwisan
Story of England '66
England - 1966
Finally it was England's turn to host the World Cup - sixteen years after taking part for the first time. Coach Alf Ramsey had a great generation of players in their prime age at his disposal; Banks, Moore, the Charltons, Greaves, Hurst and Hunt. Quarterfinalists in Chile 1962, Ramsay was confident his team would do better on home soil and boldly predicted his men would win the trophy. That trophy - the Jules Rimet Cup - caused a lot of drama months before kick-off in the tournament. It was stolen at an exhibition at Westminster's Central Hall in March. Due to its unique and not easily copied design, the organizers feared they would have no cup to hand out to the winners, but a dog named Pickles sorted out all problems when he sniffed around some bushes in Norwood, South London and found the trophy wrapped in newspaper just a week after the theft.
Apart from the trophy hiccup, England staged a flawless tournament from an organizing point of view. England had few problems getting through from their first round group, although some people were critical after the goalless opening match against Uruguay. The teams in Group A (Uruguay, France and Mexico) did not push Ramsey's men to the limit of their capabilities, but things would be different in the quarterfinals. Uruguay followed the hosts to the knock-out stage. Mexico's goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal appeared in a record fifth World Cup and bowed out in style on Wembley keeping a clean sheet against Uruguay - his only clean sheet in his World Cup career.
Group B was tough with West Germany, Argentina, Spain and Switzerland. The Germans had an aspiring young midfielder called Franz Beckenbauer who played superb in the early stages of the tournament. He scored two when Switzerland were beaten 5-0 in the first game. Argentina went through alongside West Germany, but their violent style, particularly in the goalless encounter against the Germans, forced FIFA to caution the whole team. With players like Rattin, Artime and Onega, Argentina were capable of much more than rough play. Reigning European champions, Spain, with loads of ageing stars like Gento, Suarez and Del Sol failed to reach old standards and finished third.
Before the World Cup most people envied people on Merseyside who got to host the Brazilian team in all their first round games plus a likely quarterfinal if groupwinners. Everything went according to plan in Group C when Pelé and Garrincha knocked in a free-kick each to bag a 2-0 win against Bulgaria in the opening match. But the 1958 and 1962 world champions then faced problems against Hungary and lost 3-1. Pelé missed the game through injury. Florian Albert and Ferenc Bene stole the show and were the stars of this Hungarian team who surprised many.
Still they were both overshadowed by a star-player from a country making their World Cup debut in 1966 - Eusebio from Portugal. He led the attack of a team which also featured great names like Torres, Augusto, Simoes and Coluńa. Portugal won all their first round matches and put the final nail in Brazil's coffin when beating them 3-1 on the last matchday of the groupstage. Brazil's elimination was a huge upset and it meant the end of the national team careers of such great names as Garrincha, Bellini and Orlando.
Huge upsets were to follow in Group D. The Soviet Union - just like Portugal - came through the first round stage with three wins. The Russians had a solid team with Yashin, Shesterniev and Porkuyan. They easily brushed aside debutants North Korea 3-0 in the first match, but the underrated Asians came back in the second game stealing a point from Chile seconds before the end before achieving their historic 1-0 win against Italy. It ranks up there among the greatest shocks in World Cup history. North Korea - with the youngest team in the finals - found themselves in the quarterfinals at the expense of twice winners Italy.
In the quarterfinals the Koreans continued where they left off against Italy - shocking the world. 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 against Portugal halfway through the first half, but then the tide turned, Eusebio scored four goals and Portugal won 5-3 in the end. It remains the only time in World Cup history a team has come from three goals down to win.
West Germany beat Uruguay 4-0 in their quarterfinal, but the South Americans had two players sent off early in the second half which made the scoreline look a bit more impressive than the performance really was. Still, nobody could deny the obvious quality of players such as Haller, Overath, Held, Seeler and Kaiser Franz. The Soviet Union put an end to Hungary's adventure with a display of solid defence particularly in the second half and thereby secured themselves a first ever semifinal place.
England played most of their match against Argentina one man up after Rattin's much-talked-about dismissal. It took the Argentina captain nearly ten minutes to leave the field having had a running argument with the referee for much of the first half. Even the police entered the field to control the emotions of players who did not understand what was going on. England coach Ramsey refused his players to exchange shirts after the match with the Argentinians whom he described as "animals". Geoff Hurst headed home a cross 12 minutes from time to the relief of a packed Wembley who could look forward to a semifinal with Portugal.
That semifinal was perhaps Bobby Charlton's best game in an England shirt. The Manchester United star scored both goals in the 2-1 win over the tournament's most exciting team. Eusebio scored on a late penalty - it was England's first goal conceded in the finals. West Germany beat the Soviets 2-1 in the other semifinal. Beckenbauer scored a wonderful goal from long range past Yashin who seemed to misjudge the ball's direction. Yashin would have to pick out two more balls from his net in the consolation final against Portugal. Eusebio scored his ninth goal of the finals which made him topscorer - three more than West Germany's Haller - and also secured his country bronze medals.
The 1966 World Cup Final saw Alf Ramsey's prediction come true. His team triumphed at Wembley. Geoff Hurst scored the first (and only so far) hat-trick in a final game. His second, the much debated "did the ball cross the line?" and the third in the dying seconds "some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over....It is now!" are both World Cup classics. Of course the match also featured a late German come-back, but Hurst's two goals in extra-time sealed the win for England in a tournament which generally grew in quality and entertainment as it progressed.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rondwisan
Story of Mexico '70
Mexico - 1970
The 1970 World Cup is regarded by many to be the best ever. Mexico ousted Argentina during the FIFA congress in 1964 and won the right to host the ninth edition of the tournament. Many delegates were a bit worried about the high altitude and how that would affect the matches, but despite the thin air, hot temperatures and early kick-off times the quality shown on the field by the best teams was impressive.
Defending champions England had their own problems before the World Cup started. During the preparation camp in Bogota, skipper Bobby Moore was accused of stealing a bracelet and was forced to stay in Colombia while the rest of the England team travelled to Mexico. Thankfully, he was released due to lack of evidence and could join the England party a few days later. Moore went on to play up to his brilliant best in this World Cup despite the pre-tournament distraction.
The World Cup tournament set-up was identical to the one four years earlier. Sixteen teams - four groups of four teams with the best two teams in each group through to the quarterfinal knock-out stage. The new additions from FIFA for this World Cup included yellow and red cards plus substitutions. The red card was not used a single time during the three weeks in Mexico, making 1970 one of only two World Cups to this day (the other 1950) to be staged without a player being sent off.
The boring Group A 0-0 curtain-raiser between the hosts and Soviet Union was not a worthy teaser to the remaining 31 games. The players lined up and waited an extra-half hour in the mid-day sun, listened to speeches and watched balloons fly into the sky before kick-off. May be that took some energy out of them. By 1970 opening ceremonies at World Cups had started to become huge spectacles.
Both Soviet Union and Mexico progressed rather comfortably to the quarterfinals. Belgium gave some resistance, but could not occupy any of the top spots. El Salvador was the group's fourth team. They literally fought a war to qualify for the World Cup. The decisive 3-2 win over arch rivals Honduras triggered off military actions for four days between two countries who already were at loggerheads with each other. Thousands of people were killed. El Salvador's football team, made up by amateur players, could not measure up against the three other teams in the group and lost all games without scoring a goal.
Group B produced only six goals in six games. Slow starters Italy impressed nobody, but did enough to top the group thanks to a Domenghini goal against Sweden - their only first round goal. Israel made their World Cup debut and got two creditable draws with Italy and Sweden, but it wasn't enough to avoid the bottom position. They went home early with Sweden. Uruguay qualified alongside Italy.
Group C brought together first and foremost champions England and favourites Brazil. The match between them is regarded as one of the best in World Cup history - certainly among first round matches. Brazil won 1-0 thanks to a Jairzinho goal after a fine attack, but the game is also remembered for the "save of the century" by Gordon Banks from a Pelé header. Pelé himself looked rejuvenated after the beating he took in 1966. In Brazil's first match against Czechoslovakia they won 4-1 after coming from behind with Pelé in sparkling form. He once tried to score from 60 yards out, but missed the target by a few inches.
Romania stood up well against Brazil, but lost 3-2 in another entertaining match in this group. Despite some fine efforts none of the Eastern European teams matched up against England and Brazil who marched into the last eight with confidence.
The last group featured some great action too. Peru came from 0-2 down to beat Bulgaria 3-2 to soften the pain felt by their countrymen after the devastating earthquake which killed over 60,000 people just days before the World Cup. Teofilo Cubillas made a name for himself and he would become one of the stars of the tournament.
Debutants Morocco held a 1-0 lead against West Germany for nearly an hour before Uwe Seeler and Gerd Müller saved the day for the 1966 finalists. Müller was unstoppable and knocked in consecutive hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru taking his goaltally to seven by the end of the first round groupstage. Peru followed the Germans to the quarterfinals.
The knock-out stage was badly organized from the TV-audiences' point of view. All matches had kick-off at the same time which caused fans to miss a lot of live action. There were 80,000 empty seats at Azteca for the Uruguay v Soviet Union match. Mexico played against Italy in the tiny stadium at Toluca at the same time. At Azteca both teams looked certain to head for a special kind of tie-breaker - the toss of coin - but after 117 minutes a controversial goal gave Uruguay the victory. Victor Esparrago headed in a cross from Luis Cubilla which might have gone out of play before it was headed in. The goal stood anyway.
In Toluca, Mexico took an early lead to the delight of the home crowd, but Italy - who only scored one goal in the groupstage - made an heroic comeback and won 4-1. Gianni Rivera came off the bench and transformed the game.
Nobody could stop Brazil either who scored four more goals in an open game against Peru who bowed out in style. Tostao and Rivelino played key-roles in this game. The fourth quarterfinal was a replay of the Final four years earlier. England had a 2-0 lead deep into the second half when Beckenbauer brought West Germany a glimmer of hope with a fine goal. West Germany's equalizer came from a looping header by Seeler. Peter Bonetti - stand-in goalkeeper for a sick Banks - looked out of position. Just like in 1966 the game went to extra time, but this time West Germany won - the winning goal was scored by Gerd Müller, who else?
The semifinal stage saw two more great games - one of them an all-time classic. Italy lead West Germany by 1-0 at Azteca when defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger - a veteran of four World Cups - went forward and knocked in his only international goal in stoppage time to secure extra time. The extra thirty minutes brought no less than five goals. Italy bowed out 4-3 winners with Rivera - once again coming off the bench - getting the winner. In Guadalajara Brazil came from behind to beat Uruguay 3-1 with some breath-taking attacking football. Rivelino, Tostao, Pele and Jairzinho once again the deadly quartet.
The World Cup Final at Mexico '70 has become one of the most classic of all time. Pelé headed in 1-0 - Brazil's 100th goal in World Cup history. Gerson followed up with a great goal from long range, Jairzinho kept his goal-in-every-game-record going and captain Carlos Alberto finished it all off with a thunderous shot following a wonderful move. 4-1 the final score and a fantastic ending to a tournament that thrilled the world. A grand total of 34 goals scored from the quarterfinals onwards contributed a great deal in making this World Cup unforgettable.
Brazil won permanent possession of the Jules Rimet Cup. FIFA said in 1930: The first country to win it three times keeps it forever. Pelé crowned his career with his third title, Mario Zagallo became the first man to win the World Cup both as player and coach and the whole team of 1970 has become some kind of yardstick for all others to measure up against.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rondwisan
Story of West Germany '74
West Germany - 1974
The 1974 tournament in West Germany marked the start of a new era in World Cup history for several reasons. Firstly, a new trophy was introduced because Brazil had won the Jules Rimet Cup for their third time four years earlier in Mexico, which meant they got to keep the trophy forever according to guidelines created already in 1930. The new cup was simply called FIFA World Cup, identical with the tournament's official name.
Secondly, a new FIFA president was elected just days before kick-off in the finals. Sir Stanley Rous went out after 13 years in the hot seat and in came Brazilian Joao Havelange. He was the first non-European to hold the post since FIFA was founded in 1904.
Thirdly, the tournament set-up changed format again. A second phase groupstage replaced the knock-out rounds after the preliminary round. It guaranteed half of the teams at least six games in the finals. The four groups of four teams would become two groups of four teams in phase two. Both winners of the second phase groups would play in the World Cup Final itself, where as the two runners-up would meet in the bronze match.
And fourthly, security was tighter than ever after the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972 where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered. A lot was at stake for both hosts and visitors at this 10th World Cup. Thankfully, football stole all the headlines as the tournament went on. Well, almost...
Unlike Mexico '70, a tournament baked in sun, the 1974 World Cup was to be plagued by torrential rain. Many matches were played in bad conditions, particularly the game between West Germany and Poland with a place in the Final at stake. The pitch in Frankfurt was water-logged and the city's fire department was called in to soak up the better part of the water - to little avail. What could have been a classic encounter between two of the best teams in the finals turned out to be a farce. Luck was more the decisive factor than skill.
West Germany were hot favourites to win the cup, in 1972 they had won the European Championships in a convincing way, and as hosts in 1974 with virtually an identical team, they looked like certain finalists although their confidence got a knock when East Germany beat them in the first round. West Germany's central line with Maier, Beckenbauer, Overath and Müller looked frightening and ultimately won them the tournament. Gerd Müller retired from the national team after the Final with his classic matchwinning goal, his 68th in only 62 appearances. It was also his 14th goal in the World Cup finals overall - a record which still stands to this day.
Two other countries which hadn't even qualified for any World Cup after World War II prior to 1974, went on to play leading roles in these finals; Netherlands and Poland. The Dutch with inspirational captain Johan Cruijff played some of the best football seen in a World Cup ever - despite the wet conditions. The phrase "Total-Football" became well-known due to the performances of the 'Clockwork Orange'. Memorable wins against Argentina and Brazil laid the foundations for a well-deserved place in the Final against West Germany. To this day many people felt the best team lost in that Final.
Poland lined up a well-drilled team very much similar to the one that won the Olympics two years earlier in Munich. It included the World Cup's topscorer Grzegorz Lato, a speedy winger who went on to score seven goals as Poland beat teams like Italy and Argentina on their way - and England in the qualifiers. This fine team mastered by Kazimierz Deyna in midfield scored more goals than any other team in the finals and captured the bronze medals with a deserved win against Brazil.
Brazil, despite a fourth place finish in the end, was the big negative surprise of the finals. Pelé was no longer in the team, but with Rivelino and Jairzinho still present, fans around the world expected much more than they got. Brazil failed to score a goal in four of their seven appearances and of their six goals scored in total, three came against Zaďre, the undisputed minnows of the World Cup. With time running out against Netherlands in what effectively was a semifinal, Luis Pereira hacked down Johan Neeskens from behind in frustration with one of the ugliest tackles in World Cup history. Red card was inevitable.
Brazil's opponents in the 1970 Final, Italy, failed to reach the second phase mostly because of the unexpected rise of Poland. Dino Zoff's proud defensive record of 1142 minutes without goals conceded in international matches was ended by Haiti's Emmanuel Sanon already in the first game, and even if Italy recovered and won that game, they couldn't progress further. For Haiti, Ernst Jean-Joseph created the first doping scandal in World Cup history when an illegal substance was found in him on a random test after this Italy-game. He was suspended from the rest of the tournament.
Scotland, Britain's only qualified team, set some kind of World Cup record as they were eliminated in the first round without losing a match, they were infact the only unbeaten team in the 1974 series. Every other team with a zero in the column for defeats in World Cup history up until 1974, had ended up winning the whole tournament. For Scotland this was the first of five straight finals with 'oh-so-nears' and 'if-onlys' first round eliminations.
Australia, Haiti and Zaďre all made their World Cup debutes in 1974. The Socceroos from 'down under' managed to hold Chile to a draw, it was the only point captured by these three debutants combined. The fourth, East Germany, showed more, but they were after all playing almost on home soil. South America had a poor World Cup by their standards. Uruguay, semifinalists last time, finished bottom in their group, while Chile finished third in theirs. Chile's Carlos Caszely became the first man in World Cup history to be sent off using the red card system after his foul against West Germany. The cards were introduced already to 1970, but no players were sent off in Mexico. Caszely saw red already on the tournament's second matchday. Uruguay's Montero-Castillo was sent off the following day against the Netherlands. Argentina's team in 1974 had certain qualities, but only Kempes and Houseman were found worthy of featuring in their championship winning team four years later.
Of other highlights, Sweden made impression with excellent goalkeeper Hellström and Edström up front and Yugoslavia had Dzajic in sparkling form. Despite the bad weather, it was a World Cup which gave much more than people could expect under these conditions. Even the introduction of the second phase groupstage was considered a success. FIFA would keep that format also in 1978 when incidents occured that perhaps gave them second thoughts on that subject...
|
.................................................. .........
|