1962 – Germany
Host selection and background
After Mexico had been confirmed as hosts in 1950, expectations were that the tournament would return to Europe, and despite a late bid from Argentina, FIFA’s executive committee confirmed Germany would become the first country to host the tournament twice, beating out a bid from Yugoslavia and a surprise (and somewhat audacious) bid from Greece. In contrast to 1938, where the tournament was an orgiastic showcase for the short-lived triumph of the National Socialist regime, Germany was a democratic republic, with a non-aligned foreign policy and booming economy, much of which was powering it’s club football.
As the memories of the war began to slowly fade, Germany’s unique position, as the largest non-aligned
[1] European nation began to come further into focus, as its economy boomed and it steered a course between American and Soviet interests, as the Cold War veered between tensions and de-escalation. Germany’s economic miracle had also begun to be reflected in its club football with Hamburg, Frankfurt and SV Jena all making the last rounds of continental competition. The national league, established in 1953 to celebrate both Saarland rejoining the republic, and the end of any formal allied occupation, had grown in commercial strength as numerous corporations began to become involved in the sport.
[2]
The national side was also under new management, as long-serving Sepp Herberger retired in 1960, having been in charge of the national side off and on since 1938
[3], his retirement coinciding with that of long serving Federal President Waldemar Koch.
[4] In his place stepped up long-serving assistant Hans Weisweiler, who alongside coaches Georg Gawliczek and Helmut Schön had been part of Herberger’s staff for the bulk of the 1950s. Much as Germany’s parliamentarians had opted for continuity in the presidency, with fellow Liberal Thomas Dehler succeeding Koch in 1960, so to did the DFB with Weisweiler in overall charge alongside Gawliczek and Schön.
[5] The three, somewhat affectionately named the troika, were firm believers in youth, and the average age of the national side dropped accordingly, with only veteran goalkeeper Bernd Trautmann and captain Hans Schäfer remaining from the 1954 squad, and while Germany had participated in the inaugural European Nations Cup, they failed to qualify for the final tournament. Nevertheless, expectations were reasonably high – while Brazil were still expected to be the team to beat, the home public viewed Germany as a likely contender for the semi-finals.
If 1958, had signalled the burgeoning modernity of the sport, 1962 would accelerate it. Sports science, a novelty at the last tournament, was now more established, though how developed it was varied sharply from nation to nation. The growth of continental competition had also, in Europe at least, ended the ban on overseas internationals and professionalism across the board
[6] with overseas internationals becoming an increasing regularity as the money on offer in certain leagues multiplied rapidly. The tournament, building on the growth of television coverage over the previous two, was the first to have television coverage of the majority of games, with the German state broadcaster BRG distributing via the European Broadcasting Union.
[7] The tournament, also marked an expansion of commercial partnerships, though these were again concentrated at the national level – it just so happened that for 1962 the nation happened to be one of the world’s leading industrial economies. While not at the level of the tournament post the signing of commercial partnerships between FIFA and various corporations in the early 1970s, 1962 signalled where the tournament was heading towards, though the majority of partners remained rooted in consumer goods.
1962 retained the same format as 1958, with four groups of four and three rounds of knockout matches, with venues largely concentrated in the south and west (with only Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden not from those regions.) The choice of venues would receive some criticism, particularly from the east, with some (largely unfounded) allegations that venues in the east had been overlooked due to their strong voting record for parties of the left. Unlike Mexico, temperature and altitude were expected to be lesser factors in performance than had been the case four years earlier.
Qualification
Germany and Brazil qualified automatically, leaving fourteen places to be decided: three for South America, one for North America, nine for Europe and one to be decided via playoff between Africa and Asia.
[8]
In the Americas, Mexico, building on the success of their hosting the tournament in 1958, qualified again for the finals, though they suffered defeat to Costa Rica in the final round, and were perhaps fortunate that the Costa Ricans suffered a surprise defeat to Jamaica in the final round.
[9] Mexico, now under the management of Ignacio Trelles, the first native manager of the side since 1950, still proved too strong for their continental rivals, fuelling demands for Mexico to explore switching to South America.
[10]
While Mexico qualifying ensured there were no real surprises in North America, in the South, qualification threw up several shocks, with Brazil’s absence largely levelling the field. Argentina, with a refreshed squad under the management of former Vélez Sarsfield manager Victorio Spinetto, gained a measure of revenge over Paraguay (who’s 5-0 victory in 1957 knocked Argentina out of world cup qualification) with home and away victories over them and Ecuador to qualify with a perfect record.
If Argentina qualified with ease, their rioplatense neighbours Uruguay, expected to qualify comfortably from a group containing Andean neighbours, Chile and Bolivia, suffered two seismic defeats to Chile (notably in a match so bad-tempered in Santiago that the Uruguayan embassy lodged a diplomatic protest with the Chilean government) to fail to qualify for the finals for the first time.
[11] Uruguay’s failure, was greeted with the shame shock and outrage as their own surprise victory in Brazil had been in 1950 – and if you believed some commentators played a decisive role in the Colorado Party’s surprise return to power in 1962 under Carlos Fischer.
Finally, in a group which was regarded as the weakest of the three, Colombia surprised Peru (who themselves had not qualified since 1930) to qualify for the first time in their history becoming the first South American debutante since 1930. Colombia, who’s league thanks to state investment under the auspices of
Gaitánismo had become one of the strongest outside of the traditional big three, had also began to invest in its national side, with a series of overseas coaches leading the national team. Colombia, under former Argentina international Adolfo Pedernera, had surprised Uruguay at the 1959 South American championships, and had held (an admittedly understrength) Brazil to a draw at the same tournament, perhaps making their qualification less of a surprise.
In Europe, qualification largely followed expectations. Italy, who had failed to qualify for 1958, returned to the finals unbeaten ahead of Romania and Cyprus
[12] under the management of Giuseppe Viani, a key pioneer of the
luchetto tactical system which largely prioritised a strong defensive structure. Italy’s return to the finals was largely built around
le cinque sorelle (the five sisters) of A.C. Milan, Fiorentina, Internazionale, Juventus and Roma – it’s perhaps a testament to the strength of Italian club football that these sides provided several key players for other nations as well.
[13]
Elsewhere, England and France both comfortably qualified from their respective groups, with England’s side still largely built around the Busby Babes of Manchester United.
[14] Scotland and Northern Ireland, who had upset the odds to qualify four years earlier did not see lightning striking again, as Scotland fell to the Czechoslovaks and Northern Ireland finished bottom of their group, topped by surprises Bulgaria.
However, all did not rest on England, as another home nation pulled off a surprise to qualify for the first time. Wales, who had been perhaps unlucky in 1958, shocked the Spanish, who for consecutive tournaments were knocked out of qualifying by a British side.
[15] Wales, built around the talents of Juventus star John Charles and Tottenham winger Cliff Jones had a decent (if aging) side, but Spain were unlucky, with Wales’s decisive goal in their 2-1 win in Cardiff coming from an offside position. Wales, coached by Manchester United assistant and former Welsh international Jimmy Murphy, were nevertheless through, and speculation in the British press began over whether they and England would be drawn together at the finals. In the rest of Europe, Hungary overcame a promising, if callow, Portugal to reach the finals for a third straight time, while the Soviets and Swiss finished ahead of Sweden and Belgium respectively.
Africa, expanded by the process of decolonisation, saw nine teams enter qualification for the finals – Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria who were drawn into three groups of three, which were arranged geographically.
[16] Morocco, Egypt and Ghana won their respective groups, though South Africa were hamstrung by not being able to call up their European based players regularly with only Louis Johanneson of Leeds regularly appearing for the side
[17]. The final round saw Morocco narrowly top the group ahead of Ghana to set up a playoff with the Asian group winner.
Asia’s qualification had seen the most entrants in its history, but as politics, and in many cases funding, intervened the number of sides were whittled down to leave a qualification series based exclusively around the Pacific.
[18] The seven sides – Japan, Korea, Republic of China, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand were drawn into a first round knockout (with Korea receiving a bye) before a final round robin.
[19] The final round, which paired Australia, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong was comfortably won by the Koreans to set up the intercontinental playoff with Morocco. The playoff, played in stifling heat in both Casablanca and Seoul was narrowly won by the Moroccans, with former French international Abderrahmane Mahjoub captaining the Moroccans to victory.
[20] Morocco’s victory saw them become the second African and Arab side to qualify for the finals, as well the final side to qualify for Germany.
Participating sides:
- Germany (hosts)
- Brazil (holders)
- Argentina
- Bulgaria (debut)
- Chile
- Colombia (debut)
- Czechoslovakia
- England
- France
- Hungary
- Italy
- Mexico
- Morocco (debut)
- Soviet Union
- Switzerland
- Wales (debut)
Of the sides, Brazil were regarded as the favourites, with Germany, Italy, England and a resurgent Argentina also expected to compete. Sides such as the Soviets, Hungarians and French were regarded as having a decent chance to advance into the competition as well, with most anticipating a matchup between Brazil and one of the seeds in the final. Brazil, had refreshed their squad from 1958 somewhat, though given the overall youth of that winning side, the changes were largely evolutionary rather than radical as Vicente Feola largely kept faith with the same squad of players.
English football was undergoing something of a revolution, a series of strikes by the Players’ Union having led to the abolition of the maximum wage and the retain and transfer system which had dominated English football since the 1900s, while increasing numbers of British footballers moved to Continental Europe – most notably, Manchester United and England star Duncan Edwards who joined Roma for £90,000 in 1960. For England 1962 was to be the end of an era – Walter Winterbottom, who had coached the side from 1946 (and had been sole manager since 1950) and who also held the role of FA Director of Coaching would be stepping down to transition into sports administration.
As for the other contenders, Germany’s national side had been in sporadic form leading up to the tournament but had played well on a tour of South America, including drawing with the Brazilians in Rio, which boosted confidence. Argentina, returning to the finals after failing to qualify in 1958, had a young squad that combined often exquisite artistry with a physical menace, though unlike later Argentine sides they rarely slid into all out brutality. Italy, who’s record at the tournament postwar had been patchy, found their side bolstered by several
oriundi from Latin America, most of whom had been signed during Serie A’s boom in the late 1950s.
[21]
FIFA, as with tournaments onwards from 1954, retained a seeding system with half the sides seeded and the other half unseeded. The seeds for 1962 were Brazil, Germany, England, France, Argentina, Soviet Union, Italy and Hungary. The draw, held on March 7 1962 with the groups as follows:
Group 1: Germany, Soviet Union, Colombia, Switzerland
Group 2: Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Czechoslovakia
Group 3: England, Hungary, Chile, Bulgaria
Group 4: Brazil, France, Wales, Morocco
Tournament summary
Group 1
Germany opened their campaign at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the same venue where a quarter of a century before they had hosted a tournament bathed in the reflected glory of national socialism. Here however, it merely witnessed a dull game, the Germans eventually overcoming stubborn Swiss resistance to win 2-1, having trailed to a Rolf Wüthrich penalty. Despite the toil, the result was largely expected – Switzerland, under long serving Austrian coach Karl Rappan, may have been hard to beat but they were hardly world beaters. In the other game, the Soviets comfortably saw off Colombia 2-0, with Eduard Streltsov and Slava Metreveli getting the goals, though they were lucky to see Marcos Coll’s speculative shot hit the bar with Lev Yashin stranded.
The second round of matches, saw Germany dispatch Colombia 3-1 in Hamburg, with local hero Uwe Seeler scoring two and assisting a third for captain Hans Schäfer, though a mistake from the thirty-eight-year-old Bernd Trautmann saw Marino Klinger score a late consolation for Colombia.
[22] If Germany’s victory had been routine, the match between the Soviets and the Swiss in Stuttgart was anything but, with four goals in the first half and another four in the second, aided perhaps by one of the few poor performances in Lev Yashin’s long and storied career.
The game, played in front of a largely partisan crowd, saw the Soviets race into a three-goal lead within the first eleven minutes, with the Swiss further hampered by an injury to their midfielder Norbert Eschmann, and thus necessitating a change of shape. The Soviets, perhaps easing off the gas with the expectation of saving themselves for their final match against the hosts, began to gradually let the Swiss back into the game, and a mistake from Leonid Ovstrovski allowed Roger Vonlanthen to claw back the deficit.
[23] Switzerland’s second goal, owed much to Lev Yashin, who completed misjudged the flight of a corner, resulting in Philippe Pottier’s corner sailing over his head directly into goal. The Soviets, who had added their fourth goal on the hour via Valentin Ivanov, found themselves caught on the counter, as Swiss captain Charles Antenen’s scuffed shot rolled into the goal under Yashin’s late dive. The comeback was complete in the 89th minute, as Roger Vonlanthen escaped the attentions of his marker and tapped home from a corner to leave the scores equal at 4-4, and the largely partisan Stuttgart crowd cheering the Swiss off the pitch.
The final round of fixtures saw one tie steeped in recent memory, as Germany and the Soviet Union met for the first time at the World Cup since the 1938 finals in Berlin. Immediate memories of the war may have faded, but there was a minute silence before the game kicked-off in memory of those who lost their lives in the conflict. The game was watched by an extensive set of dignitaries as well – Soviet Foreign Minister Dmitri Shepilov and Premier Nikolai Bulganin both attended as did German Chancellor Georg Diederichs and Mayor of Berlin Friedrich Ebert Jr.
[24]
The game itself, once it began, was sedate, perhaps weighed down by the history and ceremony surrounding it, with neither side threatening much of an intervention before Uwe Seeler broke the deadlock via a rasping drive in the 44th minute. The goal spurred the contest to life, and the Soviets equalised through Streltsov, who had come on as a second half substitute, and it took two fine saves from Trautmann to keep the scores level, with the Soviets looking increasingly likely to score. It was, thus against the run of play, that Horst Szymaniak, Germany’s only other overseas international (he played for Verona) scored a fantastic goal to win the game, as he won the ball just inside the Soviet half, skipped past two challenges and hit the ball with such force that Yashin had no chance. The crowd roared, the Soviet players slumped, and Germany were through as group winners.
In the other match, the Swiss and Colombians played out a 1-1 draw, in a game marred by a display of officious refereeing from Peruvian Arturo Yamasaki, who’s whistle was heard as often as the crowd. The game itself, devoid of any real flow, and by extension quality, saw both goals scored from set pieces – Colombia’s evergreen captain Francisco Zuluaga scored from the penalty spot, which was cancelled out by Swiss substitute Roberto Frigerio, who nodded home from a corner after Colombian goalkeeper Efraín Sánchez misjudged the flight on the ball and was left stranded.
[25] The game, never much of a free-flowing contest to begin with, petered out in the last ten minutes and ended as a draw, knocking both sides out – though at least Colombia had secured their first ever point at the finals.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 |
2 | Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 3 |
3 | Switzerland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 2 |
4 | Colombia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 1 |
Results
9 June Germany 2-1 Switzerland
10 June Soviet Union 2-0 Colombia
12 June Colombia 1-3 Germany
13 June Soviet Union 4-4 Switzerland
15 June Germany 2-1 Soviet Union
16 June Switzerland 1-1 Colombia
Group 2
Group 2, with the possible exception of the Mexicans, was seen as a well balanced one, paring two strong European sides with a resurgent Argentina. Mexico, had performed well at home four years earlier, but had a poor overseas record, and were not expected to put up much of a threat.
The opening matches saw Argentina see off a spirited Mexico, with two goals from José Sanfilippo, and one from Rubén Héctor Sosa, with Salvador Reyes netting Mexico’s consolation goal. The game, Argentina’s first at the finals since 1954, is famous for being immortalised in a short story by Borges which transplanted the radio commentary, with the pronouncement of the overthrow of the Radical government of Ricardo Balbín and the establishment of the military junta under Juan Carlos Onganía.
[26]
In the other match, Italy and Czechoslovakia played out one of the dullest games in recent memory, with Italy’s tight defence stifling Czechoslovakia’s passing game, though Jozef Štibrányi hit the bar and both Omar Sívori and Brazilian-born José Atalfini had their chances, to at least give the first half a semblance of contest. The second half however, degenerated into a violent, cynical slugfest – it would be an unfortunate harbinger of what was to come, as the game wound down into a 0-0 draw.
The second round of matches, saw the infamous Battle of Gelsenkirchen between Argentina and Italy, as pre-existing tensions between the two sides
[27] burst through to the surface. The game, refereed by pioneer Ken Aston, descended into a “scene worthy of a bar fight” as early as the 8th minute, when a bad tackle on Federicho Sacchi by Giorgio Ferrini saw the Italian defender refuse to leave the pitch, before he was eventually escorted off by members of the Italian coaching staff. The second sending off occurred on the half hour, after Argentine captain Rubén Navarro was sent off for punching Humberto Maschio, after which a mass brawl between both sets of players broke out. Aston, perhaps not wanting to inflame the situation further, refrained from any further expulsions – and Argentina, perhaps as an after-thought scored twice to settle the tie, with their second an own-goal from Mario David, perhaps best epitomising the quality on display. The highlights, shown later that night on Match of the Day have gone down in British folklore with David Coleman’s introduction of “the game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football in the history of the game” being immortalised on the BBC radio satire I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. If the game had been an outlier, it would perhaps be viewed as a footnote – unfortunately it was emblematic of a tournament that prioritised physicality over finesse.
In the other match, Czechoslovakia eased themselves to a routine win over Mexico, the Mexicans hindered in their efforts by an ankle injury suffered by Salvador Reyes. His replacement by the raw Alberto Baeza reduced Mexico’s goal threat, and Viliam Schrojf in the Czechoslovak goal was barely tested. In contrast, the veteran Antonio Carbajal, playing in his fourth consecutive World Cup, kept Mexico in it, until Václav Mašek, broke through the Mexican defence and delicately slotted home. The win would be secured by Adolf Scherer, whose shot took a deflection off Raúl Cárdenas, leaving Carbajal no chance. While the game was not particularly high on quality, it was at least free from the violence that had plagued the match in Gelsenkirchen.
The final round paired the Argentines with Czechoslovakia and Italy with the Mexicans. The game between Argentina and Czechoslovakia was less bad tempered than the game against Italy, and better as a result with both sides creating several chances, though the poor quality of finishing saw both sides go in goalless. In the second half, as both sides began to struggle in Munich’s summer heat, it took a moment of inspiration to decide the game - Josef Masopust, sending a sumptuous, defence-splitting pass into the path of Scherer who beat the tackle of Rafael Albrecht and steered the ball past the onrushing Antonio Roma to seal the victory for the Czechoslovaks.
In the other game, Italy threw off the shackles to beat Mexico 4-1, with Omar Sívori scoring twice, alongside goals from Atalfini and Antonio Angelillo (all of whom were South American) settling the tie in favour of the Italians, though a late goal from Alfredo del Águila restored a measure of pride for the Mexicans. The win was not enough for Italy – and they again exited the tournament having flattered to deceive.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 5 |
2 | Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
3 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 |
4 | Mexico | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 |
Results
9 June Argentina 3-1 Mexico
10 June Italy 0-0 Czechoslovakia
12 June Argentina 2--0 Italy
13 June Czechoslovakia 2-0 Mexico
15 June Mexico 1-4 Italy
16 June Czechoslovakia 1-0 Argentina
Group 3
Group 3 paired three European sides with Chile, who returning to the finals for the first time since 1950 (and were playing at a European tournament for the first time.) England and Hungary, were both undergoing a transition of sorts, with England’s squad including overseas internationals for the first time, as Duncan Edwards and Gerry Hitchens both played in Italy’s Serie A.
[28] Hungary, long since used to having overseas internationals, still had veterans of the 1954 squad – Gyula Grosics in goal, and Ferenc Purczeld and Sándor Kocsis in attack, both of whom played in Spain, but were largely built around the skills of 20-year-old Ferencvaros striker Flórián Albert and the explosive centre-forward Lajos Tichy. Chile were a largely workmanlike side built around the skills of Leonel Sánchez, while Bulgaria, despite surprising Yugoslavia in qualifying, had a generally poor record at international level.
The opening round of matches saw Hungary extend their unbeaten record against the English, though in contrast to the seismic defeats of 1953, it wasn’t a humiliation. England, with Johnny Haynes as the main playmaker and Duncan Edwards operating as a more defensive midfielder, initially controlled the opening minutes of the game but failed to score. Their profligacy, with Greaves in particular, guilty of missing two gilt-edge chances was punished – Tichy, skipping a tackle from Mark Jones, glided past Fred Moore and blasted the ball past Eddie Hopkinson in the England goal.
[29] Hungary doubled their lead at the start of the second half, as Purczeld, on as a substitute, ghosted through the midfield and played a through ball for Albert to slot home. England would claw one back through Bobby Robson, but Hungary would hold on for the win.
In the other game, Chile won a scrappy, and often physical match 1-0 against debutantes Bulgaria, with Leonel Sánchez scoring the Chilean goal in the first ten minutes, the game became stop-start due to a number of cynical fouls and dirty tackles, including a near leg-breaker from Carlos Contreras on Ivan Kolev. The game, as reported on by Frank Swift in the Daily Mirror, was “emblematic of the unpleasantness that this tournament has sunk too – football less as sport or endeavour and more as a war with no purpose other than brutality.” The result, nevertheless, marked Chile’s first win since 1930 in the tournament, and was celebrated in Santiago.
The second round of matches saw England held to a 0-0 draw by Chile, in a game described by Hugh McIlvanney, in The Observer, as representing a radical new tactical approach in the sense that neither side showed any inclination to attack. England’s one chance, from substitute Jimmy Greaves, was well saved by Misael Escuti in the Chilean goal. The fact that Eddie Hopkinson’s goalkeeping kit had no blemishes on it, was as stated by McIlvanney, representative of Chile’s efforts. Hungary and Bulgaria, also played out a draw, though this at least had goals – all of them scored by the youngest players on the park. Flórián Albert, leading the line as a sole striker scored twice in the first half to put Hungary 2-0 up and cruising to a seemingly routine victory. Bulgaria, who’s squad mixed experience with youth saw two young substitutes combine to score both goals – Georgi Sokolov and Georgi Asparuhov, both of whom were nineteen. Their goals ensured that Bulgaria secured their first ever world cup point, as well as notice from clubs in Germany – indeed, if reports are to be believed, intransigence on the part of Bulgaria’s communist regime scuppered a proposed move for both to move to the Bundesliga.
The final round of fixtures, saw England and Hungary both win – the English, eventually finding their rhythm to see off the Bulgarians 3-1, with Bobby Charlton, Greaves and Duncan Edwards all scoring their first world cup goals in the process. Bulgaria, although finishing bottom of the group, at least returned home with a degree of pride, having not been truly outclassed in any of their games. The same could not be said for Chile, who found themselves on the end of a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Hungary, with a hat-trick from Albert and goals from Tichy and substitute Purczeld.
[30] Chile, who’s physical play had unsettled the Bulgarians and had frustrated England, came unstuck against Hungary, who simply passed round them – Chile’s approach would be replicated (and taken to logical extremes as matches in the Intercontinental Cup would demonstrate) across the decade.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 5 |
2 | England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 |
3 | Chile | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |
4 | Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 1 |
Results
9 June Hungary 2-1 England
10 June Chile 1-0 Bulgaria
12 June Bulgaria 2-2 Hungary
13 June England 0-0 Chile
15 June Hungary 6-1 Chile
16 June England 3-1 Bulgaria
Group 4
Group 4 paired two debutantes in Wales and Morocco (Africa’s first representative in eight years) with the world champions Brazil and the side they defeated in 1958, France. Wales, largely composed of players playing across the English football league system, with star man John Charles playing in Italy for Roma, were a well-organised side built around a strong defence and were on a good run of form going into the tournament. Brazil, possessed huge talent with the star players of 1958 still in situ, as well as new stars such as Antônio Wilson and Amarildo Tavares, were expected to win the group, while the French, who had finished third at the inaugural European Nations Cup in 1960 still possessed a strong side. Only Morocco, represented unknowns, though they had several players at French clubs.
The opening matches saw one expected result and one shock. Brazil, playing Wales in front of a capacity crowd in Dortmund eased to a 2-0 win over Wales, though they were made to work for it, with the aging Welsh defence (led superbly by the thirty-four-year-old Cardiff City man Dave Bowen) shutting down Brazil’s wave of attacks. Jack Kelsey, the veteran Welsh goalkeeper, also had a blinder, and was unlucky with both goals – a deflection from Stuart Williams leaving him no chance with the first, and the second from Vavá in a debatably offside position.
The other match, pairing Morocco with former colonial masters France saw a shock. Played in Cologne, the game began with France taking an early lead, as Maryan Wisniewski raced onto a Raymond Kopaszewski through ball to smash home past Allal Benkassou in the Moroccan goal. Most observers, if Brian Glanville’s account of the press box is to be believed expected France to cruise home. And yet they didn’t – Morocco’s captain, the former French international and Montpellier captain Abderrahmane Mahjoub kept Just Fontaine quiet the entire game, and their confidence growing, Morocco began to pressure their more illustrious opponents. The pressure told, as a mistake from Georges Lamia in the French goal, saw Driss Bamous equalise, and it took a superb intervention from veteran Robert Jonquet to prevent Abdelkader Moukhtatif adding a second. The second would come though – Lamia, making an absolute hash of a cross (there were claims that he may have been unsighted) palmed the ball straight into the path of Mohamed Lamari to secure Morocco’s win. The result was greeted with jubilation in Rabat and in France by the Moroccan community, while Morocco’s triumph was viewed as a breakthrough for football in Africa.
[31]
In the second round of fixtures, France recovered from the shock of Cologne to beat the Welsh 1-0, with Raymond Kopaszewski netting the winner, with a fantastic finish, catching a high ball on his chest, skipping past the challenger of Roy Vernon and lobbing Kelsey from twenty yards. Wales, again played well, but lacked cutting edge, though John Charles narrowly missed a chance to level the scores. In the other game, Brazil overcame stubborn Moroccan resistance to win 1-0 with Dico, who had missed the first game due to a minor injury, coming off the bench to net the winner in the 70th minute. Morocco, again had impressed, with Brazilian playmaker Waldyr Pareira later proclaiming them the side he had found most difficult to play against.
[32]
The final round of games saw Brazil beat France 3-1, with Mané Garrincha unplayable on the right of Brazil’s fluid attacking trident.
[33] Fontaine, who had struggled in the first two games, did at least claw back a goal for France, but the French never looked likely to come back into the game, as Brazil’s yellow and green shirted waves broke them down.
[34] The other game saw Morocco, perhaps exhausted by their exploits against France and Brazil, fall to a surprisingly meek defeat to the Welsh, who scored through John Charles and Ivor Allchurch, though Moroccan captain Abderrahmane Mahjoub managed to steal a consolation at the end from a header. Despite the defeat, Morocco went through in second on goal difference, becoming the first side to qualify for the knockouts despite losing two games, as well as the first African side to reach the knockout rounds.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1 | Brazil | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
2 | Morocco | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 |
3 | Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
4 | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
Results
9 June Brazil 2-0 Wales
10 June France 1-2 Morocco
12 June Bazil 1-0 Morocco
13 June Wales 0-1 France
15 June France 1-3 Brazil
16 June Morocco 1-2 Wales
Quarter finals
The quarter finals were drawn on June 17, following the conclusion of the group stage. The hosts Germany were paired with Argentina, while the Soviets faced Czechoslovakia, holders Brazil faced England for the third time at the finals (coincidentally all knockout games), while Hungary faced underdogs Morocco.
The first quarter-final, played between Germany and Argentina in front of a capacity crowd in Munich, was a better contest than expected, neither side having lit up the group stages. Germany, a direct hard-running side, were not intimidated by Argentina’s physical tactics, and were in control for most of the game. Their first goal, like several at the tournament, came from a goalkeeping error – Antonio Roma misjudged Albert Brülls’s freekick and was surprised at his near post.
[35] While Antonio Rattín, a surprise pick in midfield, would equalise, Germany didn’t falter and sealed the win through Helmut Haller. The victory, propelling Germany through to a third semi-final, was greeted with delirium in the stands, and in the press. Argentina, a measure of pride restored from the debacle of 1958, returned home.
If a goalkeeping error had gifted Germany’s opener, two superb goalkeeping performances defined the tie between the Soviets and Czechoslovakia in Gelsenkirchen. Lev Yashin, in indifferent form during the group stages, made a string of superb saves, as the Czechoslovaks began brightly, with Josef Masopust almost unplayable in the middle of the pitch. The game turned however on a decision from Soviet manager Gavril Kachalin, who substituted striker Aleksei Mamykin for midfielder Yozhef Sabo (making his international debut) and had Sabo operate as a man-marker much higher up the pitch.
[36] The ploy worked, as an unsettled Czechoslovakia increasingly ceded possession, and were largely kept in the game thanks to a brilliant performance from Viliam Schrojf in goal. Igor Chislenko, would settle the game in extra time, running onto a pass after Sabo had dispossessed Masopust and driving the ball home.
Brazil and England faced each other in Hamburg, in a game that was expected to be of high quality. England, who had never beaten Brazil at the tournament, began brightly and took the lead through a highly unlikely source, as Roger Byrne scored his first and only international goal after bundling home at the near post from a Johnny Haynes cross.
[37] Brazil, despite the setback, grew into the game and equalised through Garrincha (their vanquisher in 1958) who’s unpredictable play again tormented the English defence. Dico, added a second on the hour, before the game was sealed by Vavá who thundered home a volley to leave Eddie Hopkinson no chance. Brazil were again through to the semi-finals, and England were again out.
The final match paired Hungary with surprises Morocco, though this time there was unfortunately no surprise to be found, as the Hungarians quality eventually told. The game was perhaps unfortunately over as a contest by the half hour, by which time Morocco had suffered two mishaps; their inspirational captain Abderrahmane Mahjoub had to go off injured following a clash of heads with Kálmán Mészöly (who also had to be substituted), while their goalkeeper Allal Benkassou was injured following a clash with Lajos Tichy as he attempted to claim the ball at the striker’s feet. Benkassou’s replacement, Ahmed Lahgrissi conceded the resulting penalty, and could do nothing with the second as Gyula Rákosi scored a wonderful free-kick to take the tie beyond the North African’s reach. Despite the defeat, Morocco returned home to a heroes welcome, as well as leaving a trailblazing memory on the finals – their success paving the way for a FIFA rule change on continental qualification.
[38]
Results
19 June Germany 2-1 Argentina
19 June Czechoslovakia 0-1 Soviet Union
19 June Brazil 3-1 England
19 June Hungary 2-0 Morocco
Semi-finals
The semi-finals paired hosts Germany with holders Brazil and the Soviets with the Hungarians, all of which were expected to be competitive games, though most expected Brazil to win through, and likely lift the trophy in Berlin.
The first semi-final was then a shock as Germany pulled off a counterattacking game plan to steal victory from the Brazilians. Germany, probably the fittest team at the tournament, absorbed endless Brazilian pressure, with Bernd Trautmann pulling off a superb double save to deny both Dico and Mário Lobo on the stroke of half-time. This would be as close as Brazil got, as Germany using a five-man defence and four man midfield, with Seeler as a lone striker, absorbed Brazil’s wave of pressure, before their superior fitness began to show in the second half.
[39] Germany’s winner, the only goal in the game, came from left-back Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who after winning the ball from Garrincha, broke forward, outpaced the tiring Djalma Santos and hit a first time cross perfectly for Seeler to tap home beyond the reach of Gilberto. Brazil were out and Germany were through, and expectation suddenly emerged in the bright Dresden sunshine.
In Hamburg, the Soviets proved too strong for Hungary, as the Hungarians finally bade (at the World Cup at least) farewell to the remaining members of the aranycsapat. The game itself, was not a classic as poor weather (the game being played in midst of one of the city’s many wet days) hampered both teams’ games. The Soviets, perhaps aided by having a younger side, scored in both halves, with Eduard Streltsov netting both goals – the match being a sad farewell for the largely anonymous Purczeld.
In the third place playoff, Brazil secured a 1-0 win over Hungary thanks to a Waldyr Pareira freekick – the game was his last for Brazil, as well as the last for Nilton Santos, while Sándor Kocsis and Gyula Grosics both played their final internationals for Hungary, giving the game something of a testimonial feel.
Results
22 June Germany 1-0 Brazil
22 June Hungary 0-2 Soviet Union
Third Place Playoff
24 June Brazil 1-0 Hungary
Final
As in 1958, 1962 would see a new champion. Germany, playing in their first final since 1938 (when they had also hosted) faced a Soviet side who were playing in the final for the first time. 1962 was the first time since 1938 itself that an all-European clash had been held, and while the Germans had shocked Brazil, their generally functional style of play had won them few friends.
[40] The Soviets, were more expansive than the Germans, but also unpredictable, and the clash was expected to be reasonably even.
The game, a re-run of their group stage match, was played at the Olympiastadion, to a full house, with, in perhaps an eery reminder of the 1938 tournament, a German military band performing the anthems of both sides.
[41] The game itself, began cautiously, with the Germans (having returned to a back four) looking increasingly nervous in the first half – indeed if wasn’t for a superb save from Trautmann to deny Valentin Ivanov, they might well have folded in the face of Soviet pressure. Gradually, though they grew into the game, and they were aided by an uncharacteristically error prone performance from Yashin, who had endured an inconsistent tournament.
His mistake in the 39th minute allowed Schnellinger to tap home for his only international goal, following a mix-up between Anatoli Maslyonkin and Leonid Ovstrovski – Yashin, perhaps anticipating a cross from the German left-back was left his near post unguarded and could only watch as the ball trickled past him. Despite the setback, the Soviets attacked again, with Streltsov hitting the bar from a corner just before half-time. It would be Germany’s second that killed the game as a contest however, as Willi Schulz won the ball back in his own half, hit a long pass to Hans Schäfer who centred the ball for substitute Peter Ducke to divert past Yashin, who had initially come out to collect the cross and was left stranded.
[42] With only five minutes left, the Soviets wilted and Germany passed the ball amongst themselves to secure an anticlimactic end to an anticlimactic tournament.
How then do we regard 1962? Certainly in terms of fitness and sports science, it can be argued that it is perhaps the first modern world cup, though the level of violence, brutality, cynicism and foul play it showcased to the world precludes it from being a truly great one. Allegations of doping, political interference in certain nations team selections and weak refereeing also undermined it, though these were not novel things in the history of the world cup itself. Perhaps then it’s best to remember 1962 for two things – Germany’s moment of joy, as a country scarred by two world wars finally emerged from the shadow of history to be remembered for something else, and Morocco’s sheer sense of triumph in defeating France and striking a victory for a continent often patronised, denigrated and viewed as a pawn in international geopolitics. It does say a lot about the overall quality, that no one remembers Germany’s direct, hard running team, but everyone remembers the joy of Brazil. Football, as in life, is seldom fair.
Result
25 June Germany 2-0 Soviet Union
[1] How non-aligned Germany’s foreign policy was during this period is up for debate however – while it maintained trade with the Soviet bloc, generally it aligned with Western interests internationally, and on defence had rebuilt strong relations with the UK, US and France.
[2] This didn’t, with the exception of several works based teams extend to formal ownership, but local sponsorship deals between companies such as Mercedes-Benz and the two local Stuttgart sides were a generally common occurrence, encouraged by the relatively pro-business coalition government of the Christian Democrats and Liberal parties under Chancellor Ernst Lemmer.
[3] Herberger took over from Otto Nerz after the 1938 world cup and remained in charge until 1942, when the national side ceased to play any matches. He was reappointed to the post in 1950.
[4] Koch, who had been one of the key founding figures in the Liberal Democratic Party, was elected President by parliament in 1948 and confirmed again in 1952 and 1956.
[5] Schön had also previously managed the Saarland national side, and was appointed as an assistant coach in 1956.
[6] With the exception of the eastern bloc, which remained officially amateur if de facto professional, and with the exception of Yugoslavia did not generally allow international transfers.
[7] In Europe at least – while highlights were more sophisticated than they had been in previous tournaments, for most fans outside of Europe, radio coverage and the press were still the main ways to follow the tournament. The development and mass expansion of satellite television would however transform the tournament into a televised exercise as much a sporting one.
[8] This arrangement drew protest from both confederations but both were hamstrung by their limited numbers of entrants: Africa had nine, while Asia’s initial eleven were whittled down to seven due to dropouts.
[9] While not fully independent, the self-governing British Caribbean territories had affiliated to the CCCF and FIFA during the late 1950s as part of Britain’s plans to grant independence for the region.
[10] CSF indifference ultimately scuppered the plans, but Mexico would, until the strengthening of the sport in the US and Canda, continue to look southwards for footballing development.
[11] The increasing violence in South American football increasingly mirrored the increasingly violent regimes that came to power across swathes of the continent as South American politics veered between the polarised world of the Cold War.
[12] Who upon gaining independence from Britian as a confederal republic in 1960 had fully affiliated to the UAEF and FIFA.
[13] The record of Italian clubs in Europe during this period is strong, though the strength of the Spanish sides meant they didn’t monopolise competition. However, between 1956 and 1962, A.C Milan won the European Cup twice, while Juventus triumphed over Tottenham in 1962. Fiorentina won the inaugural Cup Winners Cup in 1961 and were runners up in 1962, while Roma won the Federation Cup in 1961. Inter failed to triumph in Europe in this time, but were strong domestically.
[14] The successes of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham Hotspur in emulating United and doing the double in 1961, as well as their reaching the final of the 1961-62 European Cup saw the England side gradually refreshed, but the core of the 1958 side largely remained intact.
[15] Spain’s streak would be humorously referred to as The Curse of Francis Drake.
[16] Morocco, Tunisia and Libya in Group 1, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group 2 and Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa in Group 3.
[17] Eddie Firmani, South Africa’s best player during the 1950s and early 1960s would only appear sporadically for the national side following his move to Italy from Charlton Athletic in 1955. Of the overseas players, many of whom played for the South London side, Johanneson and Brian Tocknell would appear the most.
[18] India, Ceylon and Burma all withdrew following disagreements over travel costs, while Indonesia were forced to withdraw as the country sank into political instability.
[19] This paired Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong and the PRC and Japan and the ROC, the latter of which was a highly politicised tie.
[20] Mahjoub played for France at the 1954 World Cup and was one of the few Arab players to play overseas, playing the majority of his career in France.
[21] As with their earlier compatriots, all of those selected had previously played for their home nations, predominantly Argentina – the loss of several players to overseas clubs and the resultant ban is often cited as a key factor in Argentina’s dismal showing in the 1958 qualifiers.
[22] Trautmann, who had returned to Manchester City from Schalke in 1958 following a dispute with the club management over bonuses, had been a surprise choice to continue in goal with many expecting Borussia Dortmund’s Hans Tilkowski to be first choice.
[23] Ovtrovski, the only Baltic player in the squad (Igor Netto was of Estonian heritage but was born in Leningrad), remains the only Latvian to have played at the World Cup finals.
[24] Ebert, the son of leading social democrat Friedrich Ebert, was often touted as a possible chancellor, due to his role as a party chief in the east, but he instead largely preferred to remain Mayor of Berlin, which he did from 1948-1964. Diederichs, the compromise candidate in the SDP’s leadership election had pulled off a surprise election victory in 1961 over the CDU of Franz-Josef Strauss. The game itself coincided with a series of bilateral meetings over port access rights between the German, Polish and Soviet governments.
[25] 1962 was a tournament of innovations – Addas, who had partnered with the DFB had developed a ball based on a partnership with the Danish company Select had developed the 32-section ball designed by Egil Nielsen, which alternated black and white panels. While still made of leather, though less heavy than its forebears of the decade before, the lightness and pattern were speculated to add velocity to the ball, which made judging the speed of crosses more difficult for goalkeepers. The ball itself became the default symbol of a football and cemented Addas’s reputation as the pre-eminent sportswear and equipment manufacturer, much to the annoyance of rival RuDa.
[26] The coup, in contrast to previous juntas, established a new model of governance, based on the long-standing (if somewhat creaking) model of the
Estado Novo in Portugal and the rabidly anti-communist regime of Alfredo Stroessner in neighbouring Paraguay. The rise of dictatorships across the continent, funded by the United States, meant that by the end of the decade only Chile could still be regarded as a democratic state.
[27] These were largely due to a sizeable number of Argentine internationals being signed by Italian clubs for vast sums – due to AFA rules, they were banned from the Argentine national side, thus depriving Argentina of several of its best players. That these players then played for Italy further salted the wound – though while this had bubbled along in the background, the immediate root causes were two extremely violent games between Juventus and Racing Club in a friendly and the two national sides at the 1960 Olympics.
[28] Both would also change clubs after the tournament, with Hitchens moving to Torino and Edwards transferring to A.C. Milan. Jimmy Greaves, who had previously played for A.C. Milan had returned to Chelsea before the World Cup.
[29] Hopkinson, who had been first choice in 1958 remained England’s first-choice at 1962 despite press calls that Sheffield Wednesday’s Ron Springett should be number one.
[30] The goal would be his last at the world cup as well as for Hungary, though he would play his final international in a testimonial match against Spain in 1963.
[31] This reading was controversial at the time however, as many Sub-Saharan nations, several of whom were in the midst of independence struggles, viewed Morocco as an Arab nation first and foremost, as well as one that was too friendly with the former colonial power France. The result, a first win for Africa since Egypt’s in 1930, was nevertheless, still a genuine shock, and moment of joy in a tournament sorely lacking in them.
[32] Though given this quote came from an interview after Pareira had taken over as manager at Wydad Casablanca there may be some playing to the gallery.
[33] Brazil’s formation which had been a loose 4-2-4 in 1958 had morphed into what we would recognise as a broad 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, with Garrincha operating as an out-an-out winger, Dico dropping off Vavá as a second striker and Mário Lobo operating as a midfielder/winger hybrid, a role he had occupied four years earlier.
[34] The third goal and final goal was perhaps the goal of the tournament, as seven quick passes sent Djalma Santos bursting through to set up his namesake Nilton Santos who blasted the ball past the prone Georges Lamia.
[35] Roma was generally well-regarded as a goalkeeper, but his long run in the national side highlighted a lack of options available to successive national managers.
[36] The Soviets were, despite their own innovations with tactical formations (indeed there is an argument that the back-four as we know it was developed by Boris Arkadiev in the 1940s) still largely wedded to a W-M formation, though it was far less rigid than other versions.
[37] Byrne, who was England captain, was known for his phenomenal fitness and had set a record of 41 consecutive internationals for England, which is still unbeaten.
[38] Following the tournament, the FIFA Executive Committee agreed on a vote of 12-5 to give Africa and Asia a sole qualifying spot each.
[39] This should not be understood as a modern day 5-4-1 but something more akin to a refinement of Italy’s
luchetto system with a sweeper operating behind a back four, allowing a man to step up into midfield should the need arise, while the four-man midfield consisted of a player operating as an attacking midfielder behind a striker, two more defensive minded players (one with playmaking responsibilities, the other a stopper) and a shuttler.
[40] While defensive, the Germans were generally fair, having the best disciplinary record at the tournament.
[41] Much of the pomp and ceremony of the World Cup, including a formal opening ceremony and presentation of medals to both sides were introduced by the Nazis in 1938, and have, much like the Olympic torch been a fixture at the finals ever since.
[42] Ducke would become the first substitute to score in a world cup final