History of the FIFA World Cup- Reliving the English Glory, 1966
The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth World Cup, and was held in England. England was selected by FIFA in August 1960, to celebrate the standardization of football in England. England met West Germany in the final and won 4-2 in extra time, to lift the coveted for the first and (up till now the) only time.
It was a controversial World Cup from the start. Sixteen African teams boycotted the World Cup owing to FIFA’s ruling that the African champions would have to play either Asian champions or Oceania Champions to book a place into the tournament. The Africans argued that it was qualification enough to be the African champions. In all, ten teams qualified from Europe, with four from Latin America, and one each from Asia, North and Central America. An Interesting fact about this World Cup is that the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from an exhibition display. A dog named ‘Pickles’ sniffed out the trophy from under a bush in London, where it was wrapped in a newspaper.
The format of the World Cup was the same, 16 teams qualified and were divided into four groups of four. The top two from each group qualified and into the quarter finals. The 1966 World Cup was a low scoring one, with teams playing more defensively and strategically. The greatest upset was when North Korea defeated Italy 1-0 to qualify for the next round. In the quarter finals, Korea was all set to pull off another upset as they dominated Portugal 3-0 in the first half. Portugal however made the most incredible comeback of all time, when Eusebio scored four goals, and Jose Augusto scored one to make the score line 5-3.
Argentina met England in a crucial match, and came with its own set of controversies. The game is known as el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina; Antonio Rattin was sent off but he refused to leave the field, and had to be escorted by the police off the field. England scored the only goal of the game thirty minutes after Rattin was sent off. An all Europe semi final was seen for the first time, England defeated Portugal 2-1 while West Germany defeated USSR with the same score. Portugal defeated USSR for the third spot.
Wembley Stadium witnessed the final between West Germany and England. A total of 98,000 came to see this sporting extravaganza, and Wembley Stadium was jam packed. Only 12 minutes into the match, Helmet Haller put the Germans ahead. Four minutes later, England equalized thanks to Geoff Hurst’s strike. England then took the lead in the 78th minute owing to a goal from Martin Peters. England were all set to win the trophy when West Germany won a free kick in the dying moments of the match. The ball managed to pass the goal line when Wolfgang Weber poked it in, with England fans and players protesting for hand ball. The goal however stayed. The scores were level, which meant that the players had to endure another 30 minutes of extra time to decide a winner.
Hurst managed to score in the 98th minute when his ball hit the frame and bounced either past or on the goal line. The goal was allowed by the referee and England took the lead. The goal was known as the Ghost Goal, and only recently, using improved technology, it was discovered the goal was illegal, as it did not pass the line. Hurst then scored another in the last minute of the match, to win it for his team. The crowd could not control their emotions and stormed onto the pitch to celebrate. Geoff Hurst had won his for his nation, and is the only player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final. Queen Elizabeth II presented the recovered trophy to the new World Champions England. Hurst became an instant legend for his nation and is still remembered with highest of regards. Hurst was inducted in the English Football Hall of fame in 2004.
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