Delaunay's dream: A World Football Timeline

[ArupinumMaivista]

Delaunay's dream
A World Football Timeline

Henri Delaunay, who lived from 13th of June 1883 to November 9th 1955, is a relatively forgotten figure in the World of Football. And Perhaps for a good reason. He was a player, and later a referee, but not a manager. However, Henri was also a part of the French Football Federation. He was an administrator of the CFI since 1905, and later a secretary-general of the Football Federation from 1919 onwards. During his tenure, Football progressed from a sport that was played by amateurs in the Olympics, up until the fulfillment of Jules Rimet's dream of a world football competiton. But, Delaunay had a different dream. In 1927, amidst talks of Football breaking out of the Olympic Games, Henri Delaunay proposed for there to be a European Football Championship as well, with France hosting a tournament that would decide the finest Footballing team of the continent.

At first, there was hope that Delaunay's dream of such a competition would already take place already by 1928, but the Olympic Games were still a priority, and shortly after, in 1930, the deal was set for Uruguay to host the first World Championship of Football, with the finals taking place in the temple of Football in Montevideo. However, due to the Great Depression, there were immediately doubts of such a competition taking place, due to the expenses of travelling that would take place. Most notably, Jules Rimet had to persuade the Football Associations of Belgium, Romania, Yugoslavia and France to cross the pond and enter the event. Already, without a single ball being kicked, the World Cup was quastioned for its adequacy and financial gain, or in this case, loss. With just two months before the 1930 World Cup taking place, a meeting took place within the French Football Federation, once again discussing the proposal of a European Championship. With the costs of a World Cup being brought up, Delaunay argued for a much less costly competition taking place, this time in 1932, in response to the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles not holding a Football tournament. Finally, on the 11th hour, it was decided that two years after the Inaugural World Nations Cup - the first European Nations Cup would take place in France.

However, for now, Delaunay would have to wait as the World Cup of Football, the first of its kind, would take place in Montevideo.

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Greetings and welcome to Delaunay's Dream, my first attempt at a World Cup timeline, and one that will hopefully stick. This timeline will take a look at what would have been had Delaunay's initial attempts at a Euro Cup from the late 20s and early 1930s were actually successful, with the Frenchman living to see the competition grow. Along the way, the World Cup in itself will be another large focus, although I am also thinking of including other continental championships. Along with a Euro taking place in 1932, another initial change here is that the teams that originally withdrew from the 1930 World Cup will appear in this iteration, meaning that the Inaugural World Cup will take place in a 16 team tournament format, much like in the Olympics and the early World Cup in OTL.

And so, here are the upcoming matches for the 1930 World Cup:
Yugoslavia v Bolivia
Brazil v Egypt
Uruguay (H) v Siam
Romania v Peru
United States v Japan
Paraguay v Belgium
France v Chile
Argentina v Mexico

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1930 World Cup
"Montevideo, God Bless You!"

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In what was to become the first international World Championship of football, 16 nations embarked to the Uruguayan capital city of Montevideo for the inaugural tournament. While the European nations were probably more than unwilling to be here, someone had to represent the continent where the modern game originated. Elsewhere, Egypt came into the competition with a relatively skilled squad that achieved some respectable results in the Olympics two years prior, while Asia would have to lie its hopes on Japan and Siam, of which the latter had only played one international game before this competition [1]. Nonetheless, Uruguay were surely the overwhelming favourites to win the competition. Not only were they playing at home, but they were simply unbeatable in the Olympics that took place before the World Cup.

The round of 16 saw some expected results, like Uruguay's thrashing of Siam and the United States making quick work out of Japan, but the surprises were still there. France, the country that had practically proposed the idea of a World Cup of Football was shockingly knocked out by Chile, while Egypt managed to win against a Rio de Janeiro dominated side from Brazil courtesy to Mokhtar El Tetsh scoring three goals in the two matches combined. In the end, it was a less than desirable debut for Brazil. The match of the tournament however, was surely Argentina's match against Mexico. The Albiceleste faced off against the North American side in what became a 9 goal thriller, but one that Argentina decisively won thanks to hattricks by Stabile and Zumelzu, but Mexico did make history when Manuel Rosas scored the first ever penalty. The youngest squad in the tournament, Yugoslavia, managed a rather convincing 4-0 win against Bolivia, and the Blues had even become a rather popular team in Montevideo, earning the nickname "Los Ichachos" by the fans.

The moment when Guillermo Stabile scored against Mexico

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The Quarter-finals didn't dissapoint with the high-scoring games. Not at all. Uruguay continued their fine form when they walked all over Romania, capping off a 4-0 win against the Tricolores, who could at least be happy with their win against Peru in the previous match, while Egypt's little tale ended when Yugoslavia managed to pull off a squaky win when 20-year old Tirke Tirnanić scored in the 21st minute, thus helping the Blues enter the semis after they managed to hold off every attack done by the Egyptians. Although, perhaps they were lucky that the Egyptian team was still rather tired after their rematch with Brazil. Argentina also routinely beat Chile, with Stabile once again being one of the heroes of the match along with Mario Evaristo. Finally, the United States were able to squash Paraguay to earn their first entry in the semi-finals, after Fall River's own Bert Patenaude scored the country's first ever Hattrick.

Bert Patenaude's day of days

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Despite the gallant efforts done by Yugoslavia and America, there was simply no contest when the two countries ran into the favourites of the tournament. Indeed, both Uruguay and Argentina demolished their opposition, with an indentical score of 6-1, thus setting up an all-south American final. Although Argentina did lead 2-1 by the first halftime, but Uruguay's deadly attack came into life with Jose Cea and El Canario scored in less than 23 minutes, before the "One-Armed" Augustin Castro scored a 89th minute to finally have Uruguay win the first ever World Cup.

Fans invade the pitch as Uruguay are declared winners

And so, Uruguay (Rather predictably) become our first ever World Cup winners, while Yugoslavia scores their first ever piece of silverware. With Jules Rimet's gamble paying off, thanks to the 98 thousand fans being present for the Final and the stadiums being filled in general for every game Uruguay and Argentina played, it is likely expected that another World Cup will take place in four years. However, now it was Delaunay's turn, and in two years, the inaugural European Nations Cup will take place in where else but France.

[1] - Big thanks to Mildryth for giving me insight for some of the teams!

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1932 European Nations' Cup
"See you in Paris"
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Following the success of the 1930 World Cup, which had been an idea by Jules Rimet, his colleague Delaunay was now set to wait for the next two years for the supposed European Competition to take place. In the meantime, the news about the 1932 Olympics not hosting a football tournament of their own further encouraged the board at the French Football Federation that the future of football lied in professionalism and games taking place outside confines of the Olympics.

The question of who would host the inaugural European Cup did raise a couple of eyebrows though. The original plan was for the tournament to take place in Switzerland, right in front of FIFA as a supposed show of what the European Nations could do in response to Uruguay's success. However, those plans fell apart when it was decided that the Inaugural Nations Cup would take place in Geneva on July! The Nations Cup was a club tournament, and it was set to host the champions of Europe playing against each other. All of a sudden, Delaunay's dream seemed to be falling apart. That is, until an agreement was settled for France to host the tournament in Paris. It would only make sense after all, and Jules Rimet himself considered this a good solution for his home nation to host a prestigious tournament.

With France chosen as hosts in late 1931, it was apparent that the only way this tournament would take place was going to be by inviting other nations, a stunt the Uruguayan organisers had used only a year ago. Invitations came from all directions. First, there was a proposal to the English FA if the champions of the Home Nations Championship could participate, but it was quickly laughed off. Charles Sudtliffe, a member of the FA himself claimed that "the national associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have quite enough to do in their own International Championship which seems to me a far better European Championship than the one to be staged in Paris".

With that, Delaunay and the FFF turned their sights to the east, where they invited the champions of the Central European Cup - Italy. The Azzurri had previously won the competition back in its first iteration in 1930, and the ongoing season was seeing the Italians fighting with the Austrian team for the trophy. With that, there was a compromise reached. Italy would be invited as the champions of the inagural iteration of the tournament, while the champion of the 1931-32 iteration would get to play in Paris. This did cause problems though, as the initial schedule meant the Central European Cup would finish in August, and now it had to finish before mid-July. In the end, the football federations agreed, and finally - the third nation to be invited was Spain, as the Reds were seen as one of the finest sides in Europe, and they followed up on that prestige by being the first nation to beat England back in 1929.

Of course, questions were immediately brought up over the fact that out of all the regional champions, only the ones of Central Europe were chosen. The Baltic, Nordic and Balkans were all having their own competitions taking place, and protests were launched by several Football Federations, questioning the legitimacy of the European Championship. However, Delaunay's response only added more fuel to the fire, as he remarked how such nations did not have the excellance to participate in such a competition, despite the fact France was knocked out in the round of 16 in the World Cup, and Yugoslavia achieved bronze in that competition. Perhaps most embarassingly, Yugoslavia and Romania both played against France in June of 1932, and they won against Les Bleus, with Romania especially thrashing the French by winning 6-3. Practically all of the conditions for the tournament to be a disaster were here, from the clear favourisation of west-European teams, to the arrogance of the oranisers. Perhaps the only saving grace now would be if the tournament was entertaining.

Upcoming matches:
France v Austria
Italy v Spain

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1932 European nations' cup
"A rocky start"
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The inaugural Euro, despite the numerous amount of setbacks was finally here, with the tournament taking place in Paris. By now, a year had passed since the controversy over the favourisation of the Western European teams, and some had forgotten, but not all. Either way, the opening match in Stade Yves-du-Manoir, which was in itself practically France's national stadium back then saw the hosts line up with the Wunderteam, led by Hugo Meisl. The sold out stadium was booming with French pride, as Les Bleus set out to prove to Europe that they truly are the worthy hosts of Europe's first international tournament! The first half saw chances from both teams, but no goals in sight, but Austria came into the 2nd half with a mission, and Matthias Sindelar started the avalanche that soon led to Karl Zischek, Franz Weselik and Adi Vogl scoring, thus demolishing the French team with a 4-0 win. Just like that, the French had once again exited a tournament goalless and with a tail between their legs, while Austria's Wunderteam had cemented their absolute quality.

The Austrian Wunderteam shortly before the match

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On the other side of Paris, and on a much emptier Parc des Princes, Italy met with Spain for what would mark the start of a rather vicious football rivalry. The game was full of vicious tackling and foul play by both sides, combined with poor refereeing. Ricardo Zamora was especially unlucky as he had to take in the heaviest tackles by the Italians, but Spain was able to lead 1-0 until Italy equalised. The replay, which took place a day after, saw an equally brutal game take place, but one in which Italy prevailed thanks to Giuseppe Meazza and the fact Spain had to play without Zamora. With that, Italy had controversially placed themselves in the final of the cup. [1]

The scenes from the Italy-Spain match

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The final match would take place three days after that vicious game between Spain and Italy, with the exhausted Azzurri playing against the confident Austrians. The Italians did put up a good effort, with Giovanni Ferrari scoring the first goal, but Austria replied at the dying minutes, and the match entered extra time. From then on, the final only got more physical as Italy began to rely more and more on hard tackles to try and prevent the Whites from scoring, but no-one was going to stop Sindelar from flicking the ball into the net amidst a seemingly failed corner kick that was done by Schall. Gianpiero Combi couldn't stretch himself enough to stop the ball, and Austria ended up leading 2-1 with 10 minutes to go. Italy had no replies, and so - Austria was declared the first European champion. [2]

The moment Austria scored the match-winning goal

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And with that, the first Euro was over, while France had something to celebrate for as they managed to win against an exhausted Spanish side that was anything but ready for the cup. Perhaps embarassingly though, the 48,000 capacity Stade Yves-du-Manoir only had 15 thousand people present for the final, while Parc des Princes had even less. Just as some feared, the inaugural European Championship was not as successful as Denaulay hoped, and some members of the FFF quickly pointed fingers at him for the rather minute scale of this supposedly prestigious tournament, while other federations blamed the format that only featured four teams. For now, there are doubts if a new European Nations Cup would take place in the near future, but there was no time for that, as the federations prepared for the qualifiers of the 1934 World Cup.

Hugo Meisl and his team as they take the train for Vienna

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[1] - Props to Mildryth, Hawkaussie, MatthewFirth and NTF aka Seb for nailing the predictions!
[2] - The match between Spain and Italy is practically the same as the one that occurs in 1934

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1934 World Cup
"Swedish lobbying"
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Delaunay's rather dissapointing European Championship was quickly brushed aside by FIFA, who prefered to focus on their darling child known as the World Cup. Jules Rimet was content with the outcome of the previous tournament in Montevideo, especially since the stadium was filled for the final game as opposed to the Euro. Nonetheless, the question of who would host the following World Cup for 1934 proved to be a difficult one. Seeing how the 1930 iteration was held in South America, it would only make sense for this one to be set in Europe, and two options quickly emerged. On one hand, there was Sweden, and the other side was Italy, where Benito Mussolini himself was targeting this cup as a way to promote fascism and il Duce. Big promises were made, with the Italians promising to spend up to 3.5 million Lire, and the tournament was surely going to be a lot more packed as opposed to Sweden's small venues. However, the Swedish members of FIFA immediately started their own little plan, and it was by making a deal with Italy's representatives, along with speaking to the rest of FIFA. With a big budget like Italy's, perhaps the 1936 iteration of the European Championship would take place, but under the condition of the tournament expanding its format to feature more teams. The four team fiasco of 1932 was already quite controversial, and after a heated discussion, the Italians accepted the offer in exchange of Sweden hosting the World Cup. In the end, half of the 9 stadiums that were ultimately going to be used for the tournament were built from scratch, with the Rasunda stadium in particular being quite a big thing.

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However, controversy soon occured when the qualifying format for the World Cup was presented. Much to the outrage of the South Americans and the Asian teams - Europe had a whopping 8 groups, and the groups of three teams were even promised to let in two countries in the tournament. In a blatant show of Eurocentrism, it was clear that now only four non-european nations would get to play in this supposed "World" Cup, and many even joked that this tournament would resemble more of a Euro than the actual Euro, seeing with how many teams showed up from the said continent. Plenty of teams withdrew, and defending champions Uruguay made it clear that they would not show up for the competition following the small number of European teams showing up in Montevideo. Nevertheless, it was clear that these competitions would need some serious polishing for them to actually function like in the Olympics, which by themselves for now seemed like a better choice when it came to football. Good luck, Sweden, and good luck, FIFA.

Changes in this timeline:
1. As opposed to the OTL, Sweden gets to host the World Cup in 1934, which in return makes Italy's little propaganda move of our timeline much less effective, and will seriously affect the future hosts of this timeline.

Upcoming matches:
Italy v United States
Spain v Brazil
Austria v France
Hungary v Egypt
Czechoslovakia v Romania
Switzerland v Netherlands
Germany v Belgium
Sweden v Argentina

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1934 World Cup
"A chip of a lifetime"

Round of 16
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Opening in the Rasunda stadium, the 1934 World Cup started with Sweden playing against the 1930 runners-up. Despite Argentina making a phenomenal campaign in the previous tournament, the Albiceleste only brought an amateur squad to Sweden, and the Blagult made sure to completely stomp on the Argentines. A hattrick by Sven Jonasson followed after Ernesto Belis at first brought Argentina 1-0 via a magnificent free-kick, but the better-organised Swedes dismantled the Argentines in what was a highly entertaining match for the 37 thousand present fans. A similiar dismantling occured in the Olympia stadium at Helsingborg, where the superior Italian national squad comfortably won against the United States, with Angelo Schiavio scoring three splendid goals for the Azzurri. Only Chicago's Aldo Donelli could be considered as the Stars and Stripes' best player, while goalkeeper Julius Hyulian somehow managed to prevent a total disaster by defending several great chances by the Itailans. The debutants also played well, as all of them (Except for the Netherlands) managed to win their first official match at the World Cup. Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Switzerland all won their matches, with the Swiss having a relatively difficult time against the Dutch, but a header by Switzerland's captain Severino Minelli at the 109th minute of the match meant that the Nati just narrowly won, thus helping Switzerland record the first ever win in extra time at the World Cup. Egypt gave Hungary a run for its money in a 7-goal match, but the main sensation came when Spain outclassed the Brazilians. La Canarinha, who brought an entirely different squad compared to the 1930 tournament, were no match to the Spanish.

A moment from the Sweden-Argentina match

Quarter-finals
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The hosts continued their form, as Sweden managed to pull off a dramatic win over Germany in the dying minutes of the match, when Knutte Kroon scored the goal for 3-2, thus sending Sweden to the Semi-finals of the World Cup. The Swedes have truly shown that they were a force to be reckoned with, and the same result occured in Orebro, when Czechoslovakia held off Switzerland. Oldrich Nejedly managed to bring the Velvets 3-2 over the Swiss, even though the latter controlled the game for most of the second half. It was a well-balanced game, but one in which tactics prevailed. Austria, having at first beaten France once more, met with Hungary in what was a highly physical game, but the Austrians narrowly won after Hungary lost Imre Markos and Istvan Avar. However, that match wasn't even close in its brutality as what soon became known as the "Battle of Norrkoping". Following their match in the 1932 European Cup, Italy once again met with Spain, who had a bone to pick with them. In another highly contentious match, both sides once again did nasty tackles against each other, and football had seemingly taken a backseat in favour of a brawl. However, Spain managed to turn the game around for the 2nd halftime, even if la Roja had to play with 10 men. Beaten, battered, but not defeated. That's what the Spanish press claimed the very next day, as the Spanish finally managed to have their revenge on Italy.

The scenes from the Spain - Italy match

Semi-finals
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Spain's win against Italy proved costly, since the team was exhausted from the match, but so were the Austrians. In what ended up as the most entertaining match of the Cup - Austria and Spain exchanged 9 goals. Matthias Sindelar, Campanal and Josef Bican scored hat tricks, in a game marred by tactical mistakes by both teams. However, Hugo Meisl's boys managed to prevail when in the 87th minute - Josef Bican scored his third goal of the game, thus helping Austria win their match. By now though, the Austrians were entirely exhausted, and they would now have to wait and see who they will play against in the final. The second game of the semis took place only two hours later, in Helsingborg. The hosts were now meeting Czechoslovakia. Despite the Blagult scoring first, the Czechs quickly replied with goals by Oldrich Nejedly, who played his greatest individual match in the tournament to score three goals. Sweden's dreams of a final were crushed, but they still had a chance to take third place against an exhausted Spanish side.

The scenes from the eventful Austria - Spain match

Third place play-off
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Despite Spain's greatest efforts, and the return of Ricardo Zamora as the teams' goalkeeper, Spain was not able to win their match against Josef Nagy's Sweden, which with the help of Jonasson managed to take third place.

Sweden's team before the third place match

Final
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As the 35 thousand men, women and children rolled up in the Rasunda Stadium in Solna, the stage was set for what would be a true spectacle. Two of the countries that hosted the greatest clubs in Europe were now going toe to toe in a World Cup final. Hugo Meisl's Wunderteam against Karel Petru's Czechoslovakia. The match started well for both, as the two sides had plenty of chances, before Antonin Puč scored 1-0 for Czechoslovakia at the 71st minute. The Velvets held this lead from then on, as Czechoslovakia blocked every chance by the Wunderteam, and the match seemed to be over. But, Josef Bican replied after 10 minutes, with a powerful kick that had the ball fly its way past František Planička. 1-1 in the 81st minute, and the match soon enough reached extra time. Only five minutes passed before Hans Horvath surprised the Czechoslovaks to lead Austria to 2-1. The match was now flipped on its head, but Oldrich Nejedly then replied after only two minutes to score his 6th goal of the tournament. 2-2, and there were still 23 minutes of football to be played. As the match reached the 110th minute, the temperatures began to fall as the sun started to set, plumeting to 12 degrees celsius. With just three minutes to go, both teams were at a stalemate. Out of desperation, Jiri Sobotka found himself in the midst of the penalty area, took control of the ball and chipped it past Peter Platzer to score 3-2, sending the entirety of the Bohemian team into delirium! That chip in the end was enough, as Austria's players could not find a way past Czechoslovakia's stubborn defense, and Hugo Meisl tossed his hat on the ground as Ivan Eklind blew the whistle, signalling that the match was officially over. In a phenomenal finale, Czechoslovakia were crowned the champions of the world.

Oldrich Nejedly moments from scoring the first goal of the match

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Changes in this timeline:
1. With Sweden as hosts, the home advantage helps them reach 3rd place
2. Spain, having already lost to Italy in the Euros makes it their mission to beat the Italians, which they miraculously do
3. The final sees a close fight between Czechoslovakia and Austria. Both teams were highly rated during the mid 30s, but I reckon Czechoslovakia would've just abrely won because they wouldn't have as difficult opponents before the final, thus their players likely wouldn't have been as exhausted as the Austrians.

Following the World Cup, which in itself proved to be a highly successful event once again, the news soon came of Football returning to the 1936 Olympics, to the outrage of Delaunay. The Frenchman at first tried to have the Euro take place on June 1936, with a proposal for reigning champions Austria to host the competition, but the memories of the 1932 fiasco were still fresh in everyone's minds, and even when Hugo Meisl did propose an extended format that would hold 16 teams, Delaunay declined such a thought. Thus, no European Championship would be held in 1936. Football would have to wait until 1938, when the game flies from Solna to Buenos Aires. Adios.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1938 World Cup
"Anschluss"
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With Germany hosting the 1936 Olympics in Summer, there were doubts if the second European Nations Cup should even take place, especially as football was brought back to the prestigious games. Thus, talks began of 1940 seeing the second iteration of the tournament, with Italy being promised the hosting rights. For now, anyway.

The choice of Argentina hosting the 1938 World Cup came as a nuisance for the European presenters in FIFA. Most notably, Jules Rimet wanted France to host the world's most prestigious football tournament, but that 1932 European competition that he so wanted to forget was in the end used by the Argentines, who claimed how a same country should not host two tournaments in such a short amount of time. Despite the relentless politicking by the staff, the choice for the South American country to host the competition was followed with promise of making this exact tournament an even bigger event than the one of 1930. Most notably, the Argentines promised of constructing the new El Monumental in Buenos Aires by the time the tournament would take place, with a capacity of over 70 thousand. In the end, Rimet accepted, and the preparations were under way. Unlike the previous iteration of the World Cup, which saw 12 European nations participating in the event, the 1938 edition would see that number reduced to 11, courtesy to Egypt knocking out Romania in the qualifiers.

The seemingly usual suspects were to participate in the event, with the likes of Italy, Hungary, Brazil and Egypt entering the competition, along with reigning champions Czechoslovakia. Yet, the shock came on March of 1938, when the German Reich annexed the entirety of Austria, where the Nazi soldiers that were entering the country were met with great enthusiasm by the Austrian populus. The Anschluss rocked Europe, both politically and in sporting terms. The Wunderteam that had won the 1932 European Cup and reached the final of the 1934 World Cup was now gone, and many of its players were now taken to Germany, which had a rather forgettable run in the 1934 edition of the tournament. WIth the Wunderteam under its belt, the NSDAP expected the 1938 World Cup to be a show of Aryan force to the world, and a propaganda win for the Germans. With Austria gone, Norway was now welcomed to the competition, and it would join Poland, Cuba and the Dutch East Indies as the debutant. Unlike last time, Uruguay finally agreed to participate in the competition's qualifiers, but they were surprisingly beat by Brazil! Thus, the 1930 champions would not show up in the 1938 World Cup.

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Participating teams

Pardon for the inconsistent schedule, folks, but we are very close to finally finishing the 1930s of the Delaunay's dream, and in what better way than to finally give Argentina its World Cup which was given to France in the OTL. Politics might be taking over sports in this period, but surely the 1938 World Cup will give us something to cheer for. Staying close to the 1937 Copa America's results, Brazil manages to beat Uruguay in the World Cup qualifications group to qualify for the competition, while Norway is given a spot after Austria's annexation. Without further a do, here are the upcoming matches:



Italy v Norway

France v Belgium

Brazil v Poland

Czechoslovakia v Netherlands

Hungary v Dutch East Indies

Switzerland v Germany

Sweden v Argentina

Cuba v Egypt

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1938 World Cup
"A monumental occasion"

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The opening of the tournament, held in the new and breathtaking Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, saw a festive atmosphere that was reminiscent of the 1930 World Cup in Montevideo. The loud Argentine crowd of 78 thousand that was present for Argentina's inaugural match at its greatest stadium. The opponent just so happened to be the one team that knocked them out of the competition four years ago - Sweden. The loud cheering and the game provided by the Albiceleste in the end brought the Swedes to their knees, and the hosts used their advantage of playing at their home turf to beat the Blagult 3-1. France had a good start as well after routinely beating Belgium 3-1, as did Egypt and Hungary. Norway surely gave Italy a run for its money, as the Vikings managed to hold off the Azzurri for the entirety of regular time before Silvio Piola's 94th minute goal. Switzerland played anti-football as they ran into the German national team, now fielding the players that once played for Austria. Even then, Switzerland managed to pull off a miracle, as they managed to win 4-2 in the replay, thus embarassing the German team even more, while it looked like the Austrians liked to play against the Germans even as teammates. Czechoslovakia had a similairly difficult time with the Dutch, but extra time saw a Goleada by the Velvets, as the defending champions filled the Oranje's net with three goals. Then again, that match didn't even come close to the spectacle that was the match between Brazil and Poland. The debutants from Europe looked to be out of it as the Brazilians scored four times, but Ernst Wilimowski was on a monstrous form that day, and he scored four goals of his own to keep Poland alive. After a hard-fought battle, the Brazilians only managed to snatch a victory when Leonidas scored on the 105th minute. With 11 goals scored, the Poland-Brazil game is certainly the most momentous, entertaining match in World Cup history, at least by 1938, and the Argentines immediately deemed it as the match of the tournament.

Poland's team before their wild game with Brazil

Quarter-finals​

The quarter-finals saw the Brazilians once again pull off an incredible win. Over at Mar de la Plata, the Canarinha met with Czechoslovakia for the second round of the competition. The un-fancied Latin Americans would in the end play rigorously against the Europeans, with three players being sent off in what would in the end become the 'Battle of la Plata'. In the end, the Brazilians won the match in the replay, firmly knocking out the reigning champions out of Argentina. Another enticing game proved to be the one between France and Italy. Le Bleus were hopeful that they could make a splash against the Blackshirt-wearing Italians, who were very much supported by the Italian minority that lived in Argentina. In the end, that support proved useful, as Silvio Piola once again made the difference and scored a brace that helped Italy win by 3-1 against the French. The Swiss, who made that sensation against Germany possible via a style that would soon become known as Catenaccio hoped to pull of another miracle as they ran into Hungary, who were fresh from demolishing the Dutch East Indies 6-0. Despite their best efforts though, the Swiss only managed to keep the scoring low for so long until Gyula Zsengeller sealed the game with a beautiful long range shot. The hosts meanwhile had a rather difficult game, as they met with the Egyptians at Rosario. James McCrae prepared his boys for a tough game, and he wanted to make it as difficult for the hosts as possible, and he did so when Abdulrahman Fawzi and Mostafa Taha each scored for Egypt. The Argentines still managed to make a comeback, but not without breaking a sweat.

The Italians in their Black shirts

Semi-finals​

Just like in 1930, the semi finals saw two South American teams, now paired with two European teams. Yet, the hot temperature and the noise of the crowd didn't seem to impress the Hungarians, who led a brave game against the hosts. Even though Boca Junior's Roberto Cherro did bring Argentina level with Hungary by the 72nd minute, Gyula Zsengeller once again found a moment of brilliance by netting another beautiful goal in the dying minutes of the game, thus sending the Magyars to the final. Over at La Plata on the other hand, the confident Brazilians had finally met their match, as the Italians used their highly defensive and tactical style of play to choke the Brazilian offense. Romeu did manage to score a consulation goal in the 87th minute, but it was not enough to galvanise the Brazilians, who were still one goal short from the Itailans.

Brazilian captain Martim jumping for the ball

Third place play-off
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The third place match proved to be the most heated one, as the Argentines met with their rivals Brazil for the first time at the World stage. In a highly contentious match, two players were sent off while the rest of it only saw foul after foul whenever a player would touch a ball. In the end though, Vincente de la Mata managed to lead his country to its second piece of silverware, as he took the matters into his own hands and two goals in extra time. The Brazilians though lit up the tournament with their free-flowing and highly offensive style of play, and their players were awaited with great enthusiasm by the fans back in Brazil. Argentina also had something to celebrate, having beaten their greatest rival.

The Argentinian players before the match

At El Monumental, in front of over 70 thousand spectators, the first ever all-European final in an American continent began at the evening, right as the sun began to set over the horizon of Buenos Aires. The soaring temperatures cooled down, and the Italians began their match with Hungary. Immediately at the 6th minute, Gino Colaussi opened the scoring for the Azzurri, followed by Pal Titkos only two minutes later. But that was as close as the Magyars would get to the Italians before Silvio Piola scored for 2-1. After that, it was smooth sailing for Italy, as it extended the lead over Hungary over the course of the match. In the end, Italy won 4-2 to win its first World Cup, in the middle of Buenos Aires.

Vittorio Pozzo and his team celebrating their World Cup triumph

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And so, the 1930s end with the victorious Italians in El Monumental. Despite Argentina's best efforts, all that the hosts could pull off in the end was a third place against their bitter rivals. While noone knew at the time, football and sports in general would take a back seat only a year later, when mankind indulged in the sport it had enjoyed the most throughout its history - War. Tune in next time for the 1950 World Cup, which would see it return to a destroyed Europe, but in a country that had come out of the 1940s unscathed from the horrors that had ruined the continent.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1950
"Swiss neutrality"​

Following the 1938 World Cup in Argentina, talks for the 1942 World Cup took place, with the prime candidates being France and Germany. Jules Rimet pushed for the World Cup to be held in his home country, but after a lenghty discussion, it was settled that Germany, having already held the 1936 Olympics, had the perfect venues for a World football tournament. However, in 1939, everything would change as the German troops crossed the border to Poland. The World had once again descended into war. 6 years would pass, and what left was a ruined Europe, a scarred Asia, and t he unscathed American continents. The fallout of the war had changed the face of the World, and the following decades would show the aftermath. It would take a long time for Europe to recover, as communism was placed in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania and Poland. Only Czechoslovakia was left unscathed [1], as the republic was surrounded with red. Germany was now split into occupied zones, and its football federation was outlawed from FIFA. It would take until 1948 for the German republic, now stripped of its imperial territories, to unite as a federal state.

​

Yet already in 1946, FIFA held its first meeting since the outbreak of the war, with discussions taking place just where the World Cup could take place. Germany was now out of the question, and France was in ruins. Thus, FIFA looked elsewhere for a host that wasn't affected by the war. That just happened to be Switzerland. The small confederation had remained neutral throughout the conflict, and the Swiss FA agreed to host the World Cup, but in 1950, as opposed to FIFA's proposal of the tournament taking place in 1949, in order for the Wankdorf stadium to be remodelled. FIFA accepted, and Switzerland was now due to host the 1950 World Cup.

The venues for the 1950 World Cup

​

The qualifying process was to be the same as it had been for the previous two World Cups. The qualifiers would feature groups, with 11 entries for the European teams, and an automatic qualification for the host and reigning champion. Finally, after lifting their self-imposed resignation from FIFA, the British home nations were for the first time qualifying for a major international football tournament. England and Scotland both qualified, thus making their debuts along with Ireland, which operated under a united FA despite the country being split, Turkey and India, which made a respectable campaign in the 1948 Olympics. However, FIFA had to impose a rule so their players would not play barefoot. Yugoslavia had finally come back to the tournament after a 20 year absence, and so did Mexico. Spain was back in the competition, but now under the banner of the Francoist regime, and United States made their comeback after not qualifying for the 1938 tournament. Uruguay was finally back after boycotting the previous two cups, but the major absentee was Argentina! The previous host and the team that finished 3rd in 1938 withdrew from the qualifiers after being drawn with Brazil, with whom their FA had a dispute. [2]

Changes in the timeline:
1. The Czechoslovak communist coup fails, which leads to the country being the only Eastern-European state to remain as a liberal democracy. This in itself is a part of a timeline of mine regarding club football
2. Germany unites as one federal republic. This in itself is a part of a timeline of mine regarding club football, where the East German clubs play in the Bundesliga
3. Scotland, India, Turkey and France do not withdraw from the WC, while Ireland accepts the invite due to the WC being in Europe, which wouldn't be as costly as a trip to Brazil

Upcoming matches:
Switzerland v Brazil
Yugoslavia v Mexico
Belgium v Italy
Sweden v India
United States v England
Spain v Ireland
France v Scotland
Uruguay v Turkey
Note:
I am sorry if the changes are nonsensical, but politically, this is in itself a timeline where communism doesn't take entire control of Eastern Europe. Again, it probably sounds nonsensical, and I sadly don't exactly know how else to describe the timeline, and it doesn't help English is my third language, but in club football aspects, it leads to a significantly different landscape.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1950 World Cup
"A miracle in Bern"​

The 19th of June 1938 was the last time that a football was kicked in anger, and 12 years and 5 days later, it was kicked for the first time since the World Cup finale held in Estadio Monumental. Thousands upon thousands Swiss onlookers gathered up in Bern to watch the inaugural match of the 1950 World Cup take place, and it would see the hosts - Switzerland play against the reigning champions of South America. Indeed, Brazil looked better than ever as the all-white-wearing players gathered up to play against the hosts. The 1950 World Cup could finally begin, and Jules Rimet watched on with the Brazilian delegates, while his colleague Henri Delaunay held talks with others. He himself was brewing something in the background, but the noise of the crowd drowned out about what he was talking about with the English FA's chairman Amos Hirst.

The Brazilian starting XI for the first match

Round of 16​

The opening match was a thriller, with Brazil's Alfredo opening the scoring on the 3rd minute, but Jacques Fatton made himself into a Swiss hero as he levelled the scoring on the 88th minute, and the stubborn Swiss defence helped the Rossocrociati stay in the game all the way through extra time. Thanks to the match staying as a 2-2 draw, the Swiss were able to play once again against Brazil in a replay, but Ademir managed to put any idea of an upset to rest as he scored on the 79th minute. Despite Switzerland's gallant efforts, the Brazilians had prevailed, but that opening match already turned out to be a massive success thanks to the over 60 thousand present fans at the Wankdorf stadium. Yugoslavia also made quick work of fellow returnees Mexico, as a largely Dinamo-led side filled Mexico's net. Željko Čajkovski was particularly in good form, and the Blues quickly gained a new title by the press. The Yugoslavs were no longer the Los Ichachos, now they were the Brazilians of Europe.

Brazil's fellow Southern Americans, Uruguay, routinely beat newcomers Turkey, as Oscar Miguez and Pepe Schiaffino in total contributed to 5 goals. India wasn't any better, as the Asians, who frankly made a decent showing in the 1948, were simply out of their depth when paired with the Swedes. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament was the poor showing by the Home Nations. England, Scotland and Ireland all lost their first ever World Cup matches, and all of them crashed out of the tournament in more embarrassing fashion than the last. Ireland never had a chance against Spain, and La Roja comfortably placed themselves in the quarters. Scotland, expecting snow and low temperatures in Switzerland, had its players showing up with cotton vests, and they were already sweating while the anthems were still being played. Thus, France made easy work of the poor Scots, but that still wasn't seen as bad as what England endured. The favourites of the World Cup, who had just recently beaten the World XI, lost to the American National Team, in what was the first time the English team was ever beaten by a non-European side. Such an upset was completely uncalled for, and the Home Nations crashed out of the round of 16 with a total of 10 conceded goals.

The US players celebrating following their upset victory against England

Quarter-finals
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The quarter-finals were nowhere near as dramatic as what had occurred in the last 16. However, that didn't mean the matches were poor. The South Americans blistered the stage, as Uruguay pulled off a memorable comeback victory against France, while Brazil played a tense match with Yugoslavia. Both teams had plenty of chances, and the Yugoslavs managed to take the game into extra time thanks to a solid defence and a goal by Stjepan Bobek. However, Zizinho scored for A Canarinha on the 93rd minute, and Brazil led from then on. Italy was rather narrowly beaten by Sweden, and the same occurence happened with the United States as the Spanish battered them 3-1.

A moment from the USA-Spain match

Semi-finals​

Entering the semis, two South American teams would face two European teams. Uruguay played first, and the Spaniards proved to be a tough nut to crack. Alcides Ghiggia scored 1-0 for Uruguay on the 29th minute, but the Spanish turned the result in their favour after only 10 minutes, and that's how it would be for most of the match, with Spain defending its lead until Obdulio Varela levelled the scoring. A stalemate ensued, and a replay was in order. Unfortunately for La Roja, that would be as far as they could go, as Oscar Miguez scored twice to help Uruguay enter its first World Cup final since 1930.
On the opposite side, Brazil had an easy time with Sweden. The canary flew as the All-Whites scored 7 times against the Swedes. Ademir in particular made himself into a hero as he scored four times. Brazil had already shown that they were able to play against the big teams in 1938, but the 7-1 massacre of the Swedes ensured that it wasn't a fluke, and the Brazilians were entering the final with overwhelming confidence.

The Brazilian side moments from scoring against Sweden

Third place play-off​

In a repeat of the 1934 World Cup, Sweden was once again meeting with Spain for the 3rd place play-off. And just like in 1934, Sweden managed to pull out a victory against the tired Iberians for their second piece of silverware. Sundqvist, Mellberg and Palmer each scored during the match to make Blagult unreachable for the Spanish, and only Telmo Zarra managed to score a consulation goal for Spain.

Sweden's players before the 3rd place match

World Cup Final​

Over 64 thousand folks, probably unofficially even more, squeezed into the renovated Wankdorf Stadium for the World Cup final between Uruguay and favourites Brazil. Indeed, the Brazilians have made themselves into fan-favourites during the tournament with their attacking football, and they were expected to squash the Uruguayans, since the fellow South Americans struggled against Spain. The opening minutes were relatively calm, with both sides not exactly trying anything risky. Once the second half began, Brazil's Friaca finally saw an opening, and his goal sent the expected champions 1-0 over Uruguay. However, Uruguay equalised and then, with just over 11 minutes left to play, went ahead 2–1 when Alcides Ghiggia squeaked a goal past Moacyr Barbosa. In a stunning fashion, the Brazilians managed to let victory slip from their hands. And so, Uruguay were once again champions, after 20 years.

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*Note: Typo in the final section. The World Cup final is held in Bern

Uruguay's victory against Brazil was soon enough deemed as a miracle by the press, while the dissapointed Brazilians could only hope that the next time the World Cup would be held, which coincidentally would be held in Brazil, that it would be their time to shine. As for Henri Delaunay, he managed to finally reach an agreement with FIFA, Jules Rimet and the English FA to organise the first European Nations Cup after 20 years, and it would just so happen to take place in England. The country which had just hosted the Olympics in 1948 would now bring back the European Cup after a long, long absence. Next time, we're seeing the 1952 European Nations Cup with four teams qualifying for the tournament: England, Scotland, Hungary and Austria

​

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1952 European Nations Cup
"Football comes home"

​

Amidst the buildup to the 1950 World Cup, Henri Delaunay used his time to pay a visit to the English FA, following its return to FIFA after the war. The 1948 Olympics in London by itself were a massive success, and Delaunay wanted to finally bring the European Cup back from its slumber. After some lobbying, and even begging, a deal was finally reached for football to come to the Home Islands. England, along with Scotland, would now host the returning European Cup, and the two nations saw it as a fantastic opportunity to show their supremacy in the sport.

However, things did not go according to plan, just like in 1932. Sweden, Yugoslavia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands refused to participate, with Sweden's withdrawal in particular being annoying to the organisers due to the Blagult winning the 1948 Olympics, while the rest still saw the 1952 Olympics as the main priority. Nonetheless, Delaunay, along with English FA chairman Amos Hirst managed to invite two quality nations to the tournament - Austria and Hungary. Austria, having been readmitted to FIFA following the war, was still a strong side in Europe, while Hungary was seemingly on the up with a promising generation of players like Zoltan Czibor, Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis. The organisers deemed them as suitable rivals for England and Scotland, and the venues promised for a footballing spectacle. Both Wembley and Hampden Park were brought in, while Old Trafford in Manchester and Easter Road in Edinburgh looked like good warm-up in the semis.

Semi-finals​

Just as predicted, both Old Trafford and Easter Road were sold out, with fans flocking in to see the supposed "Best of Europe" play it out for a new and fresh Trophée de l'Europe. England faced off with Austria, while Scotland was going to see if Hungary really was the real deal. In fact, the Magyars were the real deal. Already by the 26th minute, Hungary led 2-0 thanks to "Cucu" Bozsik, and the Hungarians were relentless in their attack as they remained a constant threat to the Scots, with Nandor Hidegkuti scoring in the 44th minute to make it 3-1. Bobby Johnstone did slim down the scoring at the 46th minute, after a brace that made the public stand up, now that it was 3-2, but Sandor Kocsis finished the game in the 89th minute. It was 4-2, but Scotland gave it her all. Unfortunately, Hungary was too strong.

A young Tommy Ring outsmarting goalkeeper Gyula Grocics

​

England on the other hand, had to play against the Wonder team of the continent - Austria. Nat Lofthouse was the first to score, with a brilliant shoot in the 27th minute to put England up 1-0, only for Adolf Huber to level the scoring one minute later thanks to a penalty. Indeed, the first half of the match ended up seeing three goals in a span of only three minutes, as Jackie Sewell put England in the lead once more. From then on, it was a slog. Robert Deinst made it 2-2 just before the half time, and the second half only proved to be filled with rough play, as opposed to the phenomenal first 45 minutes of the match. In the end, Lofthouse made himself into the hero of the game, as he sent the Old Trafford into ecstacy in the 83rd minute. England Blazed away into victory, and were now keen on playing on the United Kingdom's biggest stadium smack-dab in the middle of Glasgow, much to the annoyance of the Scots.

Nat Lofthouse (left) during the second goal

Third place match and final
​

Unfortunately for Scotland, not even a crowd of over 90 thousand could lead the poor dark-blues to victory, as Ernst Melchior silenced Wembley at the 26th minute. The Scots didn't manage to recover from that early shock, and Austria was available to achieve a 3rd spot in the Euro. Now, it was time for Hampden Park. In front of almost 130 thousand spectators, the Three Lions stepped onto the pitch to face off against the Hungarians. The Kings of football against the Magyars, and a trophy at stakes. In a shocking turn of events, Nandor Hidegkuti immediately caused an upset, scoring in the very first minute. England was shaken, but not stirred, and Jackie Sewell returned the favour 12 minutes later. Things seemed to be repeating just like in the game against Austria, but Sewell's goal only opened the floodgates, as the Hungarians began to intensify their attack. By the 27th minute, it was 4-1 for Hungary. Ferenc Puskas, at the tender age of 25, scored two goals in only three minutes, while Hidegkuti added one more for himself. For every English attempt, Hungary had an answer, with only a moment of brilliance by Stan Mortensen bringing some hope for the host by the end of the first half. 4-2 for Hungary, in the middle of Hampden Park. This was not going to be pretty. Nonetheless, England tried to apply pressure in the second half, but Hungary's 3-2-3-2 formation made the Three Lions looked lost in the midst of the game, and Boszik capitalised on that by bringing Hungary into an unreal lead of 5-2. 5-2! No-one could believe it, but England looked utterly outplayed, and with a blink of an eye, it was suddenly 6-2. Hidekguti completed his hat-trick. Alf Ramsey could only score a consolation goal as Hungary had managed to make England's attack useless, and the match ended with an incredible 6-3. Hungary had beaten England at home, in what was undoubtedly the match of the century.

The Hungarians celebrate as the score for 6-3

​

In the aftermath of the tournament, the British press quickly noted the entertaining matches that occured from the Old Trafford to Hampden Park. The winning, as well as the loosing sides all played phenomenal football, and the revenue gained by the sold-out stadiums made this European Tournament leagues more profitable than the original outing in 1932. England and Scotland were both now certainly pushed lower in the footballing pedigree, while Hungary capped off the year with gold in Helsinki. That 6-3 win was no fluke - the Hungarians truly were mighty.

A special thanks to QTXAdsy for helping me out with selecting the venues and added insight for the teams like Scotland. The 1952 Euros, which in themselves were to be the last time Henri Delaunay would get to see his tournament in motion was a massive success, but the 1954 World Cup was going to be as much of a test now, for Hungary; Austria; Scotland and England. Set under the blazing sun in Maracana, the 1954 World Cup in Brazil will see further change for the game. Can England recover from this upset? Can Hungary carry on with this magnificent form? And finally, can Brazil achieve a historic home victory?

These are the following groups
Group 1: Brazil (host), France, Mexico, Yugoslavia
Group 2: Germany, Hungary, Korea, Turkey
Group 3: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Scotland, Uruguay (holders)
Group 4: England, Chile, Italy, Paraguay

Authors note: I have decided to include introductions to World Cups in the posts that will also contain the results, so feel free to let me know who you see going through in this group stage. As for the changes; with this World Cup taking place in a South American country, and Uruguay being champions, both Chile and Paraguay get to participate after a long, long absence. Two teams go through per group, and a knockout stage will then follow. Until then, see you in the 1954 World Cup - Taca de Jules Rimet!

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1954 World Cup
"The sun always shines in de Janeiro"

​

Having been unanimously decided as the host of the 1954 World Cup, Brazil was expected to put up a show like no other. The Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro in itself was going to dwarf every stadium that had hosted the World Cup in the past. Montevideo, Wankdorf, El Monumental; they were all tiny when compared to the beautiful, yet monstrous Maracana, and its capacity of 200 thousand. It felt like the whole world was watching the game. No doubt, the 1954 World Cup was surely going to be the biggest sporting event of the decade.

It all looked set for what was surely going to be the most splendid World Nations Cup of Football, but controversy did not escape the tournament. Due to the costly nature of hosting such an event, the organisers proposed a new format. A pool format. The 16 participating teams were to be divided into four pools, each containing four teams. Every team was guaranteed to play three games, and the leading two teams would then qualify for the knockout phase which had been a staple of the World Cup, though now reduced to the quarter-final. FIFA, as always, resisted such a proposal, but quickly changed its mind once Brazil threatened to back out from hosting the tournament. Thus, the 1954 edition of the tournament would see a new first in form of the group stage. No proper geographical basis was counted in the seeding and drawing procedure, thus Chile would have to play with their old mates Paraguay back in group 4.

As for the teams, Argentina once again refused to participate, since its FA was in the middle of a dispute with the Brazilians, while Paraguay and Chile made their returns to the WC after a 24 year long absence. Czechoslovakia, having failed to qualify in the previous tournament, was now back with Laszlo Kubala as their best player after defecting from Hungary. Speaking of which, Hungary was now the first country from the communist block to play in the World Cup, and their recent performances in the Euros and the Olympics automatically made them as one of the favourites along with Brazil and England. Having been outlawed in the previous tournament, and only having the DFB reestablished in 1949, Germany was finally back in the World Cup, now with the likes of Helmut Rahn, Max Morlock and Fritz Walter. Austria was back as well, following its promising 3rd place in the 1952 Euros, along with Scotland, England and Hungary. Perhaps the biggest unknown of the tournament was Korea. Having dominated the qualifying phase against Japan, perhaps they could make a splash in their debut.

Ferenc Puskas shaking hands with Korean captain and Pyongyang native Cha Young-gwang

Group Stage​

Group 1

Under the scorching sun at Maracana, in front of over 80 thousand people, Brazil opened the tournament in style by demolishing Mexico 4-0. A Canarinha, now with a fresh yellow-blue kit showed extra class with a breathtaking style of football, while Yugoslavia made a good start with a squeaky 1-0 win against France. Indeed, Les Bleus were once again overwhelmed, and not even a win against Mexico ensured a trip to the quarters as Brazil slammed them with 2-0. In the end, the decisive match for 1st place was to be shared between Yugoslavia and Brazil, but not even the prowess of Vladimir Beara and Bernard Vukas could stop the hosts, as the overwhelmingly loud Torcida over at the Maracana contributed in Brazil's eventual triumph against the Blues of Yugoslavia. Unknowingly though, Bernard Vukas was inspired by the fans of Brazil, and he quickly spread the word back in Split after the tournament...

Group 2

The reigning champions of Europe made a dazzling return to the World Cup, as they scored 24 goals in the Group stage alone. Indeed, the Mighty Magyars, inspired by the likes of Gyula Grocics, Tibor Nyilasi, Ferenc Puskas, Nandor Hidegkuti, Zoltan Czibor and Sandor Kocsis completely demolished the competition, first by destroying Korea 9-0, before running circles around the returning Germans in a 8-3 performance. Despite that overwhelming defeat, Germany did recover to finish 2nd in the group, with Turkey as the best of the rest. However, Hungary was weakened when Puskas suffered a fracture, and the Hungarians would now have to play without his goalscoring prowess.

Group 3

The reigning champions began their campaign comfortably, as poor Czechoslovakia quickly collapsed into the punching bag of the group. Indeed, the Velvets failed to score a single goal, and their 5-0 loss against Austria especially hurt. However, Austria's win against Czechoslovakia, and the subsequent draw with Uruguay meant nothing when Scotland, fresh from that embarrassment at Wembley, triumphed with a glorious 4-1 win against the whites. Inspired by the Hibs' "Famous Five" that featured Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly and Gordon Smith, Scotland showed that it had a team that was capable of achieving great results when it mattered.

Group 4

Scotland's neighbours made a similar impression, as England dominated the group along with a rejuvenated Italian team. Both made quick work of Chile and Paraguay, with the latter at least managing to celebrate a win against their fellow South Americans. With both England and Italy being tied on points, a play-off would have to decide just who of the two teams would get to sit on the throne of the group. At Belo Horizonte, a rather sizable crowd gathered up as England put up a stellar performance again Italy, with the Three Lions bashing the Azzurri 3-1 thanks to Dennis Wilshaw and the Lion of Bolton - Nat Lofthouse.

Changes in this timeline: Three games are played in this TL as opposed to the IRL, where the 1954 WC had a group stage that had 2 games played by each team. With Czechoslovakia remaining democratic in this TL, Laszlo Kubala remains there instead of going to Spain. Scotland, without wearing cotton vests, puts up a brave effort in their group, with a win against Austria based on their win in 1955.

The upcoming matches for quarter-finals are:
England v Scotland
Hungary v Yugoslavia
Uruguay v Italy
Brazil v Germany

Some great matches are here. Scotland v England, Hungary v Yugoslavia. This will be fun!

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1954 World Cup
"The agony of Maracana"

Quarter-finals
​

In the first ever such occurence in the history of the World Cup, Scotland was meeting its "Auld enemy", England. Both put on a splendid show for the 20 thousand spectators, with Tommy Ring and Dennis Wilshaw being the stars of the show. Both teams had chances throughout the first half, with England staying ahead of Scotland as the whistle was being blown, and Wilshaw also putting the Three Lions in the lead by the first minute. By the second half, Ring brought down the gap to 3-1, and Scotland began to believe in a comeback, but Wilshaw silenced the Tartans with a fine brace that put England two goals ahead of their neighbours. In the end, the match was only a prelude for what would happen throughout the knockout phase.

Dennis Wilshaw jumping for his 1st minute goal

​

A regional derby was then followed by another one. This time, it was the two forces of Eastern Europe meeting for a rematch of the 1952 Olympics. Hungary was probably even stronger than it was back then, while Yugoslavia was built up on its domestic champions of the past few years. It was going to be Gyula Grosics vs Vladimir Beara; Bernard Vukas vs Nandor Hidegkuti and Stjepan Bobek vs Sandor Kocsis. Both were formidable teams, and the crowd over at Belo Horizonte were given a splendid match as Hungary and Yugoslavia exchanged goals. For a moment, it looked like the Blues had the upper hand courtesy to the absence of Ferenc Puskas, but the Mighty Magyars managed to even the odds, and with some unfocused defending from Yugoslavia, managed to win the highly contested match. Once again, Yugoslavia crashed out of the quarter-finals, for the second time in a row.

Vladimir Beara being outsmarted by Hidegkuti

​

Uruguay was arguably going to have its first proper test in the tournament since their encounter with Austria in the preliminary stages, with the Italian squad still featuring the Grande Torino generation, even if its players were by now playing their final minutes of football. Nonetheless, Italy gave Uruguay's players a run for their money, as the stubborn Uruguayan attack was countered with a stern Italian defence. Even then, Juan Hohberg finally found an opening past Valerio Bacigalupo, ensuring that the greatest achievement of this generation of Italy would only be a quarter-final in this and the previous World Cup. Mannaggia, Italia.

Uruguay's team before their match of attrition against Italy

​

The hosts were on paper given the easiest possible opponent for the quarters, but Germany did not come to this World Cup just to be embarrassed. Despite A Canarinha eventually winning the match thanks to Djalma Santos and Julinho's genius, Germany put up a brave fight against the Brazilians with an attacking style of play. Fritz Walter and Max Morlock both came close to equalising during the 90 minutes that were being played, but only Helmut Rahn managed to score for the Mannschaft, although by the end, many thought that Germany could've scored more than just a consolation goal.

The hosts before their match with Germany

Semi-finals
​

Only two years after their historic match at Hampden, England and Hungary met once again, now on an even bigger scale, for what was surely going to be another match of the century. Much like in the previous encounter, Walter Winterbottom set up his English side in a "WM" formation, with England being expected to return the glory back to London after their embarrassment in Glasgow back in 1952. However, the Magyars managed to go one step beyond, and they filled England's net with 7 goals. England's players practically stood as the Magyars flew all over the pitch, converting every chance they had into a goal. Gusztav Sebes' boys pulled off a masterclass, and they were now so close to fulfilling what the previous generation of 1938 failed to achieve. As for England, this was now their heaviest defeat outside of the Home Islands.

The scenes from the England-Hungary match

​

"Vingança! Vingança!" is what could've been heard over at Belo Horizonte as the players of Brazil and Uruguay stepped onto the pitch. With the wounds of 1950 still fresh in everyone's memories, Brazil's boys hoped to finally have their revenge at home, against the reigning champions. Indeed, the entire match was highly physical, with both sides tackling each-other's players without a grain of mercy. No goals were scored though, and with each minute, the atmosphere was becoming more and more riotous as the Torcida demanded victory. Finally, at the 3rd minute of extra time, Baltazar shot the ball from a free kick, and the Brazilian crowd went mad! The Uruguayans began to attack out of desperation, but nothing stuck as the Brazilians finally had their revenge, but the job was only half done...

The scenes from the Brazil-Uruguay match

Third place play-off
​

Despite that crushing defeat against Brazil, the Uruguayans recovered just enough for their match against England. Carlos Borges immediately made things harder for England on the 5th minute, with Nat Lofthouse bringing some temporary relief to the Three Lions until the eventual goal by Obdulio Varela. The second half only brought more pain, as Juan Schiaffino made it 3-1 for La Celeste. Thomas Finney's goal in the 67th minute was only delaying the inevitable, and Javier Ambrois finally put the match to rest as he made it 4-2 for Uruguay, thus giving Uruguay the unique stat of being (so far) the only World Cup squad that won a medal in every edition of the tournament it participated in.

Oscar Miguez giving Lofthouse a pat on the shoulder

Final - The battle of Maracana

​

There aren't many stadiums like the Maracana. It is a beautiful, massive structure, made to host the final of what was possibly going to be the greatest match in the history of the sport, smack dab in the heart of Brazil, a nation that holds this sport almost as a religion. El Monumental, Montevideo, Wankdorf and Solna are all beautiful in their own aspects, but Maracana is perhaps special, from the noise of the crowd, to the blazing sun. It was going to be a special day for football, as 200 thousand people cheered for the Brazilian squad, who were now pinned against Hungary. Both teams played attractive, attacking football, but the trophy of Jules Rimet was only made for one team. As the whistle was blown, the crowd roared as the players began the final of the 1954 World Cup. Already, in the 6th minute, the still-injured Ferenc Puskas silenced the crowd with a kick that put Hungary 1-0 over Brazil, and Sandor Kocsis made it 2-0 only a minute later. All of a sudden, the 200 thousand present went silent. The players could almost hear the silence, but Djalma Santos brought Maracana back to life with a penalty kick, and Brazil thus remained alive upon the end of the first half. As the second half began, it looked like this match was now becoming a chess game between Zeze Moreira and Sebes, but on the 60th minute, it all changed.

As the referee whistled for another penalty kick, this time for Hungary, the Brazilian journalists, staff members, and even fans began to invade the pitch, outraged at what they were seeing. All of a sudden, the World Cup was becoming a riot, with the Hungarian players returning the favour. The match was now cancelled for an hour, as the police had to calm the public. Feeling robbed, the Brazilians had to come back from a 3-1 disadvantage, but the match was only getting uglier. As Julinho brought hope to the entire nation, all eyes quickly switched to Joszef Bozsik and Nilton Santos as the two men began to fight, and the referee finally had enough, sending out both men out of the pitch. The entire match was like a riot, and it only got more chaotic as Sandor Kocsis scored for the final result. 4-2. Out of options, the Brazilian players continued to tackle the Hungarians throughout the remaining minutes of the match, and as the referee blew the whistle, the fans once again invaded the pitch, while the players continued their match in the dressing rooms. Indeed, the match was now a battle, and not even the ceremony could take place, as the Hungarians took the first plane for Hungary, where they were awaited as heroes. The initial enthusiasm had become anger, and the beautiful game had now shown its ugliest side. Despite the Hungarians winning the match and becoming the World Champions, the Brazilians thought otherwise. Nevertheless, the Mighty Magyars could keep their heads high, as they had managed to achieve gold in the Olympics, Euros and now even the World Cup in a span of only two years. They were now truly the Golden Team.

Changes in this timeline: Obviously, the biggest one is the fact Hungary wins the 1954 World Cup, with the England v Scotland match loosely based on the Home Championship during 1955, in particular Dennis Wilshaw's four goals. Same with Brazil's encounter with Uruguay, which is loosely based on the Copa Americas of the early 50s.

Despite the ugly final that took place in Maracana, Hungary has certainly cemented itself as a footballing powerhouse of the decade, but this wasn't even the end. The European Tournament was starting in 2 years, and Sweden was certainly going to make for an interesting host as the Euros expanded to 8 teams.

Upcoming matches for the 1956 Euros:
Hungary v Austria
France v England
Sweden v Germany
Scotland v Yugoslavia

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1956 European Nations Cup
"A calm before the storm"

Death of Henri Delaunay
​

As it was the case for the 1952 Euros, the 1956 edition saw Delaunay searching far and wide for where the next iteration of the European Nations Cup should take place. At first, Germany looked willing to host a tournament, with the cynical onlookers jokingly seeing it as an attempt to recreate 1936 Berlin. Yet, the Swedes snatched the hosting rights thanks to some diligent lobbying. Delaunay was more than happy having an established footballing powerhouse as host of the tournament, and further enthusiasm was reached when it was announced that from 1956 - the European Cup would expand to 8 teams. However, on the 9th of November 1955, the footballing world was stunned when the news came that Henri Delaunay was dead. The father of European football, both national and in club form, had passed away at the age of 72. From 1930, Delaunay had fought to revolutionize the game at the old continent. While there were some hiccups, his efforts were admirable, and the newly-formed UEFA quickly named the previously named "Trophée d'Europe" into the "Henri Delaunay trophy". The entire tournament was going to be a tribute to Delaunay, as 1956 rolled in.

The venues were rather simple to pick, with Sweden's biggest stadiums (and ones that got to host the 1934 World Cup) now hosting Europe's greatest competition. The Rasunda stadium was larger than it was 22 years ago, while the newly-built Ullevi and Malmo stadiums were built specifically to host the tournament. Indeed, the Swedish organizers were taking the Euros seriously, and they promised to make it the best iteration yet.

The expansion of the format meant that more teams had the opportunity of playing in Europe, and that was certainly the case here. Sweden, Germany and Yugoslavia were all making their debuts, while the old participants of 1952 were present for another tournament, along with France who were inspired by Reims' Just Fontaine. Of course, reigning Euro and World champions Hungary were also here, with the ambition of winning their 3rd (4th depending on the olympics) consecutive competition.

Quarter-finals
​

The opening round saw hosts Sweden face off against Germany, on a packed Rasunda stadium, as the Blagult routinely smashed the Mannschaft 3-1. Though Hansa Schafer scored to take Germany into a 1-0 lead, it didn't take long for Sweden to reply via Nacka Skoglund. The rest of the match was relatively quiet, with both teams playing carefully in order to avoid conceeding until the moment of truth occured in the 81st minute, when Johan Gren scored to make it 2-1, and finally 3-1 via Hamrin. Sweden's rough, workman-like football payed off, and the hosts were able to carry on to the semis. Another similairly hard-fought match occured between France and England, with the two historic rivals meeting for the first time in a tournament. The match wasn't as beautiful as many hoped though, with only Just Fontaine scoring the single goal of the match, but one that helped Les Bleus finally reach past the quarter-final. Finally, Scotland and Hungary comfortably won against their rivals, first with the Tartans taking care of the Yugoslavs, while the reigning champions were at first taken aback by the Austrian defence, but the by now ageing Austrian squad soon showed its cracks, and Sandor Kocsis capitalised with two of his goals.

Hans Schafer and Niels Liedholm shaking hands before the match

Semi-finals
​

Scotland'a dreams of a final with what was a generation on par with the one of England sadly came to an end when the Tartans suffered an unfortunate exit against the hosts. Indeed, Lawrie Reilly took the game by its neck when he silenced the Rasunda stadium at the 2nd minute of the match, putting Scotland into a sensational lead. From then on, it looked like the Tartans were set for a historic final, repelling every Swedish attack and even threatening the Blagult's box. However, a lack of focus from the Scottish defense at the 75th minute gave Liedholm a chance to head the ball past Tommy Younger, before another member of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio, Gunnar Gren scored the winning goal only 3 minutes later. Frances players on the other hand could at least say they tried their hardest against the Golden Team. The favourites were expected to demolish Les Bleus, but the French managed to keep the Hungarian offense away from their box for a good part of the match, but without any sort of attack. The bunker tactic worked for a while, until Ferenc Puskas had enough and launched the ball some 17 meters away from the goal past Francois Remetter. From then on, Hungary became unstoppable, and Nandor Hidegkuti sealed the deal on the 67th minute, knocking the French out cold.

Sweden's team before the match with Scotland

Third place play-off
​

The third place play-off between Scotland and France practically worked as a finale before the actual finale. Both teams were of great quality, with each having something to show, be it Just Fontaine who had practically dragged his team to this tournament, or Scotland and its side consisting of its domestic league's best players. Once again though, Fontaine's incredible percision and uncanny ability to score goals helped France take a 2-0 lead already by the 36th minute, with Scotland managing to bring the scoring down to 2-1 on the 52nd minute. Regardless, France managed to hold on just enough to win its first piece of silverware since 1932, with Fontaine being awaited in France as a national hero. The future looked bright for France, and Les Bleus were hoping that their next outing in the upcoming 1958 World Cup might bring even more joy to the nation.

Just Fontaine being carried by his teammates

European Cup final
​

Just a day later, on a packed Rasunda stadium in Solna, 53 thousand people waited with bated breath as the players of Hungary and Sweden walked onto the pitch. The reigning champions were now playing against the hosts, who were regarded as one of the continent's greatest national teams. Already in the 16th minute, Sandor Kocsis would start the rain of goals that would follow, with Ferenc Puskas and Lajos Tichy adding to the tally. In only 13 minutes, Hungary scored 4 goals, and only Gunnar Gren could find an answer as he vollyed the ball into the net at the 39th minute. As a consulation, Svensson was also knocked out in Hungary's box, where he scored the subsequent penalty at the end of the 1st half. The expected high-scoring match was spectacular to watch, and it was only going to get better, as Nandor Hidegkuti scored to make it 5-2! With the writing on the wall, the Swedes started to defend more and more frequently, as the Hungarians completely took the initiative. Only Sweden's captain Niels Liedholm managed to bring some hope for the fans watching on the Rasunda, yet that hope was short-lived as Ferenc Puskas answered with his own goal right after the whistle was blown to continue. The rest of the match was a procession, with both Kocsis and Puskas completing their hattricks, and with Puskas braking the European goal record on the 90th minute. After that, the match was over. Hungary's Golden Team were once again the champions of Europe, becoming the first to win the competition twice, while Niels Liedholm smiled as he shook hands with captain Puskas for the well-deserved win. With 10 goals scored, the 1956 European final broke the record of the highest-scoring final in the competition's history, beating the previous record of 1952, when Hungary triumphed 6-3 against England.

Hungary's players celebrating as they are declared winners of the 1956 Euro

The storm
​

Once again, the Golden Team was awaited as heroes in Budapest, with their triumph showcased as a source for propaganda of socialist supremacy in sport. Yet, this was all a calm before the eventual storm. Three months following the 1956 Euro, the Hungarian people rose up against the communist authorities of the state, with the protests quickly becoming civil unrest, and civil unrest turning into an uprising. The Hungarian team and European champions Budapest Honved, which was filled with players from the Golden Team, was stuck in a limbo for a prolonged period of time, as Hungary changed under the leadership of Imre Nagy. Yet, Nagy's ambitions of a neutral socialist Hungary came to a halt, when the Soviet invaders toppled his government. Zoltan Czibor, Sandor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskas never returned to Hungary, with all three leaving for West Europe. They would never play for Hungary ever again.

Yet, just like life - football went on. Despite the Soviet actions disturbing the entire world, the reds had qualified for the 1958 World Cup, which would be held in Italy. The country had by 1958 economically recovered, and the FIGC promised to renovate the stadiums within the country to suit the ever-expanding standards of the World Cup. The most ambitious projects were certainly the "100 thousand" projects in Naples and Rome, while San Siro was to expand to an incredible 150 thousand. The tournament was promised to be the greatest thus far, but all of that will only occur next week for the 1958 World Cup.

Upcoming matches:

Group 1 - Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, Italy (host)
Group 2 - France, Paraguay, Scotland, Yugoslavia
Group 3 - Hungary, Mexico, Sweden, Wales
Group 4 - Austria, Brazil, England, Soviet Union

Changes in this timeline:
1. The 1956 final is loosely based on the 1955 match between Hungary and Sweden, in which Hungary won 7-3
2. With Sweden hosting the 1934 World Cup and now the 1956 Euro, it is Italy's turn to host the World Cup, during its economic boom
3. In this TL, the Munich air disaster does not happen. Thus, England has the players from the legendary Manchester United squad of that era, while Scotland has Matt Busby, who was due to manage the Tartans in the 1958 World Cup.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1958 World Cup
"Un Manicomio"
​

Amidst the economic recovery of Italy and its clubs enjoying the status as some of the greatest in Europe (in particular following Puskas's transfer to Inter and Czibor to Roma), the upcoming World Cup of 1958 was seen as a great adition to the nation's prestige as a footballing force. Before the tournament, many of the country's greatest venues were thoroughly renovated and expanded, with San Siro joining the "100 thousand" projects that were already held in Rome and Naples, which were already done by 1957. Rome now had the footballing colloseum known as "Stadio dei Centomille", while Naples was forced to reduce the capacity to 90 thousand due to difficulties amidst the construction. While known nowadays as "Stadio Diego Maradona", the new Naples stadium would for its first few years be known as the stadium of the Sun. There was controversy early on, when Trieste was chosen as one of the venues, which was seen as a political provocation directed at Yugoslavia amidst the Trieste Crisis, however any thought of a boycot was put to rest by 1954 when Trieste was reintergrated to Italy, and when a compromise was reached that neither Italy or Yugoslavia would play in Trieste. Yugoslavia would play in Turin and Florence, while Italy's group matches were in Naples and Rome for the opening game.

New rules were implemented in the tournament, with the goal average playing a key role in deciding the teams' positions following complaints of play-offs exhausting certain squads in the past World Cups, and the scheduling of the knockout stage would technically mean only two days of rest. There weren't many new faces in the World Cup, with Wales and the Soviet Union making their debuts. While the USSR did qualify by finishing 1st in their qualifying group, Wales caused a stirr when they were invited to play in the intercontinental play-off with Israel, who would've qualified by the virtue of having all of their games boycotted. In the end, the Dragons won that play-off, thus marking this the first time that all of the Home Nations would play in a World Cup. Hungary, despite the revolution of 1956, were still seen as the favourites for the Cup, along with England, Brazil and Argentina. Czechoslovakia was hoping for a better showing after the embarassment of 1954, while Yugoslavia's Olympics generation was coming to an end, with Bernard Vukas and Stjepan Bobek retiring the previous two years from the national team. Argentina was making its great return to the World Cup after 20 long years, with Alfredo di Stefano as their talismanic goalscorer that had helped the Albiceleste win the 1957 Copa America. Perhaps the biggest absentee of the tournament was Germany. Sepp Herberger's team, while still fielding some great talents, narrowly missed the spot in football's premier tournament, and the boss was thus sacked.

Group 1 and the Battle of Naples

The first group saw a tough pairing, with the hosts getting to share a place with Ireland, Czechoslovakia and Argentina. The Velvets, who had a miserable time back in 1954, were hungry for success, inspired by Ladislav Kubala who was playing for Torino, while Ireland was hoping for a better showing after the horror show in 1950. Returnees Argentina were seen as one the favourites, yet the Albiceleste were in for a rude awakening. Following a narrow loss against hosts Italy, Argentina recovered to beat Ireland 3-1, while Italy enjoyed a tie with Czechoslovakia, which placed the Azzurri on top of the table. However, the final match against the Velvets became a disaster, with Milan Dvorak providing a cold shower to the Argentines after only 6 minutes of playing. 1-0 quickly became 3-0 by the 60th minute, with Omar Corbatta providing some hope for the South Americans until Kubala and Vaclav Hovorka took the wheel and brought the game into a crushing 6-1.

With that win, Czechoslovakia had a minimal chance to qualify out of the preliminary matches, as all eyes switched to Naples. Italy, already on pole position for the knockout stage, awaited outsiders Ireland for the final match, in which the Italian players constantly used rough play against the Boys in Green. The Irish fans that had come to Naples were so outraged by the play that they began a brawl with the Italians on the stadium. While the Italian press dubbed the game as a "Manicomio" ("Mental asylum"), Irish captain Danny Blanchflower did manage to save the situation somewhat by ordering his teammates to escort the Italian players out of the pitch. The draw meant that Ireland was tied on points with Czechoslovakia, who had the better goal average. This also didn't set well with some, as the Irish FA protested that a play-off should have occured, but now it was too late.

Group 2

Mercifully, the 2nd group was nowhere near as wild as the first. France, still riding high from their 3rd place in Europe, continued with its great form that was carried by Just Fontaine, as Les Bleus scored the most goals in the preliminary stage, including a 7-3 win against Paraguay. Matt Busby, who was leading Scotland in his first outing in a World Cup showed great promise via the 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia and 3-1 win against Paraguay, but France ended the Tartans' hopes of achieving 1st in the group, and Yugoslavia's squeaky draw with Paraguay meant that Busby's boys were done and out of the competition.

Group 3

Arguably the most boring group of the tournament, Group 3 didn's exactly provide any surprise, other than Sweden topping the group by the virtue of conceding less than Hungary. The reigning champions, while a shadow of their former selves due to the Hungarian Revolution, were still seen as a great team. Wales were certainly the biggest underdogs, as the Dragons weren't even supposed to be in this tournament. However, Wales surprised many with their draw with Hungary and Sweden, but no wins followed for them, only another draw with Mexico via a late equaliser by Jaime Belmonte. Hungary did manage to recover enough to win against Mexico, as did Sweden, and the favourites of the group would thus carry on to the quarters, while the Welsh could be happy, knowing they had managed to exit the tournament undefeated.

Group 4

Fresh from finishing 2nd in the Copa America, Brazil embarked to Italy with a rejuvenated squad, and motivated to finally achieve what the previous generation failed to do in the past two World Cups. Once again, A Canarinha played attacking, beautiful and dangerous football, which helped break a rather underwhelming Austrian side, before turning heads after young Vava managed to break Lev Yashin. Soviet Union's debut in the World Cup was largely fine, but the Reds were simply outclassed by the dazzling Brazilians and the English team, which was dominated by the Busby babes from Manchester United.

Changes in this timeline:
1. Unlike in OTL, where the play-offs were implemented after a decision by the Swedish FA for additional profit, the goal average rule makes its first appearance four years earlier than usual, which leads to Ireland finishing only 3rd in the group.
2. Instead of Italy having a disaster in the World Cup qualifiers, it's Germany, which leads to an earlier creation of the Bundesliga which Herberger himself demanded already by 1957.
3. The "Battle of Belfast" that sees Ireland play a 2-2 match with Italy is now in Naples, with the former just barely missing out on a crucial victory
4. Without the home advantage, Sweden only manages a draw with Hungary, which prevents Wales from reaching their historic knockout stage. Sorry, Wales...
5. Despite having Matt Busby (who was supposed to lead the Tartans in '58), Scotland still loses out in the group stage in an unlucky fashion.
6. Without the Munich disaster, England gets out of the "group of death"

The upcoming matches are:
Brazil v Hungary
France v Czechoslovakia
Sweden v England
Italy v Yugoslavia

Let me know who will win the upcoming matches and World Cup, in the following post!

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1958 World Cup
"A star is born"

Quarter-finals
​

Over 100 thousand gathered in the mythical Stadium San Siro, as Italy was about play its match with Yugoslavia. Indeed, the match itself was built up as a showdown between the two Adriatic powers, with the narrative over in Belgrade being one of revenge for Trieste. The match was highly political from the very start, with both teams playing less than attractive football and mostly relying on ugly fouls. Yugoslavia's Miloš Milutinović at first took the lead in the 10th minute, while Gino Pivatelli helped the Azzurri level the game, with a goal that Vladimir Beara was very close to preventing, but Yugoslavia refused to go down, and Milutinović once again scored in the 48th minute, closing the match and helping the Blues go on ahead of their Italian rivals, in what was certainly the first proper "Adriatic derby".

Reigning champions Hungary surely had the toughest opponent in Brazil, but the Golden Team was able to keep A Canarinha at bay for a while, until a young Pele found a ball and shot it past Gyula Grosics, delivering Brazil's long-awaited rvenge against the Hungarians after the agony of Maracana in '54. Just Fontaine's France was hopeful of finally reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup this year, as Les Bleus were inspired with a great squad, but Czechoslovakia's stubborn defense and the goalscoring magic of Ladislav Kubala, and a last minute brace by Ladislav Pavlovič crushed the French dreams, as Czechoslovakia's Velvets made a great upset to win their first trip to the semi-finals of a World Cup in 24 years. Finally, the match between Sweden and England was the highest-scoring of the quarter-finals, with Tommy Taylor making himself into a hero via three goals for the Three Lions, before Duncan Edwards finished the job, sending England to the semis with a glorious win over a skilled Swedish side.

Slovak ace Ladislav Pavlovič moments before scoring

Semi-finals
​

Brazil's one-goal victory against Hungary helped an entire nation believe, with Czechoslovakia's boys having a similiar feeling following their triumph against France. In the rematch of the 1938 Quarter-final, Brazil never looked nervous during the game, as A Canarinha kicked things into gear from the very start via Vava's 2nd minute shocker. From then on, Czechoslovakia played catch up. Josef Masopust brought an equaliser on the 48th minute, but Pele soon enough became the star of the show, scoring a dazzling hattrick during the 2nd half to bring Brazil into a 4-1 victory. With that, Brazil was now entering its 3rd consecutive final. At Napoli, a similiar match took place, as the Three Lions faced off against Yugoslavia. The English team was in great shape, and the proceeding match was a show of English superiority, with Toza Veselinović scoring Yugoslavia's sole goal in the dying minutes of the match. Both Brazil and England enjoyed rather routine victories against their respective opponents, and all eyes soon enough shifted to Rome.

The scenes from the England-Yugoslavia match
(Picture itself is from 1950...)

Third place play-off
​

The Slavic duel that would take place in Milan was awaited by a rather small crowd, as Czechoslovakia was about to play its first ever duel with Yugoslavia in an international tournament. While the two nations had played many times before, with the Velvets always having the upper hand, it was always a tight affair, especially when both squads had skilled players in their teams. However, the ageing Yugoslav side, which in itself lacked its starmen from the previous editions of the tournament, showed its cracks when a momentary lapse in concentration led to Kubala finding an opening and scoring the sole goal of the match, leading Czechoslovakia to its first piece of silverware since 1934. Yugoslavia on the other hand saw a definite end of its 50s generation, which was one of the best in the world, but it just so happened that it was playing against THE best in the world.

The Czechoslovak players celebrating after the sole goal of the match

World Cup final
​

On 15:00, "L'inconctro del secolo" would finally begin, as the English National team played against Brazil. The former, after going through an entire decade of embarassment, be it the high-scoring losses to Hungary, the 1-0 loss to the USA - was finally having a chance to redeem themselves, while Brazil was out on a mission, finally fulfilling what its previous generation failed to accomplish since 1950. Having already met in the group stages, where the two played a dull 0-0 draw, The two highly motivated sides were keen on making up for the dissapointment, as both were on a hunt to win their first ever Jules Rimet trophy. Tommy Taylor, high from Manchester United's own European Cup triumph of that year, pushed the ball past Gilmar in the opening minutes, yet that lead was short lived, as Vava levelled the game only five minutes later. From then on, Vicente Feola and Walter Winterbottom played a careful game. Vava did come close to scoring his second goal, but Colin McDonald reacted well to catch the ball, keeping the scoring tied as the first half ended.

Colin McDonald's save

​

10 minutes into the 2nd half is when Brazil began to fly. Pele, who was still a mere teenager, found himself alone in the penalty area as a ball flew its way towards the boy. Ever so skillfully, Pele took control, and chipped it past a helpless McDonald to make it 2-1 for Brazil! With over 30 minutes of the game left, England had to start looking for a way to equalise, and outsmart the skillful South Americans. However, time was running out, but Johnny Haynes took the game by the scruff of its neck, heading the ball into the net to make it 2-2 for England with only 10 minutes remaining. From then on, both Brazil and England began to exchange attack after attack, with the defenders working around the clock trying to prevent the other team scoring. Soon enough, it was the 90th minute, and Brazil was in the middle of its last attack before the eventual blow of the whistle. Once again, Pele jumped in, and headed the ball, which bounced its way past a staggering Colin McDonald while the Roman stadium erupted! In the final moments of regular time, Pele had scored for the final scoring of 3-2. Brazil were World Champions, and England had lost! After 8 years, full of frustration, controversy and anger, Brazil were finally World Champions in their 3rd attempt!

Pele's tears of joy

​

Finally, after so many years, Brazil had risen up to win the World Cup, with a hard-working, star-studded squad, which was able to outplay on of the greatest sides England had ever seen. Czechoslovakia's own third place ensured that its 50s generation had something to cheer for. In the end, the 1958 World Cup was like a swansong for many teams. Hungary's Golden Team was forever broken after their 1-0 loss to Brazil; France's squad had shined, but burned out too fast; Sweden's hard-working squad and the era of "Gre-No-Li" was over as well, and Yugoslavia's Olympic team of the 50s in itself had played its final minutes back in Milan. New generations would take over in the following years, as the swinging sixties would begin with the European Cup.

​

Changes in this timeline:
1. Brazil v Hungary plays out like the Brazil v Wales in OTL
2. Yugoslavia v Italy, Dr Gero Cup 1957
3. Despite having a star-studded team, I still think England wouldn't have won against that Brazilian team. Though, the 60s might see a totally different landscape in Europe
4. Czechoslovakia, led by Ladislav Kubala (who himself was half-Slovak) would manage to achieve its best post-war result thus far. Since Czechoslovakia in this TL remains democratic, its likely Kubala wouldn't have defected to Hungary or Spain, thus staying in Central Europe
5. Czechoslovakia v Yugoslavia 1962 as main reference to the 3rd place match

With that, the 1950s are over, and I am announcing a short break from Delaunay's dream. I wish to thank everyone who has read this thread thus far and helped me with its creation, and I hope you are looking forward to the 1960 Euros as much as I am. The pause will be 2 weeks, so I will see you all by March!

Upcoming matches for 1960 Euro:
England v Czechoslovakia
Yugoslavia v France
Hungary v Scotland
Soviet Union v Germany

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1960 European Nations Cup
"Defense is key"

​

The buildup to the 1960 European tournament was not as calm as many thought it would be. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 in particular raised plenty of voices, with some within the UEFA claiming that Hungary should be given a qualification match instead of an immediate qualification as it had been custom by 1960 both in the World Cup and the Euros, but UEFA president Ebbe Schwartz deemed Hungary's team as more than adeqaute to gain the automatic qualification. This meant that the team that was supposed to play with Hungary - Italy, now had to go through the far longer qualification process that was planned for the tournament, with their designated rivals being Scotland. The Azzurri suffered a disaster though, as what was supposed to be a routine win in Rome turned into a disaster when Graham Leggat scored for 2-1 for the Tartans, who were qualifying for their third consecutive European Nations Cup along with England. More shocks came when the Soviet Union was placed in the play-offs with Spain, leading to the latter refusing to play the two matches due to the Francan dictatorship refusing to let the Spanish players travel to the Soviet Union. There were proposals for the match to be held at a neutral venue, but the Spanish resisted, and the Soviets were thus given what was effectively an automatic qualification. New to the tournament, aside from the Soviet Union, was Czechoslovakia. The Velvets had an easy time knocking out Romania's national team, and the newcomer Titus Bubernik from the Slovan Bratislava squad looked like a capable young man that will soon have to replace the great Ladislav Kubala.

With the Euros being held in France, four were chosen for the eventual competition. Bordeaux, Paris and Marseille were all here, along with Reims, as its football club, inspired by Just Fontaine, was one of Europe's best, having reached the European Cup final several times throughout the past decade.

Quarter-finals
​

The opening round was a rematch of the Group match back in 1958, as France and Yugoslavia set out for their third match in six years. Yugoslavia by itself had a much younger squad, led by the young and prolific goalscorer Milan Galić and talented midfielders Ante Žanetić and Dražan Jerković, who were fresh from lifting the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics, while France could always count on Just Fontaine to score when it mattered. Yet, the match saw 0 goals from Fontaine, as France was seemingly having a shaky 4-2 lead over Yugoslavia by the 70th minute. Then, the French defense collapsed, and Tomislav Knez, along with Jerković, filled France's net with three goals, leading Yugoslavia to a spectacular 5-4 victory over Les Bleus, who had once again collapsed when it looked like things were going their way. Yugoslavia's Slavic cousins, the Czechoslovaks, had a much more miserable time, as England pummeled the Velvets with a comfortable 3-1 victory, while the Soviets enjoyed a squaky 1-0 victory over Germany, with Lev Yashin having to intervene a couple of times to prevent the Germans from levelling the score. Finally, the reigning champions Hungary had a splendid match with Scotland, as it ended with a 3-3 draw. The eventual replay saw Nandor Hidegkuti score for his homeland one last time, as Hungary just barely managed to win over the Tartans, who were just inches away from pulling out a win against the Mighty Magyars.

The players of Yugoslavia and France before their match

Semi-finals​

The semis started off with what soon enough turned into a classic between England and Yugoslavia. The English, led by the great Busby Babes like Tommy Taylor or Duncan Edwards, were able to lead the Three Lions against the Brazilians of Europe. While Galić and Jerković provided plenty of chances and made the English run for their money, but a header by Roger Byrne in the 62nd minute, followed by a brace by Bobby Robson in extra time finished any sort of chance for Yugoslavia, as the former led the match for the rest of extra time. Soviet Union on the other hand once again played via the classic tactic of "Uno-Zero e basta!", after a volley by Viktor Ponedelnik. The Hungarians tried to recover, with most of the attack relying on Hidegkuti, but the ageing member of the Golden Team didn't have that instinct for a goal as he used to, and the USSR played a safe match to the very end.

Lev Yashin having to save a ball

Third place play-off and Final
​

The third place match was another high scoring affair, as the Hungarians managed to recover enough to beat the Yugoslavs to earn the bronze medal of the tournament. Hungary led from the very beginning, and the Blues were only able to score twice before their usually clumsy defense made it easy for the Hungarians to score three more times.

​

At Paris though, England and the Soviet Union both entered for what was going to be a slow duel for the Henri Delaunay Trophy. The first half saw England threatening the Soviet's box several time, as Lev Yashin had to save two free kicks before Duncan Edwards found himself in the right place at the right time amidst a scramble in the Soviet Union's box, leading the ball into the net. The first half belonged to England, but the second would then shift to the reds once Slava Metreveli levelled the scoring. From then on, it was a trench battle, as both England and the Soviets mostly tried not to concede. Soon enough, it was extra time, and both teams still played a rather dull game in which the Three Lions rarely attacked, while Yashin was making a name for himself whenever he had to intervene until finally, Ponedelnik headed the ball past a stumbling Ray Wood, and that was enough for the Soviet Union to become the European Champions, as the English sat in disbelief. The team that had played defensively since the very beginning had now won Europe's greatest tournament, and the Soviet Union now reached its first piece of gold since the Olympics of 1956.

The victorious players of the USSR

​

With the Soviet Union becoming the European Champion, it meant the Trophy of Henri Delaunay would remain in Eastern Europe for four more years before the next edition of the European Cup. But that was a long way to go, since the 1962 World Cup was on the horizon, even though that once in itself was having plenty of issues. For now, the players of the USSR National football team get to sip on French wine and enjoy the view of the Eiffel tower, before being awaited as national heroes in Moscow.

The bracket of the tournament

Changes in this timeline:
1. The Yugoslavia-France game is the same as it was in the OTL.
2. Soviet Union v Hungary in 1959 Euro qualys
3. While England's team is great, Soviet Union benefits from having Lev Yashin at the peak of his powers, while Hungary had a 4-2 victory against in Yugoslavia OTL in 1961

Sorry if the post isn't as adequate as I was hoping it would be. At the end of the day, it is quite similiar to the OTL Euros, only with England changing roles with Yugoslavia. Nonetheless, the next World Cup of 1962 in Chile will also be relatively simliar, but I promise something completely different as we enter the 1964 euro...

For now, these are the groups for the 1962 WC:

Group 1: Colombia, Soviet Union, Uruguay, Yugoslavia
Group 2: Chile, Germany, Italy, Switzerland
Group 3: Brazil, Mexico, Scotland, Wales
Group 4: Argentina, Bulgaria, England, Hungary

4th change: Yes, Scotland manages to qualify for the World Cup against Czechoslovakia. I had talks with QTXAdsy and after also looking at the footage and info about the qualification play-off between Scotland and Czechoslovakia, the goal that ended up saving the Velvets was just milimeters outside the goal. So, here Scotland gets to play in the WC with its young and promising team, while Wales manages to qualify due to Spain lacking players like Czibor, Kubala, Puskas and di Stefano (Who is playing for Argentina in this TL). See you all next week for the Group stage!

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1962 World Cup
"A battle in Santiago"

​

The appointment of Chile as the host of the 1962 World Cup was a controversial one. When it was announced that the small South-American nation would get to host what was probably the second most prestigious sporting event in the world, large amount of criticism flew towards FIFA, citing how the country was not suited to hold a World Cup, and that Argentina should host the tournament instead. Yet, Carlos Dittborn, the president of the Chilean FA used everything he had to convince the World that Chile was not only capable of organising the 1962 World Cup, but that they could do it tomorrow. "Because we have nothing, we want to do it all!" echoed through FIFA, and the federation entrusted Chile in return.

Organisation went on relatively smoothly, as the already existing venues were being expanded, most notably the National Stadium in Santiago. But, all of the progress vanished when on 22nd of May 1960, Chile was struck by the Valvidia earthquake. The largest, most disastrous earthquake to ever take place had devastated Chile, and many began to doubt if the already struggling nation could be able to host the World Cup after such an event. Yet, Chile never gave up, and the preparations continued, with four venues being chosen for the eventual tournament. No doubt, the fact Chile was able to host this tournament was a miracle in its own, and the entire nation breathed for this tournament, even if president Jorge Alessandri did sound a bit unenthused during his opening speech.

The qualification process saw plenty of familiar teams entering the tournament. The fact Chile was hosting the event meant that four South American nations were going to be present in this iteration of the World Cup, with Colombia making its first ever appearance, while Bulgaria was making its debut as well, after shocking everyone by beating France in the qualifiers. Wales was also returning, after an outstanding match against Spain and a squaky win against Morocco, while Scotland managed to capitalise of Ladislav Kubala's absence to pull off a miracle win against Czechoslovakia in the play-offs. Finally, Germany was making its return after being absent in 1958, as their new manager Helmut Schoen decided to rely on best-performing players of the new Bundesliga. Dresden; Hamburg; Jena; Nurnberg and Cologne were the dominant teams within the squad, with Gunter Schroter in particular leading the team as their playmaker.

Aside from Mexico continuing its regular appearances in the World Cup, 1962 would see the fundemental flaw of the 16 team format, as only European and American teams were going to participate in the event. No Asian, Oceanian or African teams were present, as they had to play in intercontinental play-offs, and criticism by the said federations quickly began to be heard in FIFA, with demands for an expansion of the limited format.

Group 1

The first group began with a South American duel between Colombia and Uruguay, with Francisco Zuluaga opening the scoring via a penalty kick. However, the Uruguayans replied via vicious tackling, which resulted In Zuluaga being injured, and Lá Celeste turning the game around. The highly political match between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia was just as ugly to watch, what with Eduard Dubinski suffering a broken leg after Muhamed Mujić tackled the Soviet Player. That didn't help Yugoslavia though, As the Soviets dominated the match from start to finish.

Yugoslavia did manage to recover following that defeat, dominating Colombia and enjoying a hard-fought win against Uruguay, While the USSR only had one hiccup during their campaign when Colombia drew 4-4 against them, with Marcos Coll outsmarting Lev Yashin via an Olympic goal - the first of its kind. Colombias gallant efforts weren't enough though, and the two Slavic teams ensured they would be going to the quarter-finals.

Group 2

The hosts had a good showing Against Switzerland, as Chile pulled a comeback win against the Swiss following an early goal by Rolf Wurtrich, but the main match that everyone and their mother talked about was the one between Chile and Italy. Prior to the tournament, the Italian media had a field day badmouthing the hosts, and that alone was enough to anger the Chileans and motivate them to beat the Azzurri. A fight ensued, as the Italian and Chilean players faced off, even leading to the police escorting the Italians out of the pitch. By the time the match continued, both were still up each other's throats, with Leonel Sanchez punching Mario David, but no-one batted an eye, and David returned the favor. The battle of Santiago, as it would be called, showed the absolute worst of the Beautiful game, as both teams relied on dirty tactics until Jorge Toro had enough, and kicked the ball from a large distance, outsmarting Carlo Mattrel and leading to a Historic Chilean victory.

Aside from the Battle of Santiago, Germany had its best outing in the World Cup yet, topping the group and remaining undefeated under the watchful eye of Helmut Schoen. The draw with Italy was followed by victories against Chile and Switzerland, meaning the Azzurri were firmly out of The World Cup.

Group 3

The reigning champions had an easy time demolishing their group, with Mexico adjusting well to the heat of Santiago to win against returnees Wales before shocking Scotland at the last matchday. Indeed, Scotland’s “Skilled but fragile” team looked good after beating Wales and managing to hold a draw with Mexico, but an error by the Tartan defense led to a penalty for El Tricolor, and Hector Hernandez converted it into a Historic win for the Mexican national team, while Denis Law, who had just signed for Torino FC over the summer, could only watch as Scotland crashed out of the group stage for the second time in its history.

Group 4

The fourth group of the tournament was without a doubt the Group of death, as World Cup runners-up England played against a skilled Argentine squad despite the lack of an injured di Stefano, along with a rejuvenated Hungarian side led by Lajos Tichy, who was by 1962 in his absolute prime. Indeed, Hungary pulled off an upset win against England when Florian Albert scored the winning goal against the Three Lions, but the latter recovered well to routinely beat the Bulgarians, and finally pulling off a 3-1 triumph against Argentina. The lack of Alfredo di Stefano, who was in the middle of his best years, was very much apparent, and Argentina was once again exiting the World Cup and licking its wounds.

Changes in the timeline:
1. Scotland outqualifies Czechoslovakia, as Adolf Scherer's 84th minute goal is slightly difficult to see, with the ball being slightly outside the goal line. Again, I have to thank QTXAdsy for the info, but as you can see, I feel like this generation of Scotland, while good, still wasn't near its eventual quality, and thus they would miss out on the knockout stage via a last minute penalty by Mexico, while Wales replaces Spain's position in the group, but not before beating la Roja in the qualys due to the Spanish lacking the Hungarian players and di Stefano in this TL. Thus, Mexico enjoys a historic win which places it in the quarter-finals. Will the Mexicans run into a 4th game curse this time?

2. With England having their Busby Babes generation intact, they have a much better time in the group stage, with the odd hiccup against Hungary along the way.

Sorry for the post being so unoriginal compared to the real thing. Either way, I am happy to be writing this, since it's a bit of an escape from the stuff I am having to do in my private time.

With that, here are the upcoming matches for the Quarter-finals:

Soviet Union v Chile
Brazil v England
Germany v Yugoslavia
Hungary v Mexico

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1962 World Cup
Quarter-finals​

Having already astonished the World by beating Italy, Chile's World Cup dream continued as the "Red Ones" met with the reigning champions of Europe. Lev Yashin, who was undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper on the planet, had a rather poor performance as he was surprised by a phenomenal free kick by Leonel Sanchez, and after not even 20 minutes, Chile led 2-1 thanks to a goal by Eladio Rojas. From then on, the Soviets couldn't break Chile's defense, and the hosts were through for a sensational semi-final. The other sensation from America didn't have as much of an easy time though, as Mexico was routinely beaten by Hungary thanks to a goal by Lajos Tichy and Florian Albert.
The biggest attraction of the stage was surely the rematch of the 1958 World Cup final. England and Brazil were meeting once again, with Brazil arguably fielding an ever stronger squad than its all-conquering side of '58. Pele was no longer a teen, and Garrincha was stunning many with his dribbling and goal scoring skills. Indeed, it was Garrincha who stunned England, with Tommy Taylor only managing to equalise once for the Three Lions before the eventual header by Vava, followed by a spectacular curling shot by Garrincha once again. With that, England's campaign had ended. Finally, the last match saw an utter bore, as both Yugoslavia and Germany played a slow, highly-defensive match in which both sides occasionally exchanged attacks, until Petar Radaković lashed the ball high past Fahrian, following solo run by Milan Galić. It was Yugoslavia's first entrance in the semi-finals since 1930, and it was mostly capped off thanks to a mixture of the Olympic team of 1960 and the dominant champions Partisan Belgrade.

A moment from the England-Brazil match

Semi-finals
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In what was a feverish atmosphere over at the National Stadium of Santiago, Chile played what was the most important match in its history, against the champions of the world, for what was a chance for the Red ones to enter an unlikely finale at their backyard. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Already in the 9th minute, Garrincha made it 1-0 for A Canarinha, and Chile was forced to play catchup from then on. At the end, Vava finished the match on the 78th minute, with the ending result of 4-2 in favour for the Brazilians. Chile played a spirited match in what was already their best ever performance in a World Cup, but they had the bad luck of having to play against the greatest squad the World had seen up to that point. Elsewhere, in front of only 5 thousand people, Yugoslavia was playing against Hungary, as the two eastern European teams faced off under the scorching heat of Vina del Mar. The match, just like the Blues' encounter with Germany, was a bore, with the Brazilians of Europe opting to play a defensive match with the Mighty Magyars. In the end, it worked, and Dražan Jerković sent his team to the final of the World Cup final. Funny how a highly-offensive squad was now going to enter the final, by playing defensively.

Vava's jump for joy

Third place play-off​

In the consulation of the tournament, Chile made sure that they would finish their run in the World Cup in style, and they delivered. While the entire match was a highly-defensive affair, in which the Hungarians struggled to break the Red defense, it was Eladio Rojas who sent the home crowd mad in the dying minutes of the match, outsmarting the ageing Gyula Grosics and netting the ball past the former Mighty Magyar. It was to be Chile's first ever piece of silverware in the World Cup, while being a start of Hungary's slow descent into obscurity.

The moment Chile scored

World Cup final​

Having already met in the World Cup twice in the past, the finale of the 1962 WC was arguably going to see Brazil's greatest side face off with one of Yugoslavia's weaker sides, at least when compared to the 1950 and 1954 generation. Nevertheless, it was the Yugoslavs who drew first blood. Ante Žanetić forced A Canarinha to play catch up for the first time in the tournament, but it didn't take long for the Brazilians to equalise. From then on, the match firmly switched into the Brazilians' favour, as continous errors by the Blues' goalkeeper Milutin Šoškić made it easy for Zito, Amarildo and finally Vava to score, with Yugoslavia being unable to come up with a reply. In the end, it was an easy win for Brazil, as the South Americans are the second team to become World Champions twice, matching the previously established record by Uruguay.

Celebrations as the Brazilians are crowned World Champions

The result of the final

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And so, the World Cup ends just how the one before it did - with the Brazilians on top. Chile's inspired run made for a good underdog story, as did Mexico's entry into the quarter-finals, while Yugoslavia's appearance in the final inspired Ante Žanetić to write his biography 40 years later - "Golden in Rome, silver in Santiago"
Even with Pele injured, the Brazilians have shown that they are the greatest team on the planet once again, with only England seemingly on par with them. However, 1962 was to mark the end of an era, and many teams would have a generational shift by the time the World Cup of 1966 would commence.

The bracket

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Changes in the timeline:
1. Most of the matches remain largely the same, with Yugoslavia enjoying the campaign that Czechoslovakia had IRL, while Hungary's post-revolution squad has a near miss in taking bronze.

The 1962 WC is over, and now the 1964 Euros are on the horizons, with the tournament taking place in Spain! Until then, I bid you adios, but not before giving you the upcoming matches!

The 1964 Euro matches:
France v Hungary
Spain v Ireland
Soviet Union v Denmark
Germany v Scotland

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

1964 European Nations Cup
"That night in Madrid"

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The decision that led to Spain hosting the 1964 edition of the Euros proved to be controversial at first. General Francisco Franco was still in charge, and the Spanish had already refused once to play against the USSR in 1960, which led to the Soviets eventually winning the whole thing. Either way, the Iberian country was still the home of the two most renowned football clubs in Europe, what with Spain always being a footballing nation, so a good show was expected. The venues were rather simple to choose, as the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and Camp Nou in Barcelona were the country's biggest stadiums, with Valencia and Sevilla also being chosen for the quarter-finals.

Both Valencia and Sevilla had their stadiums renovated for the eventual tournament, with Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou joining the likes of Hampden, Wembley and Parc des Princes as the footballing temples that would now host the continent's most prestigious sporting event.

Unlike the previous editions of the tournament, which saw England qualifying regularly, the 1964 Euros would see the first ever occurence where the Three Lions would fail to qualify, having suffered an upset loss against France in the Qualifying phase. For the hosts, this was the Spain's second ever performance in the competition, along with the and Soviets. The two debutants were Denmark, who had a relatively easy qualifying path by beating Luxembourg in the play-offs, were joined by Ireland. Finally, Hungary, with a team consisting of Kalman Meszoly, Lajos Tichy, Florian Albert and Ferenc Bene were seen as the favourites with a skilled and rejuvenated squad.

Quarter-finals
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The first round of the tournament opened with Ireland facing the hosts. Despite the heroics of Jackie Blanchflower, who provided an early shock for the Madrid crowd, Spain recovered to routinely overpower the Boys in Green. A similiar occurence happened between the reigning champions and Denmark, with the Red and Whites never exactly being a threat for Lev Yashin. Hungary also confirmed their status as favourites by smashing France 3-1, but the most entertaining match was surely the one in Sevilla. Scotland, led by manager Ian McColl, played a hard-fought match against Germany, as Alan Gilzean and Uwe Seeler both scored two maginificent goals each to keep the match tied. With the match going into Extra Time, both teams seemed to be at a stalemate. Then, sweeper Dave "Tiger" Mackay was left to commence a free kick some 20 meters away from German goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski. In front of him was a wall of players, and as the 30-year old Mackay slammed the ball, it went over the players, right past Tilkowski! Scotland was through, and in splendid fashion at that.

The moment Zaballa scored for Spain against Ireland

Semi-finals
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With the semi-finals commencing, Spain was in for a tough match against Hungary. The Mighty Magyars, inspired by Lajos Tichy and led by Lajos Baroti, were hopeful of reaching the finals this year, with the ambition of winning their 3rd European trophy. But, the Spaniards had other ideas. While the match didn't see much scoring, it did see a chess battle between Baroti and Jose Villalonga as the two teams played one of the tournament's greatest matches in recent memory. Pereda scored first, sending the 38 thousand folks in Madrid into ecstacy as Spain led 1-0, with the Hungarians struggling to put one past Jose Iribar, who seemed to be infinitely elastic on that day. Then, Ferenc Bene found an opening and equalised, taking the game into extra time. It all seemed like the game would end with a draw, but a moment of magic from Amancio brought an end in the 112nd minute, with Spain entering its first ever final in a football tournament, in their own backyard. It was en equally elative moment in Barcelona, when Denis Law played a masterful game to outsmart Lev Yashin. First a volley, then a header - Law had firmly established himself as a footballing great for the Tartans, and Scotland was now through to the finals.

Ferenc Bene's equaliser

Final
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While the third place play-off was a highly political affair, in which Hungary and the Soviet Union played a rough game filled with harsh tackles, the Hungarians had managed to outplay the Reds, along with Dezso Novak netting two penalties - the main attraction was certainly in Madrid. The Santiago Bernabeu, with almost 80 thousand fans present, was now going to host the final of the 1964 European Nations Cup. The hosts against Scotland. Not even Francisco Franco could deny coming to the match. Already in the 6th minute, Jesus Pereda started the party as he put the ball past Adam Blacklaw. Yet, Denis Law showed that Scotland refused to give up, and went on to score his 3rd goal of the tournament only 9 minutes later. Then, as if the Spanish were sleeping, Frank McLintock silenced the Santiago Bernabeu stadium only four minutes later as he scored to make it 2-1 for Scotland. Three goals in the first 20 minutes, and Scotland still refused to stop as Ian McColl told his players to keep going. The unrelenting attack from the Spanish proved to be a wakeup call, and John White showed out of nowhere in Spain's penalty are (almost like a ghost), waited for his opportunity, and flicked the ball past Iribar. 3-1 for Scotland, in the middle of Madrid. It was almost too good to be true, but here it was. As the first half ended, the Tartans were ready to party in the dressing room, but they knew there were still 45 minutes to play for. In fact, it was still all to play for. The Spanish knew that too, as did the crowd as they began to cheer louder and louder throughout the second half. Spain kept attacking, but Scotland defended bravely. With 10 minutes to go, the tension on the pitch was reaching a breaking point, with El Generalisimo leaving early as a result. The frustrated Spaniards began to tackle the Scots, and that is when White came once again, this time with a thunderous kick after a pass by Pat Crerand, and now it was 4-1 for Scotland. The Santiago Bernabeu was dead silent, with not even Marcelino's goal two minutes later being celebrated. As Arthur Holland whistled for the end of the match, Ian McColl and his boys began to celebrate, as Scotland pulled off a phenomenal game to become the fourth different champions of Europe.

Some Scottish supporters celebrating with the players

The bracket

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And so, Scotland sensationally wins the 1964 Euros with a mix of young and old blood in their team, and Denis Law who was in his prime. However, celebrations did not last long as John White would die only a few months later, leaving a bit hole in the team as they prepare to enter for the 1966 World Cup. Hungary meanwhile, with their skilled team, had managed to outplay the Soviets in the Bronze medal play-off. With that, the 1966 World Cup is on the horizon, and with it a change in the tournament...

The 1966 World Cup format change​

In 1964, 31 African Nations threatened to boycott the tournament in protest of FIFA's ruling that required enter a play-off round against the winners of the Asian zone in order to qualify for the World Cup. This did not bode well, especially with the fact South Africa's Apartheid regime discriminated the majority of its population. CAF, along with president Stanley Rous, were in the middle of a tense negotiation, with the boycott looming over the World Cup of 1966 if changes are not implemented. One of those was a proposal that for the first time in its history, the World Cup would expand its format. After at one point looking like FIFA would decline this proposal, it was agreed on the 11th hour that the 1966 World Cup would see an expansion to 20 teams. With this, a 5th group was to be implemented, along with a different knockout stage format, in which 2nd placed teams would be ranked, with three of them getting to enter the quarter-finals.



This brought an outrage, most specifically from the UEFA teams, as they saw that with this change, the quality of the World Cup would siginificantly drop. Many believed that with teams like Ghana, Costa Rica and Australia getting to participate, the value of the competition in itself would be lesser than the European Nations Cup. However, in an attempt to now appease both sides, FIFA opted to grant two more places for the UEFA teams. Reluctantly, UEFA accepted the proposal, while CAF were finally promised that at least one African nation would get to participate in the World Cup from now on. With these news rocking the footballing world, England 1966 looked to be an interesting affair. North Korea, Portugal, Ghana and Norway were all now going to make their debuts in the World Cup, with the competition having a British atmosphere thanks to the Home Nations being present for the competition.



Upcoming matches:



Group 1 - England, France, Mexico, Uruguay

Group 2 - Argentina, Germany, Ghana, Ireland

Group 3 - Brazil, Bulgaria, Scotland, Norway

Group 4 - Chile, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Wales

Group 5 - Hungary, Italy, North Korea, Portugal