Was this The Game of the Twentieth Century?

England-Hungary, November 25, 1953 - 50th Anniversary

Hungarians, along with a multitude of soccer followers around the world, undoubtedly the older generations, certainly think so. Fifty years ago next week, Hungary emphatically and scintillatingly defeated England at London’s Empire Stadium at Wembley ending England’s conceit and historic home record of never having been beaten by a continental side on English soil. The record stood more than eight decades since the first international soccer game that was played between Scotland and England in 1872.

Some English football observers mark October-November of 1953 as when the loss of confidence and certainty in English soccer occurred. At the same time, the Golden Team or Magical Magyars of the 1950’s was already playing the game with both a superior level of technical deportment and the bold tactical innovations that foreshadowed the sweeping utilization of the 4-2-4 formation, total football, the modern and the beautiful game of the latter decades of the last century. The final score was 6:3.

Superb players such as Bozsik, Kocsis and Czibor affected the quick flowing and witty attack that took apart a rigid English defense as center-forward Hidegkuti scored a hat trick. What is more, with Ferenc Puskas’ legendary leadership, left-footed shooting, ball control and passing prowess, Hungary simultaneously made the case for itself as the greatest national team of all time and for the Galloping Major, No.10 Puskas, as one of the greatest players ever to have played the game. The English public and football press, sportingly and a little love-struck, conceded that if the record had to be broken, at least the deed was done by a team of mastery and artistry.

By 1953, Western Europe was emerging from the devastation of World War II. Hungary, along with the other Central and Eastern European countries were under Soviet domination and firmly locked behind the Iron Curtain. After the end of the war, there had been cautious gestures of friendship between former allies, such as the tour of Moscow Dynamo to Britain in 1945. This sentiment gave way to competition, political and military as well as cultural and sporting. The Cold War was on. While the England-Hungary friendly could be narrowly viewed as an “east-west battle”, the hard left of the Labour Party was pulling for Hungary, for the average Hungarian soccer fan any crack to be heard through that wretched curtain was simply an occasion for interaction with their European cousins.

The Golden Team (this is the Hungarian reference, Magic or Magical Magyars was the British press accolade) was unquestionably aided by the authoritarian ways of the communist party controlled Hungarian FA. Key player transfers to the Honved (Army) club, that was to become the backbone of the national team, were swiftly made. Ample funding was available for professional level training and retreats, as well as for incentive bonuses. They were undefeated in ’50 and ’51 scoring fifty times in nine matches. The following year Hungary won Olympic Gold at Helsinki although against countries without their truly professional players.

For Hungary, 1953 started with a tie against Austria at Budapest. Then it faced a real challenge and a big occasion in May, in Rome, against Italy. They decisively defeated the azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico’s inaugural match, 3:0. This was Hungary’s first victory over Italy in twenty-eight years. In October they beat a competent Austria at Prater Stadion, Vienna, 3:2. England’s courageous invitation for the “friendly” in November set the stage for the Magyar’s “Home Record test match” at Wembley.

Post war England was a more than capable team. Merrick was in goal, Alf Ramsey and Billy Wright anchored the defense, Matthews and Mortensen lead the attack. As an historic aside, Ramsey was also on the field for England on another dark day of English soccer when they lost to the US at Belo Horizonte in the 1950 World Cup. Alf Ramsey’s honor was restored after he managed England to Jules Rimet Cup glory in the ’66 World Championship and was knighted by the Queen for the accomplishment.

The spring of ’53 saw England tour South America. They had an abandoned match against Argentina due to torrential rain, a loss to Uruguay and a win over Chile. As a casual homeward stopover, they played and beat the USA (6:3) at Yankee Stadium in June.

On the 21st of October the FA celebrated its 90th birthday with an exhibition match, England versus the Rest of Europe select team that ended, with a last minute Ramsey penalty conversion, 4:4. Although the select team was without Hungarian players (save for the great Kubala who by then played for Barcelona and Spain), the narrow escape foretold the challenges to come for England on the 25th of November.

England manager Walter Winterbottom was in Budapest for first hand observation of the Hungary-Sweden friendly on the 15th of November. Against a flat and not well prepared Hungary, Sweden managed a 2:2 draw and Winterbottom, seconded by Sweden’s English coach (how times change) declared to the press that England should not have problems with Hungary in ten days time.

Hungary stepped up its preparations under the guidance of manager Gusztav Sebes, an innovator and tactician less known and celebrated than the stars of the Golden Team. As Hidegkuti remembered in his autobiography, the preparations included a number of scrimmages played against lower division Hungarian clubs. Sebes asked the amateurs to impersonate the style and habits of the English players to assess details of his game plan.

The Magyars decided to travel to England by train. They arrived in London relaxed and rested as the journey was a leisurely one that allowed for sightseeing in Vienna and Paris. The delegation and the players stressed, rather shrewdly, as the pressure and expectations of their twenty-nine game unbeaten streak was mounting, the honor and privilege of playing the inventors and teachers of the game in its birthplace.

Betting in Britain was heavily in favor of England. Wembley was sold out for weeks. Hidegkuti also recalled that at their hotel he was inundated with advice and instructions, not only by Sebes and his staff, but by the elevator boys, waiters and barbers. Hidegkuti indeed was key in the flexible plan that asked him to forgo his familiar withdrawn center-forward position and press the attack up front, as he saw fit. By operating at midfield, he would coax Billy Wright out of defense and allow Puskas to go at the other defenders, or, as Hungarian attacks advance on either flank, he would await service in the penalty area as a contemporary striker would.

With unprecedented international press, newsreel, early television and BBC and Hungarian live radio coverage (oh the thrill of hearing Wembley’s roar live throughout Hungary in 1953) the two teams emerged for what was to become the Game of the Century, as follows: Hungary: Grosics, Buzanszky, Lorant, Lantos, Bozsik, Zakarias, Budai, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Puskas and Czibor; England: Merrick, Ramsey, Eckersley, Wright, Johnston, Dickinson, Matthews, Taylor, Mortensen, Sewell and Robb. Leo Horn of Holland was the referee.

Despite Hidekuti’s reputation as a deep-lying center-forward, in the first minute, awaiting the ball as a forward striker, he scored. England and Wright, having prepared for his midfield positioning, was slow to adjust. For the first twenty minutes Hungary was running through the English defense nearly at will. Although Sewell equalized in the fifteenth minute, Hungary then produced a burst of magic. Thirteen minutes of pure attacking football produced two goals from Puskas, one when he virtually moved Billy Wright out of the way as if he were a puppet on a string and another one, from the elusive Hidekuti, made it 4:1, Hungary. Then England scored for a hopeful 4:2 before the half, but early in the second Bozsik scored from a long drive and Hidegkuti completed his hat-trick from close range with a goal that capped a string of dazzling passes and it was now 6:2, Hungary. Ramsey rendered the final score from the penalty spot.

England’s defense never had a chance. Hungary was consistently dangerous from the wings and moments of individual magic, feints, dummies, devastating through-balls and long range shots could have made for another half-a-dozen goals.

The English press went overboard in damning England and praising the Puskas-led Magyars. Headlines such as “We Must be Humble” and “Thrashed!” and then, “New Football Masters”, “Magical Magyars” and “Artists” dominated. In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport summarized: “how is it possible to play against a team that is lining up with seven fuoriclasse (players beyond classification)”? Hungarian reactions seemed almost apologetic. They noted England’s past accomplishments, long football-hegemony over Europe and their admiration for the original soccer masters. In fact, they dedicated their victory to Jimmy Hogan, an English coach who had rewardingly taught and coached soccer in Hungary earlier in the century.

Sadly, several of the Hungarian team members have passed away before reaching old age and Ferenc Puskas is now in ill health. He is cheered up on occasional visits to Budapest by Alfredo di Stefano, Franz Beckenbauer or Sepp Blatter.

This week, the Hungarian FA will hold an anniversary dinner in Budapest for the remaining members of both teams. In Budapest three commemorative books are being published, including an illustrated album, Angol-Magyar 3:6. The black and white film of the game, on video transfer, is available at Amazon.co.uk. This makes it possible for younger fans to see firsthand and concur with the older generations that indeed, this was The Game of the Century.

Reference sources:

The Guardian Unlimited / October 24, 2003 / Frank Keating column

The Simplest Game, Paul Gardner, Little Brown and Company-Boston-Toronto 1976

sportmuzeum.hu / hall of fame / puskas

englandfootballonline.com / Norman Giller’s “England Lineups and Match Highlights – seasons 1946-47 to 1958-59”

NB1.hu / national team archives / 1950-55

Football, edited by Nick Yapp, published by Konemann 2000 – The Hutton Getty Picture Collection

Obudatol Firenzeig (From Obuda to Florence), Nandor Hidegkuti, Sport Publishing House Budapest 1965

The Budapest Sun Online / October 16, 2003 / Unheralded Hungarian History, T. Kiss and R. Marshall

 

We had an echo, ... the New York Times on England-Hungary

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/25/sports/soccer/25SOCC.html