Match Report

England and Italy had drawn, 1-1, 18 months earlier in Rome in their only previous meeting.  The return match was billed as a contest for world supremacy, the most important of the century.  Italy were playing their first game since winning the second World Cup five months earlier in Rome.  They had been beaten only four times in the 34 matches they had played since maestro Vittorio Pozzo took over in late 1929 after two brief earlier stints as national team coach for the Olympic Games of 1912 and 1924.  Remaining aloof from FIFA and its World Cup competition, England were still widely regarded as the world's best team.  Predictably, the game settled nothing, although it is still remembered as "The Battle of Highbury."

The Italians were at full strength, retaining their three controversial South American "oriundi," "Luisito" Monti, Raimondo Orsi and "Enrico" Guaita, and making only two changes in their World Cup-winning team. Carlo Ceresoli, who missed the World Cup through injury but would become the first-choice goalkeeper for the year following it, replaced veteran Giuseppe Combi, who had retired, and inside forward Pietro Serantoni, who would become a regular in the team and play in the 1938 World Cup final match, replaced Angelo Schiavio.

England fielded a team largely inexperienced at international level.  The selectors had given six players their debuts against Wales in England's last match in late September and now stuck with four of them--right-half Cliff Britton of Everton, centre-half Jack Barker of Derby County, outside right Stanley Matthews of Stoke City and inside right Ray Bowden of Arsenal--while giving debuts to two more--right back George Male and centre-forward Ted Drake.  Six players were thus winning their first or second appearances, including the entire right side of the formation.  None of England’s players had more than nine caps entering the match.  Rather appropriately, since the match was played on their club side’s ground, seven Arsenal players took the pitch for England, a still-standing record for one club. Among them were two making their England debuts, Male, who was given a late call to join his Arsenal partner, Eddie Hapgood, at fullback after the withdrawal of injured Tom "Snowy" Cooper of Derby County, and Drake, who was selected late following the injury withdrawals of original centre-forward choice Sam Tilson of Manchester City and Tilson's initial replacement, George Hunt of Tottenham Hotspur.

Italy played almost the entire match with 10 men. Centre-half Monti had a foot bone broken in a challenge from Drake and left the game after two minutes. Convinced the injury was deliberately inflicted, Italy retaliated, and the first half became a blood bath. The Italians went three goals down over the 10 minutes during Monti's exit, although several England players were injured. The most seriously hurt were Hapgood, making his debut as England captain, who had to leave the pitch for 15 minutes with a broken nose courtesy of a Guaita elbow, and Eric Brook, who suffered a broken arm. Ray Bowden incurred an ankle injury, Jack Barker had to have his hand strapped, Drake got a leg cut, George Male had a broken hand and some other England players suffered severe bruising.

In the first minute of play, Ceresoli brought down Drake in the penalty area but stopped Brook’s ensuing penalty kick with a magnificent save. Within a few minutes Brook made amends, opening the scoring with a header from Cliff Britton's free kick and adding a second goal with a left-footed shot from a free kick just outside the penalty area.  But for Ceresoli's brilliant penalty kick save, Brook would have had a first-half hat-trick. Drake netted England's third goal while Hapgood was receiving treatment off the pitch. Following an attack down the right flank, the Arsenal centre-forward hooked the ball into the net.

After the half-time interval, Italy settled down to play football and, although shy a man, scored twice through brilliant centre-forward "Peppino" Meazza, whose career total of 33 goals for Italy during the 1930's has been exceeded only by Luigi Riva, who scored 35 in the 1960's and 1970's.  Meazza's goals came four minutes apart in very heavy rain, the first resulting from Guaita’s skill and the second on a header from Attilio Ferraris' free kick. Only good fortune--Meazza also hit the crossbar--and superb goalkeeping from Frank Moss, in his last international appearance, kept England's lead intact.

Although the match had not settled which was the superior team, Italy's display in the second half, accomplished while short a man, had at the very least served notice that English claims to world footballing superiority were open to legitimate question. 

"THE MENACE OF INTERNATIONAL SPORT" - The Dundee Courier, 15 November 1934

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