Diary
 

FIFA retained the mini-league system but couldn't resist a little tinkering. Instead of each team playing all the others in the groups, two were seeded and would play only the two non-seeds - and any matches drawn after ninety minutes would go to extra-time. Arbitrary and confusing.

Cris Freddi's Complete Book of the World Cup

GROUP 3

16 June 1954 - Wankdorf, Berne - 20,000 - Arthur Ellis (ENG)         URUGUAY (0) 2      Míguez 71, Schiaffino 84     CZECHOSLOVAKIA (0) 0 URUGUAY Roque Máspoli, José Santamaría, William Martínez, Víctor Rodríguez Andrade, Obdulío Varela (c), Luis Cruz, Julio César Abbadíe, Javier Ambrois, Omar Míguez, Juan Schiaffino, Carlos Borges. Juan López. CZECHOSLOVAKIA Theodor Reimann, Frantisek Safránek, Jirí Hledík, Ladislav Novák (c), Jirí Trnka, Jan Hertl, Ladislav Hlaváćek, Ota Hemele, Ladislav Kačáni, Emil Pažický, Jirí Pešek. Karel Borhy, Jaroslav Cejp et al. If anything, the holders had an even stronger team than in 1950, Ghiggia had gone to Italy, but Abbadíe and Borges were explosive replacements. Santamaria, later a defensive pillar at Real Madrid, played for Spain in the 1962 finals.    Nevertheless Uruguay had trouble with the heavy pitch and a Czech defence in which Hledík and Reimann had excellent games. Eventually Míguez scored from Varela's pass and Schiaffino curled in a free-kick. Santamaría had to make a saving tackle from the stocky Hlaváćek, but Uruguay were generally in charge, against a rather anonymous team.

Cris Freddi's Complete Book of the World Cup

19 June 1954 - Sankt Jakob, Basle - 34,000 - Vincenzo Orlandi (ITA)         URUGUAY (2) 7      Borges 17, 48, 58, Míguez 31, 82, Abbadíe 55, 87     SCOTLAND (0) 0 URUGUAY Roque Máspoli, José Santamaría, William Martínez, Víctor Rodríguez Andrade, Obdulío Varela (c), Luis Cruz, Julio César Abbadíe, Javier Ambrois, Omar Míguez, Juan Schiaffino, Carlos Borges. Juan López. SCOTLAND Fred Martin, Willie Cunningham (c), Jock Aird, Tommy Docherty, Jimmy Davidson, Doug Cowie, John Mackenzie, Willie Fernie, Neil Mochan, Allan Brown, Willie Ormond. Andy Beattie. Any chance Scotland had of living up to their captain's bravado ('What's to stop us beating Uruguay?') probably disappeared when Andy Beattie resigned as manager after the Austria match - but it wouldn't have made much difference if he'd stayed: Scotland couldn't cope with the Uruguayan wingers, especially on such a hot day.    Abbadíe beat Aird and rolled the ball across the face of the goal for Borges to hold off a man and beat another before shooting high and fiercely past Martin. Schiaffino, rather overshadowed by Ghiggia and the defence four years earlier, was now the complete inside-forward: speed, vision, a fierce shot for someone so emaciated. According to Docherty, poor Cunningham developed 'a sunburned tongue'  trying to contain him. He drew two defenders to set Míguez free in front of Martin, who seemed to get a touch to the shot.    In the second half, Máspoli alomost fumbled a low shot into his own net, but Borges ran in to score before a tackle could come in, then beat a man before shooting from close range on the left. Abbadíe, stocky and elusive, twice ran clear on Martin from the right, scoring first with a cross-shot then by going round the keeper. Scottish embarrassment was completed in the last minute when Mackenzie shot feebly into Máspoli's hands from only a few yards out. The scale of this record defeat should have taught a few lessons in preparation and team selection, but four years later they still hadn't been learned.

Cris Freddi's Complete Book of the World Cup