ENGLAND met the Soviet Union at Wembley still smarting from the painful memory of Sweden, and the World Cup the previous June. For obvious reasons they had a desire to gain revenge over their opponents and, at the end of the day, they managed a result far beyond their dreams.

In a largely uneventful first half, both sides carefully tested each other out without showing any real threat. Powerful running by Nat Lofthouse, recalled for the first time since 1956, did cause some anxious moments for the visitors but neither goalkeeper was severely tested. Play was mostly confined to the midfield area where England gradually gained control. Ronnie Clayton, Johnny Haynes and Bobby Charlton were particularly impressive with Clayton having probably his best game in an England shirt.

The Soviet's best scoring opportunity came on the half-hour and Mamedov surely rued the simple chance he missed. It could well have been the most crucial turning point in the game. Charlton tried a few shots, usually off target, but deservedly just before the interval England gained their breakthrough. The half was almost over when Charlton, Tom Finney and Bryan Douglas combined down the left to send Haynes in to shoot low and hard past Balaev.

That was a body-blow to the Soviets, going in one down at half-time instead of being on level terms. Indeed, after the break England completely took over, swamping their opponents with some fine play. Despite the fact that Voinov and Simonian showed some lovely touches, Clayton's driving performance kept his side pushing forward relentlessly. Haynes continued in his role as an extra completely dominating the second half, reaped the benefit as the goals came later on.

A header by Lofthouse brought a desperate and untidy clearance by Kesarev and Haynes was on hand to punish the error by crashing the ball into the net. With eight minutes to go, Haynes and Finney worked a short corner and Haynes burst through the defence to complete a memorable hat-trick with a good shot.

The pressure continued right to the end with the Soviets fading and Bryan Douglas then made another goal. His wing play had caused problems all through and when he burst through on a run through the middle he was unceremoniously hauled down by Kuznetsov whilst in full flight. Penalty! Up stepped Charlton and it was 4-0. The final, and probably the loudest cheer, was reserved for Lofthouse.

The game was into the last minute when Charlton found the big man with a good pass. The Bolton forward seized the opportunity with both hands and quickly fired in a splendid shot which gave Balaev no chance to save. The delight of the crowd was obvious and it was a just reward for a typical performance by the gutsy number nine.

This was the first victory in eight internationals and the convincing nature of the win gave everyone a boost after the summer's disappointments. Graham Shaw's debut was full of promise and, despite Haynes' goals, Clayton was undoubtedly man-of-the-match.
     

This was hollow revenge against the Russians for the defeat in the match that really mattered in the World Cup. Johnny Haynes, the pass master, turned goal snatcher with his one and only international hat-trick. Four of England's goals came in the second-half as goalkeeper Belaev, deputising for the injured Lev Yashin, flapped under non-stop pressure from the lion-hearted Lofthouse, who had been recalled after two years in the international wilderness. He revealed a flash of his old power with a crashing left foot shot for the fifth goal despite a Russian defender having a handful of his shirt. Bobby Charlton's goal came from the penalty spot. Ronnie Clayton, who was eventually to succeed Billy Wright as skipper, had an outstanding game with his driving performance from midfield, and Graham Shaw made a sound debut at left-back. The BBC television Sportsview team, led by Kenneth Wolstenholme, had been campaigning to have Johnny Haynes replaced. When they reported the match and Johnny's hat-trick, they appeared in front of the cameras in sackcloth and ashes.  This was notable as Tom Finney's seventy-sixth and final game for England. No better player ever wore the white shirt. He left the stage quietly when what he deserved was a farewell of fireworks and praise for all he had achieved for England. Tommy was as modest as they come, and he should have received better treatment from the selectors who just suddenly ignored him after an injury and a run of bad form.
  

Before 1958 England had never met the USSR, but in the space of just over five months they were to meet four times. A 1-1 draw in Moscow was followed by 2-2 in the World Cup in Gothenburg. The Soviets, in their first World Cup, then put out England by beating them 1-0 in a play-off, also in Gothenburg. They were then beaten in the quarter-finals by the host nation Sweden. The USSR had only been competing in internationals for six years but had won the Olympic title in 1956. England were looking for revenge after a disappointing World Cup.
Just before half-time from a pass by Douglas, Johnny Haynes gave England the lead. After 63 minutes Kesarev's poor clearance was seized upon by Haynes and England were two up. The Soviet defence crumbled in the last eight minutes and conceded three more goals. From a corner Finney pulled the ball back and Haynes completed his hat-trick from the edge of the area.
Then Kuznetsov brought down Douglas and Bobby Charlton converted the spot kick to end England's run of unsuccessful penalties at Wembley. Nat Lofthouse scored the fifth in the last minute from a pass by Charlton. It was USSR's worst ever defeat.
The USSR won the first European Championship two years later and reached the World Cup quarter-finals again in 1962. They were back at Wembley for the 1966 World Cup.
  

This was undoubtedly England's best performance of the season, and was the complete revenge for their World Cup defeat by the Russians. Four changes were made from the side in Belfast—Slater, Douglas, and Lofthouse were recalled, and Shaw (G.) replaced the injured Banks. The match was a personal triumph for Haynes who scored the opening three goals. His first came shortly before half-time to give England a lead that they only just deserved on the first half showing. In the second half it was a different story; England, playing really well, first gained control of the match and finally dominated it. Soon Haynes scored his second, and completed his hat-trick with ten minutes to go. Two minutes later Charlton hit home a penalty awarded for a foul on Douglas, and in the last minute Lofthouse completed a storybook come-back by crashing in the fifth goal. In addition to Haynes, Shaw made a most impressive debut, and Clayton could not be faulted. Wright, Douglas, and Lofthouse will also remember the match with pride. The Russian team lacked penetration and finish, and tired badly in the closing stages.