At last, the much talked about World Cup finals were under way, but alas for England it began with a disappointing result. Less than 8,000 people were dotted about the stadium in Rancagua to see a match that, had it been held in Europe, would surely have attracted a sell-out crowd. Heavy drizzle filled the air and dark skies greeted the teams as they came out.

The high regard which both these sides held for each other made for a very nervous opening quarter of an hour. Both teams were testing each other out as the defences looked to consolidate. But after this opening sparring round it was Hungary who took an unexpected lead.

Tichy, making what seemed an aimless run, suddenly cut inside to unleash a superb 20-yard shot that beat Ron Springett. It was a bitter blow for England but they quickly struck back. Bobby Charlton made a good run and cross which Gerry Hitchens went for. The centre-forward clashed with Grosics and in the collision the goalkeeper was knocked out. Hungary held their lead, despite England enjoying long periods of domination. Unfortunately England's passing was not as accurate as it should have been and Hungary still looked the smoother of the sides, playing with more rhythm.

Bryan Douglas missed a good chance after lovely play by Charlton and Hitchens when he headed wide from a good position. Jimmy Armfield linked well in attacking runs down the right but England's crosses were easily dealt with by the tall Hungarian defenders. In an isolated attack by Hungary, they won a dangerous free-kick after Ron Flowers had fouled Tichy but the defensive wall held firm and blocked the kick. Just before half-time, Springett made a fine double save from Tichy and Sándor. Tichy's shooting was always a threat but on the whole England were a little unfortunate to be behind at the interval.

The second half began with a more open attacking look to it. England were soon pushing forward and Grosics made a brave dive at Jimmy Greaves' feet to stop a certain goal. A blatant piece of obstruction by Sándor then stopped Charlton and also brought a severe reprimand from the referee. But that was an isolated incident in an otherwise splendidly sporting match which was worthy of a worldwide stage. Sándor then redeemed himself somewhat with some lovely play which ended with Springett scrambling across goal, desperately to save at the foot of the post.

England then produced their most determined spell of attacking and it culminated in a deserved equalizer. Douglas crossed the ball and as Hitchens and Grosics clashed in mid-air it ran loose to Greaves, who shot at the open net. The only way that Sárosi could keep the ball out was to use his hands and that is exactly what he did. Flowers stepped up and coolly scored from the resultant spot-kick, leaving England with everything to play for.

The action continued to be lively and Springett made another fine save, although Fenyvesi was found to be offside. Then, tragically for England, Hungary regained the lead. Flowers seemed to have a pass covered but inexplicably he slipped, gicing possession to Albert. The graceful centre-forward quickly homed in on goal, rounded teh advancing Springett and guided the ball through the narrowest of gaps left by Ray Wilson's desperate lunge.

It was very disappointing for the England players and although they showed admirable zest and spirit in the final quarter of an hour, they failed to break down the strong Hungarian defence. In fact, a breakaway by Sándor almost produced a third goal for Hungary.

Overall, Hungary's extra cohesion probably meant a deserved victory and England would need to improve their passing if they were to progress any further in the competition.
  

A depressing start to the World Cup. Ron Springett was deceived by the flight of a harmless-looking 15-yard shot from Tichy in the 20th minute, and from then on England were struggling to get into the game on a wet, slippery surface that made every step a challenge. Fifteen minutes into the second-half a goal-bound Greaves shot was handled on the line, and Ron Flowers scored from the penalty spot. Flowers was then reluctantly responsible for Hungary's winning goal. He slipped on the soaked turf and left Florian Albert free to race away and score with a low shot. The form England had flourished 13 months earlier in the 9-3 slaughter of Scotland seemed light years away.
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
____________________

CG