From World Cup winners to World Cup runners-up, that was how England's fixture list worked out. On the first leg of a three-match summer tour of Europe, England took on Czechoslovakia, who lost 3-1 in that famous Final the previous year. As it turned out, England produced one of their best performances for a long time and, indeed, one of their best ever on foreign soil.

With Jimmy Arnfield injured the captaincy fell on the young shoulders of Bobby Moore, who became England's youngest-ever captain. How the young man rose to the challenge. He was magnificent and inspired his team.

England withstood tremendous pressure in the first quarter of an hour, mainly thanks to a tactical plan built around a cleverly retreating defence. For years, England's forwards have been frustrated by such defensive methods. Now, thanks to Alf Ramsey, it was Czechoslovakia's turn to be frustrated. By soaking up the pressure and breaking quickly with lightning attacks, usually started by George Eastham, England took a great stride towards winning the match.

After that early burst by the Czechs, England made a stunning reply on 18 minutes. Moore intercepted a pass in midfield and found Bobby Smith. A lovely wall pass and Jimmy Greaves was through. The Tottenham star shimmied and wriggled past three defenders, drew the goalkeeper skilfully and placed the ball into the net before turning with one arm raised to receive the congratulations of his delighted teammates.

It was typical Greaves and the home crowd and team were suitably stunned into disbelief. Worse was to follow for them two minutes from half-time when their idol and the star of the side, Masopust was taken off to be replaced by Bubernik.

Within a minute of the second half starting, England, unbelievably, went 2-0 up. A scintillating move down the left involving Gordon Milne, Bobby Charlton and Greaves ended with Smith having the easiest of chances from close range.

England were now in a commanding position but for the next 20 minutes after the interval it was backs-to-the-wall as Czechoslovakia fought back. An unfortunate misunderstanding between Moore and Gordon Banks enabled the home side to pull a goal back. Moore lobbed the ball towards his own goal as Banks came out. Banks managed to get a hand to it but as it ran loose, Scherer was on hand to nod it into the empty net.

There then followed some intense pressure. Bubernik crashed a header against a post, Kvašňák then slashed the rebound onto the crossbar before England desperately managed to scramble the ball clear. Throughout this period, Moore, Maurice Norman and the rest of the defence held firm showing great determination and they were rewarded when England came up with the perfect response to the pressure. Greaves set Eastham free on the left and the Arsenal player sent over a deep centre. Terry Paine pulled the ball back from the opposite by-line, it was blocked, ran loose and there was Bobby Charlton roaring in to crash home England's third goal.

Before the relief of that goal had the chance to settle on the England players Czechoslovakia came straight back again to reduce the arrears once more. Kadraba seemed to impede Banks before he was able to head the loose ball home to put the visitors under fierce pressure yet again. With the Czechs pressing hard, it seemed that all England's valiant efforts were to be denied at the death, but with 20 minutes to go, a fourth goal finally sealed victory - and what a beauty it was.

Smith found Paine who, not for the first time, beat his marker before crossing the ball from the by-line. Greaves was there as ever to produce his own special brand of magic as he pulled the ball down with his left foot and shot home devastatingly with his right.

In the remaining minutes, England stroked the ball around arrogantly, keeping possession and drawing applause from even the patriotic home fans. It was a memorable display, well planned tactically and carried out to the letter by a fine team performance. Moore and Norman were the heroes in defence with Milne, Eastham, Greaves, Charlton and Paine all making telling contributions.

It was England's first victory on foreign soil since they beat Italy in Rome in 1961.
  

The first victory under the Ramsey baton, and what an impressive scalp.  Czechoslovakia had been runners-up in the 1962 World Cup final and included European Footballer of the Year Josef Masopust in their midfield. Greaves (2), Smith and Charlton scored the goals, and Ken Shellito and Terry Paine made impressive debuts. A knee injury would virtually end Shellito's career within the year. He was a beautifully balanced player who could match the speed of sprinting wingers. His early retirement would be a blow for Chelsea and England, but George Cohen was - so to speak - waiting in the wings to make the No. 2 jersey his personal property. Bobby Moore captained England for the first time in place of the injured Armfield. He would go on to skipper England 90 times, equalling the record set by one of his boyhood heroes Billy Wright (who had been his manager at England Under-23 level).
  

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
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CG