This was the 18th occasion since the war that these two sides had met and the pattern of this game went the same way as many of the others. The passion and fire of the Red Dragons was in full evidence at the start and Wales gave their full commitment early on. England, meanwhile, fresh from their triumphant summer tour, had the prefect start to quell the excitement of the crowd.

Jimmy Greaves made a clean break down the left and eventually put over a centre beyond Hollins to Bobby Smith, who headed home with ease. The goal had come after five minutes and was a bitter disappointment to the fervent Welsh crowd. To their credit, however, they got behind their favourites and inspired their team to an hour of pressure.

Ivor Allchurch was the man at the heart of Welsh play and his promptings almost produced goals for Jones and Len Allchurch. Gordon Banks was in great form for England and his fine saves kept the lead intact.

Jones was very unlucky when one shot on the turn cannoned back off a post and Jimmy Armfield then rescued England with a fine saving tackle on Ivor Allchurch. Maurice Norman saved with his head from Jones again, the big centre-half being felled by the ferocity of the shot, but at half-time England still clung on to their lead.

Straight after the break, another near miss came for Wales when Vernon had a shot saved by the outstretched foot of Banks. England did have their moments in amongst this Welsh pressure, and Bobby Charlton, seeking the English scoring record, came close with a 20-yard screamer saved at full stretch by Hollins.

Jones had been a constant thorn to Armfield all afternoon and Ivor Allchurch had controlled things but with 25 minutes to go, England produced the moment that turned the match their way. Norman cleared to George Eastham who, at last, began to put some thought into his passing. A lovely long diagonal pass found Smith who drew the last defender before squaring the ball inside to Greaves, who made it 2-0.

Inside 90 seconds England scored again. Gordon Milne passed to Greaves who glided to the right before laying on another easy goal for Smith. The Tottenham understanding that these two have was never more in evidence in international football than here.

The Welsh crowd were now silent and to rub salt into the wound, Charlton duly beat the record of Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney by scoring his 31st England goal near the end. Charlton had several goes in a goalmouth scramble before finally lashing home at the third attempt. Finney, as it happens, was watching and applauded generously as his record went.

Until Ivor Allchurch tired, it had been a close-run thing but in the end heart and passion were not enough.
  

The double act of Greaves and Smith was unstoppable. Greaves made a goal in the fifth minute for Smith who then returned the compliment before the irrepressible Greaves laid on a second goal for his beefy Tottenham team-mate. Bobby Charlton finished off the Welsh with his thirty-first goal for England, beating the record that he had held jointly with Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney. 'Preston Plumber' Finney was a guest spectator, and said: 'Bobby will go on to score many goals for England. The record could not be held by a better player nor a nicer man. He is a credit to the game.' One true gentleman recognizing another. Bobby Charlton wore the number 11 jersey, but followed Ramsey's orders and was more withdrawn than usual ... a sign of things to come.
  

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