England crashed to defeat in this bruising battle and so lost the chance of reaching the European Nations Cup Final. Their dream died with only four minutes of the match to go and the critics who said that England's World Cup win was down to the fact that it was played at Wembley, now had more ammunition for this argument.

The crowd, largely Yugoslavian, roared their side on passionately and it took all of the experience of the senior England players to hold the team together in this stifling atmosphere.

The tackling left little to the imagination and the Spanish referee was constantly blowing his whistle. England shared the blame for the tough approach the teams had and as early as the fifth minute, Norman Hunter's fearsome tackle left Yugoslavia's star schemer Osim injured and reduced to a virtual passenger for the remainder of the match. The histrionics shown by some of the Slavs after being tackled made things look much worse, but to their credit at least England were not guilty of these dramatic performances.

Indeed, in terms of possession and teamwork, England probably had the edge. Keith Newton and Ray Wilson, as well as helping the immaculate Bobby Moore, were always prepared to make forward runs in support of the attack. But England relied on only Roger Hunt as an 'out and out' striker with Alan Ball, Bobby Charlton, Alan Mullery and Martin Peters as well as Hunter packing the midfield. The game as a result produced few goalmouth thrills.

For Yugoslavia, Petković and Džajić were lively wingers and Musemić and Trivić were also a handful for the English defence. Half-time arrived with no score and Ball the pick of the England side. His energy seemed endless and he worked so hard to find an opening.

After the break Charlton, looking tired and not 100-per-cent fit after his groin strain, suddenly 'found his shooting boots'. A 40-yard weaving run ended with a rocket-shot which only just went wide. Then, with 15 minutes to go, he linked well with Moore and Ball to shoot wide once again.

But in the 86th minute, England received a severe blow. Trivić and Holcer combined well and when the centre came in, Džajić 'roared through' to beat Moore to the ball and crash his shot past Banks. It was a disaster and England had little chance to come back.

In the end all their frustration 'boiled over'. Trivić, not for the first time, chopped Mullery with a wild tackle. Mullery, in his exasperation and anger, turned and aimed a kick at his assailant and was sent off to a crescendo of whistles.

It was the first time an England player had been sent off in a full international and that was the final disappointment of a disastrous day.
  

Dragan Džajić, Yugoslavia's world-class winger, snatched the goal that won this ill-tempered European Nations Cup semi-final after Bobby Moore had failed to reach a high cross five minutes from the end. It was a bruising, angry battle in which the Yugoslavs kicked anything that moved, and in the final moments Alan Mullery became the first player ever sent off while playing for England. He got his marching orders for retaliating after being on the receiving end of a brutal tackle by Trivić. By today's no-contact rules at least two players from either side would have been sent for early baths long before Mullery made his miserable exit. 'It was the worst moment of my career,' he said later. 'I felt as if I had not only let the team down but also my wife and family. The player I kicked out at had been hacking at me throughout the game and I just lost my temper. To be the first England player ever sent off is a record I will hate having to live with.'
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
UEFA.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