Colombia Team

England Team

The quest for World Cup glory began here, 8,600 feet-up in the towering Andes mountains. After a long journey from home, England's acclimatization period includes this game and another in Ecuador. Here was a colourful scene to greet England with the many multi-coloured ponchos amongst the crowd, the throbbing music from the Mariachi bands and a full-scale turn-out by the military academy in their distinctive uniforms.

When the game started, England got off to a flying start. On a wet, uneven pitch they were quickly into their stride and after only three minutes they took the lead. A corner by Bobby Charlton was flicked on by Geoff Hurst and in came Martin Peters to head a fine goal.

From that moment England took command. Playing lovely, controlled football and pacing themselves perfectly, they easily held the Colombian team. Bobby Moore, captain supreme, was at his most elegant best and he was always there when danger threatened the England goal. Peters, too, had a fine match, always involved, always dangerous and always ready to have a shot at goal.

Colombia relied on the short-passing game but it was slow and laboured, and England had little trouble dealing with it. After other near-misses, England increased their lead on the stroke of half-time. Another corner by Charlton and another superb header by Peters after Hurst's decoy-run had opened the way.

Ten minutes after the interval, Charlton added a third, a thumping right-foot 'rocket' from the edge of the area which gave the goalkeeper no chance. It was Charlton's 49th goal - and, as it turned out, last - for his country and it finally settled the result. 

Peters, Alan Ball and Alan Mullery strutted around the midfield totally in control. Hurst was twice unlucky not to score, Francis Lee buzzed around effectively and Moore was outstanding at the heart of England's defence. 

Ball was everywhere and his perpetual-motion style impressed everyone and it was fitting that he should score the last goal just before the end when his 'fiery'-red head got on the end of a Terry Cooper cross. 

This performance was a real confidence-booster for the games ahead. The Colombians were quite simply outplayed and outclassed.
  

England arrived in Bogotá after two weeks' altitude training in Mexico. Sir Alf Ramsey fielded what he considered his number-one World Cup team and two goals from Martin Peters and one each from Bobby Charlton and Alan Ball gave England a comfortable victory at an altitude of 8,600 feet high up in the spectacular Andes mountains. England were a goal up in just ninety seconds from a deft header by Peters, and were rarely troubled by a Colombian side that played a neat, passing game but without penalty-area punch. This 4-4-2 line-up featured Francis Lee and Geoff Hurst working in tandem up-front and supported by a midfield quartet of Alan Mullery, Alan Ball, Bobby Charlton and Martin Peters. Everton skipper Brian Labone had taken over from Jack Charlton at the heart of the defence, and only Gordon Banks and Bobby Moore had survived from the fortress that had been so impressive in the 1966 World Cup finals.
  

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/GI