The
Switzerland World Cup Finals Party Pre-England June 1954 |
Player |
Birthdate |
Age |
Pos |
Club |
App |
G |
15. Antenen, Charles |
3 November 1929 |
24 |
IR |
FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
26 |
13 |
16. Ballaman, Robert |
21 June 1926 |
27 |
IL |
Grasshopper Club |
21 |
9 |
8. Bigler, Heinz |
21 December 1925 |
28 |
LHB |
BSC Young Boys |
3 |
0 |
4. Bocquet, Roger |
19 April 1921 |
33 |
LB |
Lausanne-Sports |
45 |
2 |
9. Casali, Charles |
27 April 1923 |
31 |
M |
BSC Young Boys |
15 |
1 |
10. Eggimann, Olivier |
28 January 1919 |
35 |
CHB |
FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
37 |
0 |
1. Eich, Walter |
27 May 1925 |
29 |
Gk |
BSC Young Boys |
5 |
18ᵍᵃ
|
11. Eschmann, Norbert |
19 September 1933
in Besançon, France |
20 |
M |
FC Lausanne Sports |
0 |
0 |
17. Fatton, Jacques |
19 December 1925 |
28 |
OL |
Servette FC |
49 |
28 |
12. Fesselet, Gilbert |
16 April 1928 |
26 |
D |
FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
2 |
0 |
5. Flückiger, Marcel |
20 June 1929 |
34 |
D |
BSC Young Boys |
3 |
0 |
13. Frosio, Ivo |
27 April 1930 |
24 |
M |
Grasshopper Club |
7 |
0 |
18. Hügi, Joséf |
23 January 1930 |
24 |
F |
FC Basel |
12 |
6 |
14.
Kernen, Wilhelm |
6 August 1929 |
24 |
RHB |
FC
La Chaux-de-Fonds |
15 |
1 |
6. Mathis, Roger |
4 April 1921 |
33 |
RB |
FC Lausanne Sports |
1 |
0 |
19. Mauron, Marcel |
25 March 1929 |
25 |
F |
FC
La Chaux-de-Fonds |
3 |
1 |
20. Meier, Eugen |
30 April 1930 |
24 |
CF |
BSC Young Boys |
6 |
1 |
7. Neury, André |
3 September 1921 |
32 |
RB |
Servette FC |
25 |
0 |
2. Parlier, Eugéne |
13 February 1929 |
25 |
Gk |
Servette FC |
4 |
5ᵍᵃ |
21. Riva, Ferdinando |
3 July 1930 |
23 |
F |
FC Chiasso |
6 |
4 |
3. Stuber, Georges |
11 May 1925 |
29 |
Gk |
FC Lausanne-Sports |
13 |
31ᵍᵃ |
22. Vonlanthen, Roger |
5 December 1930 |
23 |
OL |
Grasshopper Club |
10 |
3 |
Party details correct up to
and including Switzerland's match against Italy on 17 June 1954.
Diary
FIFA retained the
mini-league system but couldn't resist a little tinkering. Instead
of each team playing all the others in the groups, two were seeded
and would play only the two non-seeds - and any matches drawn
after ninety minutes would go to extra-time. Arbitrary and
confusing. |
Cris Freddi's
Complete Book of the World Cup |
17 June 1954 -
Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne - 43,000 - Mário Vianna (BRZ)
SWITZERLAND (1) 2 Ballaman 18, Hügi 78 ITALY (1) 1 Boniperti
44
SWITZERLAND Eugène Parlier, André
Neury, Roger Bocquet (c), Willy Kernan, Marcel Flückiger, Charles
Casali, Robert Ballaman, Roger Vonlathen, Josef Hügi, Eugen Meier,
Jacky Fatton, Karl Rappen (AUT). ITALY Giorgio Ghezzi, Guido Vincenzi, Giovanni Giacomazzi, Maino
Neri, Ornero Tognon, Fulvio Nesti, Ernes Muccinelli, Giampiero
Bonipert (c), Carlo Galli, Egisto Pandolfini, Benito Lorenzi.
Lajos Czeizler (HUN).
Lorenzi was fit this time, and Italy deserved to be seeded - nut
again there were problems behind the scenes. They dominated
possession in the first half but went behind when Fatton's cross
from the left was met by Ballaman's powerful header that dipped
across the keeper from twelve yards out. As always, the Swiss were
defensive but good on the break. Italy equalised
from a left-wing cross that fell loose in a crowded penalty area.
Boniperti, who spent a decade not quite living up to a gold boy
tag, lunged in to score despite an ankle swollen by Flückiger's
tackle. Play became rough as both teams realised the balding
Vianna was a bulldog without a bite. Lorenzi put in a rebound from
close range only to be given offside, a decision that looks
correct enough on film. Vianna had to push Italian players off
with his hands and needed police protection from Lorenzi after the
match. Parlier pushed a shot onto the base of a
post before Switzerland scored the winner when Giacomazzi's
back-header fell to Hügi, who scored with a low cross-shot. |
Cris Freddi's
Complete Book of the World Cup |
Sunday, 20 June 1954 -
With
England in dire need of a goal, Taylor headed the ball on, Mullen
darted past his fullback, went round Parlier, and never played for
England again. No surprise there. Wilshaw's goal was just as good,
a dribble past three players after he 'suddenly remembered his
bodyswerve.' But Staniforth had to ckear off the line from
Ballaman (the ball seemed to cross the line), Fatton had a goal
disallowed, and Vonlanthen might have had a penalty. |
Cris Freddi's
Complete Book of the World Cup |
PLAY-OFF 20 June 1954 -
Sankt Jakob, Basle - 30,000 - Mervyn Griffiths (WAL)
SWITZERLAND (1) 4 Hügi
14, 85, Ballaman 48, Fatton 89 ITALY (0) 1 Nesti
67
SWITZERLAND Eugène Parlier, André
Neury, Roger Bocquet (c), Willy Kernan, Olivier Eggiman, Charles
Casali, Charly Antenen, Roger Vonlathen, Josef Hügi, Robert Ballaman, Jacky Fatton, Karl Rappen (AUT).
ITALY Giovanni Viola, Ardico Magnini, Giovanni Giacomazzi, Giacomo
Mari, Ornero Tognon, Fulvio Nesti, Ernes Muccinelli, Egisto Pandolfini
(c), Benito Lorenzi, Armando Segato, Amleto Frignani.
Lajos Czeizler (HUN).
It wasn't a defeat, said an Italian
paper, it was a disaster. No excuses possible.
Early on, Italy looked over-confident but were probably just
tired, allowing Switzerland to dictate from the moment Hügi was
sent clear in the inside-left channel to hit a low shot past
Viola's right-hand. For the second match in a row, Lorenzi had a
shot blocked on the line by a defender, then his powerful shot was
superbly saved by Parlier. Soon after half-time, new cap Viola
tipped a dangerous header over the bar but couldn't stop Ballaman
driving in the corner from five yards out.
Muccinelli's backheel was kicked away by a defender, Nesti showing
good reactions to get in a header when the ball flew hard straight
at him. But Vonlantehn was running the midfield by then, going
past the keeper to set up an open goal for Fatton, who had made
the third goal with a square pass met by another low shot from
Hügi. Four of the Italians, including Lorenzi,
weren't capped again. The Party later complained of boredom at the
training camp in Vevey, but that comes with the territory. Pozzo
could have told them that, and he was still around to ask. |
Cris Freddi's
Complete Book of the World Cup |
QUARTER-FINAL |
26 June 1954 -
Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne - 32,000 - Charlie Faultless (SCO)
AUSTRIA (5) 7
Wagner 25, 28, 54, A Körner 26, 34, Ocwirk 32, Probst 77
SWITZERLAND (4) 5
Ballaman 16, 36, Hügi
17, 18, 60
AUSTRIA Kurt Schmied,
Gerhard Hanappi, Ernst Happel, Leopold Barschandt, Ernst Ocwirk
(c), Karl Koller, Robert Körner, Theo Wagner, Ernst Stojaspal,
Erich Probst, Alfred Körner. Walter Nausch. SWITZERLAND Eugène Parlier, André
Neury, Roger Bocquet (c), Willy Kernan, Olivier Eggiman, Charles
Casali, Charly Antenen, Roger Vonlathen, Josef Hügi, Robert Ballaman, Jacky Fatton, Karl Rappen (AUT).
Whatever happened to the Swiss bolt?
The Austrians thrust it aside with short passes, slowing down the
play - but only after conceding those three goals in three
minutes. An amazing scoreline, unthinkable nowadays - though i
would have been even more eye-catching if Robert Körner hadn't
missed a penalty three minutes before half-time!
Ballaman cracked in a high shot from twenty yards. Hügi held off a
defender and shot round him past an unsighted keeper for the
second, then drove a low right-wing cross high into the net
for the third; Wagner took a return pass from one of the Körners
to score with a low ground shot which the keeper should probably
have reached; Alfred Körner struck a fine goal with the outside of
his left foot from out on the right, curling the ball in off the
far post; Wagner scored with a low cross-shot; Ocwirk rolled a
first-time ground shot across the keeper; Körner forced the ball
in after a fumble by the keeper; Ballaman converted a low cross
from the right; and Robert Körner put the penalty wide of the post
to the keeper's right. At half-time Schmied and
Bocquet received medical attention for sunstroke, then Wagner slid
in his third from the corner of the six-yard box. Hügi's 20-yarder
swung away from the keeper who should still have saved it instead
of just getting hand o it; and finally Probst chipped the
ball over the diving keeper from the left-hand edge of the
six-yard area. With six minutes left, Neury made
another saving tackle when Stojaspal seemed sure to score. As if
it mattered by then! |
Cris Freddi's
Complete Book of the World Cup |
Switzerland
Form: last six
games |
W D
L D W W
f 17:a 14
success: 67% |
241 |
11 November 1953 -
France 2 Switzerland 4 [0-0]
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes |
Ujlaki (2) Antenen
(3), Fatton |
Fr |
HW |
242 |
22 November 1953 -
Switzerland 2 Belgium 2 [0-2]
Hardturm Stadion, Zürich |
Fatton, Antenen
H.Van den Bosch (2) |
HD |
243 |
25 April 1954 -
Switzerland 3 West Germany 5 [0-4]
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel |
Fatton, Ballaman, Kernen
Schäfer (2), Walter (2), Morlock |
HL |
244 |
23 May 1954 - Switzerland 3 Uruguay 3
[1-1] Stade Olympique de La Pontaise, Lausanne |
Casali (pen),
Antenen, Ballaman
Borges, Schiaffino, Martínez
|
HD |
245 |
30 May 1954 -
Switzerland 3 Netherlands 1 [2-1]
Hardturm Stadion, Zürich |
Vonlanthen (3)
Dillen |
HW |
246 |
17 June 1954 -
Switzerland 2 Italy 1 [1-1] Stade
Olympique de La Pontaise, Lausanne |
Ballaman,
Hügi
Boniperti |
WCF |
HW |
____________________
CG
|