Delicate line of English triumph!

Even to this day, despite the at least technologically proven facts, in England, Geoff Hurst’s goal, which essentially gave England their only international title, is considered without hesitation, a regular one!

In Germany…they will never accept it!

For most people, modern football begins with the 1966 World Cup. The smell of change in terms of the “Magic Game” was everywhere in the run-up to that competition that year in England. First, as an activity, it took place exactly where football was born.

In England! 75 countries participated in the qualifiers, the largest participation ever. Portugal, as a team appearing for the first time, would be baptized as one of the best in the world and, together with North Korea, proved that football no longer belonged only to the countries that were on the world map from the beginning of football like Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Hungary, etc.

All in all, although West Germany was declared World Champion 12 years ago, it was from this year, 1966, that its glorious history in football came to life on the world stage, being the most powerful representative team to date with participation in finals in 1966, ’74, ’82, ’86, ’90, 2002 and 2014, sometimes winners in 1974, 1990 and most recently in 2014, but always present in the semi-finals as in 1970, ’78, 2002, ’06 and 2010 since 1966! Since its first appearance, West Germany, so to speak, “married” football to feelings such as The Incredible (Switzerland 1954 with Hungary), The Heroism of Fighting to the End (England 1966), Disappointment (Spain 1982 with Algeria) and in general, whatever happens, leave the field with your head held high (Japan – South Korea 2002, Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010), be feared even when others are the best team, make the world of think that the football field resembles a battlefield when you see on it a disciplined group and fighting spirit of a military level! Undoubtedly, protagonists of the innovation “The goal justifies the means” (Switzerland 1954, Spain 1982, Mexico 1986) finding a golden formula in buying and leaving matches even avoiding the first place in the group to avoid the next clash, formula which never fails in the necessary central plan mathematics for safe continuity towards the finale!

We are also dealing with the protagonist team of, say, every memorable match of the last century, battles which are not few as with Italy in 1970, France in 1982, etc. These are the Germans, plus Gary Linecker’s famous quote! Now…they themselves have not yet managed to understand well what exactly Italy is, but that is another matter! 13 years ago, England was embarrassed as never before but also for the future in its history when it lost 3-6 at Wembley to Hungary and 7-1 in the second leg in Hungary!

One of the players who appeared in the “Match of the Century” which shamed the English world wide, was also Sir Alf Ramsey who was now the leader of the English national team right in front of the eyes of its supporters, in the country where football was born and with the historic task not to fail not to get the World Cup! If the air accident of the Manchester United mission returning from Belgrade to Munich in 1958 had not happened, perhaps things could have been many times better for the English. One of the survivors, then only 17 years old and so unknown as even a reserve player, Robert (Boby) Charlton, was now the “column” of the team whose, public claims, made the shirt very heavy! They look like gladiators who are destined to win in the end, in the eyes of the very special English fans, under the gaze of the Queen and in front of the nation! Gordon Banks, Nobby Staills, Robbie Moore, Geoff Hurst, Jackie and Bobby Charlton, Ray Wilson, Martin Peters, Roger Hunt and Alan Bowle were the chosen ones of history to be there! On the other hand, Hans Tilkovski, Hëtges, Overath, Schnelinger, Uve Ziler, Haler, Emerih, Veber, Held, Schulz, Franc Beckenbauer and the unforgettable “strategist” of German football history Helmut Saint, were the generation on the way to the peak of history for German football!

England was not the team to scare in attack and until the final they had scored five goals in four games. they even started with a disappointing 0-0 draw in the opening match against Uruguay, but had a fantastic Gordon Banks in goal and a defense that didn’t concede goals easily with Nubby Styles, Jackie Charlton, Ray Wilson and captain Bobby Moore. They conceded just one penalty goal in the semi-final against Eusebio’s brilliant Portugal. Germany had scored a total of 13 times until the final and had suffered only two! In time it was realized that the names of the German eleven instilled fear in their hearing and even some players from that Wembley line-up went on to complete their historic mission in the Munich final eight years later against Holland in 1974. …

Simply, the world, for the first time, heard their names and got a taste of what was meant by the name Germany in football! There is a conspiracy theory that, on the way of the two teams to the final, based on everything that happened, a bitter truth is hidden… That the final between the two European countries was predetermined!

On the one hand, with the final taking place in Europe and on the other hand, with Brazil being the winner of the last two World Cups, Latin America led 4-3 in trophies won against Europe! In the match West Germany – Uruguay, the English referee Jim Finney, although the Uruguayans protested for touching the ball with the hand of Schnellinger, easily sent Horacio Troche out with a red and then Hector Silva (the red card was the newest rule and was used exactly in England in 1966 for the first time).

The nerves were so tense that Horacio Troche punches Uve Ziler while Hector Silva forces the police to intervene on the field and take him out! Pele, was traumatized and forced to leave the team early, as did Brazil the competition! In the quarter-finals, England faces Argentina. At one point, for no reason at all, the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent Argentina’s captain Antonio Ratti off with a red card because… he didn’t like the way the latter was looking at him!! According to the “confrontation” of English journalists, Rattin had used verbal violence against him and the referee did not understand Spanish! Rattin refuses to come out and showing the captain’s armband asks for an interpreter! According to him and the conspiracy theory, the English and the Germans cooperated to leave others out of the continuation…

Eventually he leaves the field accompanied by the police! For a moment, outside the field grass, he sits nervously on the red carpet laid out for Queen Elizabeth! After the match, Alf Ramsey calls the Argentines “animals” at the press conference! The Argentine press retaliated in their own way the next day by portraying mascot Willie as a pirate with a royal coat of arms!

The eternal Argentina-England challenge has just come to life… Coincidentally or not, these were the things that happened on the way to the finals. Of course, there is the other side of the truth which says that they were both the best teams and rightly found themselves at Wembley to discuss the ultimate trophy!

The final started like all other matches for the English. First take care of the defense and then the others. The ovations of the 98,000 spectators at Wembley, at that moment, may have deafened the whole globe, but the Germans were the first to attack!

After a hesitation by the English defense, Helmut Haler scores 1-0 for Germany. Until then, Gordon Banks had saved England at least twice from a safe goal! Banks, found himself at the hour required by history at the gate of England and rightfully remains to this day the best goalkeeper of all time of the English national team! Four years later in Mexico, with his injury and his absence, he paved the way for Germany to rematch… Four minutes later, Joff Hurst equalized at 1-1. It looked like everything would temporarily end at 1-1 but Martin Peters, after fruitless efforts from both teams, finally scores in ’78 and with 12 minutes to go it’s 2-1 to England! The fans at Wembley have gone into hysteria! Everything looks like an easily understood, preordained fate for England! But.

Gary Linecker’s saying that “Football is a game that is played 11 against 11 and regardless of what happens on the field, in the end the Germans win” specifically refers to the semi-final of Italy 1990 between the two teams but, historically, it has its roots in 1966!

The world would know for the first time the main virtue of the Germans and for which they are admired in football. They never give up! In the last minute, Uwe Ziller wins a foul from the left of the German attack caused by Jacky Charlton, who complains that he did not cause the foul. Lotar Emerih not far from the right corner of the English area, he does not cross but shoots completely close to the grond.

The ball finds the feet of defender George Cohen but takes a strange fake from the opposite side parallel to the English goal and finds Banks and the defenders displaced from their seats and there Wolfgang Weber with a heroic effort flies towards the far post and manages to push it into the goal. 2-2! For the first time in the history of the World Championships, a final goes to extra time! At the beginning of the extra 30 minutes, the English attack.

Tilkovski made two saves, even the second time, managed to punch the ball after Bobby Charlton’s shot, right at the foot of the upright. Eleven minutes from added time, Alan Boul lays the ball inside the area on the right for Harst and he, with a curling shot, sends the ball first into the crossbar and then…

The story is still not over even today, because it is the moment that has focused the story of the only world trophy in English football history and they insist that the ball went in!

Technology, Germany and the rest of the world still do not accept it!

That`s  historic moment, Harst after the shot and Hunt  raise it`s hands in celebration! The Germans with Tilkovski first raise their hand in denial and then shout “No”!

For Swiss referee Gotfrid Dinst, it is simply a moment he would never want to happen and the only solution is to stop the game and consult with Soviet side collegue,  Tofik Bahramov. According to what was seen worldwide, Bahramov declares with complete conviction that the ball crossed the fatal line…

Many years later, it was also officially proven based on technology, that he was not right!
For evil tongues, there is also a story which says that after being asked why he confirmed the English goal, Bahramov simply answered “Stalingrad”!

So, somewhere there, the final for the Germans ended!

44 years later the roles would be reversed and in South Africa, the victims would be the English! Except the goal reward could never be equal in size for the Germans!

Just for statistics, Jeff Hurst, in the last seconds, inside the area from the right, shoots, according to him simply to send the ball as far as possible to gain time, but to his surprise and that of Hans Tillkovsky, the ball sticks in the goal the right triangle of the German goal and the final score of the final will be 4-2!

If you were to ask the entire English nation who was the best player in the team, they would answer without hesitation Bobby Moore, the captain, but undoubtedly the soul of the team was Nubby Styles, the short man with falling hair who was missing two of his front teeth. before and while showing about 50 years, it had become an attraction, thus challenging the mascot “World Cup Willie”, the first mascot in the history of the World Cup, the lion who wore a T-shirt in the shape of the British flag!

Today, for all, Bobby Charlton was everything for England and without him, the English would not have managed to win their only trophy!

Duncan Edwards, the best player of Matt Busby’s “Babies” generation of Manchester United who lost his life in the Munich air tragedy, shone in his absence!

Jimmy Greaves, England’s main striker was also absent for the final but his replacement Geoff Hurst did his job well, even scoring the only hat-trick to date in a World Cup final!

The Germans announced their future in the best way and Beckenbauer, Seeler, Overath and Schnelinger, although a year later they would be left out of the finals of the European Championship in Italy 1968 from Albania, they would be the great protagonists of German football history!

With names such as Charlton, Banks, More, Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Yaschin, Rivera, etc., football would rise many levels higher from there, leaving behind the last transmission in black and white film, England and the year 1966!

By Arian Muraj (C) All right reserved
#Sports Vision+ / Hour of champions
December 30, 2020

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Sports Vision + Plus | The Hour of the Champions – in activity since 2013