England brought the Festival of Britain football programme to a close with a spectacular finish to a game evenly contested for 75 minutes.

Nearly 53,000 people packed into Goodison Park and they were soon on their feet cheering a first-minute goal for England. Only 19 seconds had gone on the stop-watch when a close passing movement straight from the kick-off enabled Henry Cockburn, Vic Metcalf and Stan Pearson to give Billy Nicholson a dream debut when he scored with a magnificent 18-yard shot with his first touch.

This would have knocked the stuffing out of most sides but within a minute Portugal drew level. A counter-thrust by Caiado, Travaços and David set up the chance for Patalino to shoot past Williams. It had been a remarkable opening and ten minutes later the dashing Jackie Milburn, who had a fine game, put England back in the lead with a swift low shot after receibing a pass from Pearson.

That lead lasted until just after half-time. Hesitancy between Alf Ramsey and Jim Taylor allowed Albano slip the ball past Bert Williams to once again level the scores. This really set the game alight and with the Portuguese tails well and truly up they began to ask severe questions of the English defence.

Then suddenly with 15 minutes left the England side changed completely. Gone was the tired and lethargic look. It was replaced by the much more normal look of the England team. They then proceeded to produce an appropriate festival of goals to end the match.

Tom Finney, in one of his most devastating moods, scored the decisive and killer goal in the 76th minute. It came with a superb swerving left-foot shot from the touch-line. It really was a match-winning goal and it finally broke the stubborn resistance of the brave Portuguese. The goals that followed from Milburn and Hassall were mere formalities and simply entertained the crowd still further. In the end the extra power of the English team finally saw off another continental challenge.
  

For the only time in his career, Billy Wright was dropped because of loss of form. Bill Nicholson took over in the No 4 shirt, and had the distinction of scoring with his first kick in international football in what was to prove his only match for England. Portugal were a goal down in twenty seconds and level a minute later in a blistering start to the match. Jackie Milburn restored England's lead in the eleventh minute. Alf Ramsey, skippering the side for a third time, mishit a back pass that let Portugal in for a second equaliser soon after half-time. Tom Finney then took over and ran the Portuguese into such dizzy array that at the after-match banquet their entire team stood and toasted "Mr. Finney, the Master."  He scored a magnificent solo goal, and then laid on goals for Milburn and Harold Hassall.
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
FPF.pt
ZeroZero.pt
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