So, at last, the 1954 World Cup Finals are under way for England, and surely this match will rank as one of the most eventful of the whole tournament, no matter whatever else happens. For an hour England were magnificent.

Playing fast, purposeful football they stretched Belgium to the limit and only a tremendous display by Gernaey in goal saved them from an embarassing defeat. Learning a good deal from their Hungarian experience, England employed much of the style of the magnificent Magyars. They overcame a shocky early goal by Anoul for Belgium to quickly equalize when Ivor Broadis scored after good work by Billy Wright and Tommy Taylor had created the opening.

That goal came in the 25th minute and seven minutes later a Taylor through-pass sent Tom Finney away. The Preston winger sent over a lovely centre and Nat Lofthouse roared in to dive horizontally to head a magnificent goal.

When Broadis added a third goal shortly after half-time following a piece of typical Stanley Matthews magic it seemed all over bar the shouting. But instead of pressing home their advantage England tended to over-elaborate their passing movements and in the last 15 minutes they were made to pay for this approach. In a sudden five minute burst from Belgium the scores, remarkably, were level. First Houf and then Coppens pounced on loose defensive work to give Belgium a reward they barely deserved, extra-time.

This, too, was full of drama. Lofthouse restored the England lead when fine work by Broadis and Taylor set up the chance. However their joy was short-lived as two minutes later a tragic own-goal ended the scoring. A long hopeful cross by Dries was met by Jimmy Dickinson's head and the ball flew past Gil Merrick to the dismay of all English fans present.

This was a very frustrating result for England and particularly annoying because they should have won the match convincingly.
  

A Jimmy Dickinson own goal during extra-time gave Belgium a draw in a helter-skelter match full of defensive blunders as England made an eventful start to their challenge for the World Cup. A goal down in five minutes, England produced some enterprising and energetic football and deserved their 2-1 half-time lead from goals by Ivor Broadis and Nat Lofthouse. The Lofthouse goal was a cracker, a spectacular diving header to send a Tom Finney cross powering into the net. When Broadis added a third goal early in the second half it looked odds on an England victory. Then defensive lapses let the Belgians in for two soft goals that took the game into extra-time. Nat Lofthouse made it 4-3 in the opening moments of extra-time, and England seemed destined for full points when Jimmy Dickinson turned an intended headed clearance into his own net. Billy Wright took over at centre-half in the closing stages as Syd Owen limped to a passenger's role on the wing. It was to prove the most significant positional switch of Billy's career.
    

Source Notes

TheFA.com
FIFA match report
Belgiumfootball.be
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