|
Match
Summary |
|
Officials |
Uruguay |
Type |
England |
Referee
(black) - Erich Steiner
x (-), Austria.
Linesmen -
Vasa Stefanović, Yugoslavia, and
Vincenzo Orlandini, Italy

|
|
Goal Attempts |
|
|
Attempts on Target |
|
|
Hit Bar/Post |
|
|
Corner Kicks Won |
|
|
Offside Calls Against |
|
|
Fouls Conceded |
|
|
Possession |
|
|
Uruguay
Team |
|
Current World Champions |
Colours: |
Sky blue v-necked jerseys with white collar/cuffs, black shorts,
black socks with white tops. |
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 5th to 4th |
Capt: |
Obdulio Varela |
Manager: |
Juan López Fontana, 46 (15 March 1908), also coach at CA Peñarol,
appointed 1949. |
Uruguay
Lineup |
1 |
Máspoli Arbelvide, Roque
G. |
36 |
12 October 1917 |
G |
CA Peñarol |
|
GA |
2 |
Santamaría Iglesias, José
E. |
24 |
31 July 1929 |
RB |
Club Nacional de Football |
7 |
0 |
3 |
Martínez
Carreras, Wílliam R. |
26 |
13 January 1928 |
LB |
Rampla Juniors FC |
14 |
0 |
4 |
Rodríguez Andrade,
Víctor
P. |
27 |
2 May 1927 |
RHB |
CA Peñarol |
|
|
5 |
Muiños Varela, Obdulio J. |
36 |
20 September 1917 |
CHB |
CA Peñarol |
|
|
17 |
Cruz, Luis A. |
29 |
28 April 1925 |
LHB |
Club Nacional de Football |
11 |
0 |
7 |
Abbadie Gismero,
Julio
C. |
23 |
7 September 1930 |
OR |
CA Peñarol |
|
|
19 |
Ambrois, Javier |
22 |
9 May 1932 |
IR |
Club Nacional de Football |
|
|
9 |
Míguez
Antón, Omar
Óscar |
26 |
5 December 1927 |
CF |
CA Peñarol |
20 |
18 |
10 |
Schiaffino, Juan A. |
28 |
28 July 1925 |
IL |
CA Peñarol |
19 |
8 |
11 |
Borges, Carlos A. |
22 |
14 January 1932 |
OL |
CA Peñarol |
|
|
reserves: |
no reserves named |
|
2-3-5 |
Máspoli - Santamaría,
Martínez - Rodríguez Andrade,
Varela, Cruz - Abbadie, Ambrois,
Míguez, Schiaffino, Borges. |
Averages: |
Age |
27.2 |
Appearances/Goals |
- |
- |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th to 7th |
Colours: |
The 1949 home
uniform -
White collared short-sleeved jerseys, blue shorts, red socks. |
Capt: |
Billy Wright, 46th captaincy |
Manager:
Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) |
Walter Winterbottom, 41 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
64th match, W 39 - D 13 - L 12 - F 187 - A 95,
one abandoned. Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Harold
Shentall, on Friday, 25 June. |
England
Lineup |
|
Merrick, Gilbert H. |
32 |
26 January 1922 |
G |
Birmingham City FC |
23 |
45ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Staniforth, Ronald |
30 |
13 April 1924 |
RB |
Huddersfield Town AFC |
6 |
0 |
3 |
Byrne, Roger W. |
24 |
8 September 1929 |
LB |
Manchester United FC |
6 |
0 |
14 |
McGarry, William H. |
23 |
10 June 1927 |
RHB |
Huddersfield Town AFC |
2 |
0 |
4 |
Wright, William A. |
30 |
6 February 1924 |
CHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC |
61 |
3 |
6 |
Dickinson, James
W. |
29 |
24 April 1925 |
LHB |
Portsmouth
FC |
38 |
0 |
7 |
Matthews, Stanley |
39 |
1 February 1915 |
OR |
Blackpool FC |
38 |
10 |
8 |
Broadis, Ivan A. |
31 |
18 December 1922 |
IR |
Newcastle United FC |
14 |
8 |
9 |
Lofthouse, Nathaniel |
28 |
27 August 1925 |
CF |
Bolton Wanderers FC |
21 |
23 |
15 |
Wilshaw, Dennis J. |
28 |
11 March 1926 |
IL |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
3 |
3 |
11 |
Finney,
Thomas |
32 |
5 April 1922 |
OL |
Preston
North End FC |
54 |
24 |
reserves: |
no reserves named |
team notes: |
Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally. Tom Finney becomes England's oldest goalscorer at a World Cup Final
tournament, aged 32 years 82 days. Adding 42 days to the record held
by Wilf Mannion set in 1950. This is the most experienced post-war
team England have fielded so far. |
|
2-3-5 |
Merrick - Staniforth, Byrne - Wright, McGarry, Dickinson
- Matthews, Broadis, Lofthouse, Wilshaw, Finney |
Averages: |
Age |
29.6 |
Appearances/Goals |
24.2 |
6.3 |
|
|
Match Report
by Mike Payne |
England
finally made their exit ftom the 1954 World Cup when they lost to the
current holders of the trophy, Uruguay, in the sweltering heat of the St.
Jakob Stadium in Basle. Ironically, though, the crowd witnessed England's
best performance of the tournament by far and the players could leave
Switzerland with their heads held high.
Courage and determination has never been a
characteristic lacking in an Englishman and the players had to draw on
their experience to do battle against the intimidating South Americans.
Led by their captain, Billy Wright, England pushed forward at every
opportunity, feeding the mercurial Stanley Matthews as often as possible.
The winger was used in a roving role and always seemed available when his
fierce-tackling defenders fed the ball out of defence.
The histrionics of
the Uruguyans quickly turned the crowd against them, so England enjoyed
valuable support, but there was no disputing Uruguay's skill and after
only five minutes they took the lead.
Superb interpassing between
Abbadie, Schiaffino and Borges ended with the latter brilliantly shooting
past Gil Merrick. At that moment visions of Uruguay's 7-0 thrashing of
Scotland earlier in the tournament came flooding back. But England were
made of sterner stuff and they quickly got back into the game.
Fifteen minutes had gone when Matthews picked the ball up in midfield and
brilliantly sent Dennis Wilshaw clear. In turn, the inside-left gave Nat
Lofthouse the perfect pass and the Bolton player did the rest. From then
on the game boiled up into a frenzy as the excitement reached fever pitch.
Lofthouse was denied only by the fingertips of M�spoli as the goalkeeper
produced a dazzling save following a good pass by Ivor Broadis.
Wright then sent Wilshaw away again and when Lofthouse received
another pass from the number-ten he was once more thwarted by
M�spoli. This time the ball ran loose though
and Wilshaw followed up to flick it agonisingly the wrong side of the
post.
Ironically, after all those narrow escapes, it was Uruguay
who stole the lead again with six minutes of the half remaining. Roger
Byrne, who had a torrid time throughout, up-ended Abbadie and from the
free-kick by Santamar�a, Varela hit a tremendous a
25-yarder wide of Merrick's right hand. The 'keeper might have done better
but there was no denying the power of the shot. By half-time Uruguay had
Varela, Abbadie and Andrade all struggling with injuries.
The last
thing England wanted straight after the break was an early goal against
them. Unfortunately that is exactly what happened. Yet another foul by
Byrne, one of many by him, gave Uruguay a free-kick. The ball was quickly
moved between Ambrois and
M�guez before the superb Schiaffino
came through a gap to shoot past Merrick, who again was slow to react.
The goal stunned England but they refused to surrender. Urged on by
Wright, Matthews, Dickinson, Staniforth and Wilshaw, they tried evrything
they knew to break down the clever defending by the Uruguayans.
Ever-watchful of the danger of the breakaway, Ambrois once hit the bar
from such an attack, they pushed forward relentlessly. With 25 minutes
remaining, the game was once more put into the melting pot.
Yet
another purposeful attack again saw Lofthouse shoot at goal. This time,
when the ball bounced out, Tom Finney was on the spot to push it over the
line. Suddenly it was 3-2 and everything to play for.
England gave everything n those last mnutes and twice came within a
whisker of equalizing, once when his shot struck the back stanchion and
again when M�spoli produced another excellent save.
With the crowd
willing for an equalizer. Uruguay then did what was least expected of them
by breaking away and scoring a fourth, killer, goal. Lovely passing
between
Martínez and M�guez
set up the chance for Ambrois to fire a diagonal shot from the right
beating Merrick again, although this time the goalkeeper may have been
unsighted.
The goal came ten minutes from the end and was a cruel
blow and poor reward for England's sterling efforts. The end of England's
World Cup campaign had at least given them a share of respect from all who
saw the game.
|
Match Report
by Norman Giller |
Two
mistakes by goalkeeper Gil Merrick let defending world champions Uruguay
in for goals that turned this quarter-final match in their favour after
Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney had each scored to give England hope of
causing an upset. Shuffling Stanley Matthews, the undisputed man of the
match, hit a post and had a shot pushed off target before Uruguay clinched
victory with their fourth goal in the eighty-fourth minute when Merrick
failed to save a speculative shot from Ambrois. It was shell-shocked
Merrick's final match for England. He had let in thirty goals in his last
ten games after conceding only fifteen in his first thirteen
internationals. The Uruguayans had beaten Scotland 7-0 in a qualifying
round match, but were never allowed to show that sort of superiority by an
England team that performed with pride and purpose.
|
The
Top Twelve UK Music Chart
by New Musical Express |
On
Friday, 15 November 1952, The New Musical Express published the first ever singles chart in the UK. However,
over eighteen months later,
when England left the World Cup Finals,
Doris Day's Secret Love
was still the best selling single, and she now equals Frankie
Laine's record of five weeks at the top. When the chart of Friday, 25 June 1954 was published, there were
ten surviving songs from the last chart
when England played:-
1. |
(=) |
Secret Love
- Doris Day (Philips) |
7. |
(3) |
Friends And Neighbours
-
Billy
Cotton & His Band (Decca) |
2. |
(=) |
Such A Night
-
Johnnie
Ray (Philips) |
8. |
(7) |
Someone
Else's Roses -
Joan Regan
(Decca) |
3. |
(9) |
Cara Mia
-
David Whitfield with Mantovani & His
Orchestra (Decca) |
9. |
(8) |
The Gang That Sang Heart Of My Heart
- Max Bygraves (HMV) |
4. |
(=) |
Wanted
-
Perry Como (HMV)
|
10. |
(12) |
Wanted
- Al Martino
(Capitol) |
5. |
(6) |
(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely
-
Four Knights
(Capitol) |
11. |
(re) |
The Little Shoemaker
-
Petula Clark
(Polygon) |
6. |
Idle Gossip
-
Perry Como
(HMV) |
12. |
(5) |
The Happy Wanderer
-
Obernkirchen Children's Choir
(Parlophone) |
♪Most weeks at number one when
England played:
Doris Day and
Frankie Laine five, Guy Mitchell two, Al Martino, Lita Roza,
Stargazers and
David Whitfield one each |
|
Source Notes |
TheFA.com FIFA match report 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 officialcharts.com singles chart
____________________
CG
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