Argentina made sure of winning this four-nation tournament when they beat England by the only goal. It was a narrow victory, won with a goal which looked offside, and disappointing for an England side who could have won, had they taken their chances.

In the opening half, England put in many positive attacks but their finishing did not match their good approach play. Peter Thompson, the one big England success of the tournament, had another fine game and repeatedly turned Vieytez inside-out. The crowd loved him and were chanting, "Garrincha!, Garrincha!", after some of his spectacular runs. That was in honour of Brazil's legendary flying winger. Alas, England could not apply the finishng touch to the many centres that Thompson put over with Jimmy Greaves, in particular, the chief culprit.

In fact, all three inside-men, Greaves, Johnny Byrne  and George Eastham, had porr games, probably an effect of a long, hard season. Bobby Charlton made some spirited dashes down the otehr wing but again there was no reward from his efforts. Argentina based their game on a rock-solid defence in which Rattin and goalkeeper Carrizo were outstanding.

All this proved frustrating for England and the crowd alike who wanted an English victory to help Brazil win the tournament. And it was not just a dream, England created their chances, none more so than the gem that presented itself seven minutes into the second half.

A quick, clever move down the right put Thompson clear. The Argentine defence was split but when Thompson's cross came over, it was Greaves, of all people, who fluffed a golden chance with the goal gaping. If England had scored then, they probably would have gone on to win. It was a mighty let-off for the Argentinians but to rub salt into the wound they then scored, what proved to be, the winning goal with just 15 minutes to go.

A quick break from defence enabled the clever master-technician and tactician, Rendo to set Chaldú, an early substitute for Prospitti, free down the left wing. If he was not offside then Rojas certainly was when he was found with the final pass. Alas, play was not stopped on either occasion and Rojas went on to score.

England now looked tired and dispirited because, despite all their hard work, they had failed in the most vital area and if one lesson has to be learned from this tour then it was to take the chances when they come along. For the rest of this match the Argentinians were content to play the ball around in small triangles as England gamely tried to regain possession. At the final whistle, as Argentina did a lap of honour, England trudged wearily off.

Their long season was now over and they could reflect on what they had learned from the trip. If nothing else it was all good experience.
  

England held Argentina for an hour until Rojas scored in a breakaway raid seconds after the usually so reliable Greaves had missed a clear chance at the opposite end of the pitch. The Argentinians, with skipper Antonio Rattin in commanding form, then played strolling possession football to frustrate England and to clinch victory in the 'Little World Cup' tournament. Argentina won the tournament with three wins from three matches, including victory over Brazil in a vicious game that was war masquerading as sport. England returned home convinced that Argentina would be the biggest mountain between them and the 1966 World Cup. They were particularly impressed by Rattin, who butter-smooth player who bossed the midfield with style and panache.  He had a moment of madness when he disputed a decision by the referee. A hint of things to come!
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
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