England had thirty five goal attempts to two by Poland, but it was the Poles who went through to the World Cup finals at England's expense. Poland had the man of the match in goalkeeper Tomaszewski, who was labeled a clown by Brian Clough. He gave England nothing to laugh about as he saved at least four goals with eccentric but effective goalkeeping. It was Poland who took the lead in the fifty-fifth minute in a rare breakaway raid. Norman Hunter, the most feared tackler in English football, mistimed a challenge out on the touchline and the ball was transferred to unmarked Domarski, whose low shot went under the diving Peter Shilton. Allan Clarke equalised from the penalty spot eight minutes later. England were denied the victory they needed to clinch a place in the World Cup finals when late substitute Kevin Hector headed wide from close range in the last minute of the most frustrating match of Ramsey's reign. In the closing moments the tragedy briefly turned to Monty Pythonesque farce. Kevin Keegan, on the substitutes' bench, recalled:  'Alf Ramsey proved yet again that he was uncomfortable with the substitute rule when he left it until the eighty-fifth minute before he decided to make a change. He called over his shoulder to the substitutes sitting in a row behind him, "Kevin, get stripped." It was panic stations as goalkeeper Ray Clemence tugged at my tracksuit bottoms to help me get ready for action. My Liverpool team-mate was so eager that he pulled down my shorts as well! My embarrassment was complete when Alf then made it clear that his command had been meant for Kevin Hector, not this Kevin! Talk about "Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring.'' There were just ninety seconds left when the Derby Country striker at last got on to the pitch, and he was desperately unlucky not to score with his first and only touch of the ball. The game finished at 1-1, and England were out of the World Cup.

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
Kevin Keegan's My Autobiography
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CG