This long-awaited first World Cup finals match for the England team was played in pouring rain in front of an estimated crowd of 50,000 - although the official attendance given by the Brazilian FA was much less than that.

England sprang a surprise by selecting Laurie Hughes of Liverpool to win his first cap. It was a tough match in which to make an international debut but Hughes acquitted himself well.

The football was disappointing. The England attack never really got going and the defence found the Chilean forward line lively, albeit weak in front of goal.

It was England who went ahead in the 38th minute. A centre by Jimmy Mullen found Stan Mortensen and he gave Livingstone no chance with a firm header.

England enjoyed territorial advantage for most of the first half but Chile were unlucky when Carvelho hit the bar and again when Robledo, the Newcastle centre-forward, who led the Chilean side, hit the post with a 30-yard free-kick.

Chile employed some robust tactics in the second half and the England players found it difficult to get into any sort of rhythm. Billy Wright and Wilf Mannion strove manfully, though, and England still remained in a comfortable position.

It was their turn for some bad luck in this half as they hit the bar twice. Roy Bentley and Mortensen both went close with headers and the two England forwards had looked sharp.

Robledo was Chile's main threat, but midway through the second half, England scored their decisive second goal. Mortensen sent Finney away down the right and his cross was put neatly inside the post with a low shot by Mannion.
 

England made a far from impressive start to their World Cup campaign against Chile but got away with a victory. The vast Maracana Stadium, with workmen still putting the finishing touches, held 200,000 spectators and it looked and sounded deserted with fewer than 30,000 watching the game. The FA saw fit to organise a goodwill tour of Canada at the same time as the World Cup finals in Brazil, and then 'ummed' and 'ahhed' when Manchester United requested that none of their players should be considered because they had arranged a trip to the United States. Walter Winterbottom, battling against this blinkered club-before-country attitude, almost had to get on his knees to have first choice for the World Cup. As it was, he had to go to Brazil without without England's most famous player, Stanley Matthews, who was sent on the totally meaningless Canadian trip as a footballing ambassador. Special arrangements had to be made to fly him down to Rio for the World Cup, and he arrived after England had won this opening match 2-0 against Chile. Laurie Hughes replaced his Liverpool clubmate Bill Jones at centre-half. He won three England caps, all in this World Cup tournament. Stan Mortensen gave England a thirty-eighth minute lead against the run of play when he headed in a Jimmy Mullen cross. [Mannion] turned goal scorer just after the hour when he drove the ball into the net following neat approach work by Mortensen and Tom Finney. George Robledo, the Newcastle forward playing for his home country of Chile, rattled the England woodwork with a 30-yard free-kick, and neutral observers thought the Chileans unlucky not to get at least a draw. But an easier match against the United States was to follow!