Hungary arrived at the World Cup Finals in Switzerland as the overwhelming favourites to lift the Jules Rimet trophy. Unbeaten in four years the Magnificent Magyars were feted as the premier international side on earth. Featuring players of the calibre of Ferenc Puskas, Jozef Boszik, Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor the Hungary team had redefined the way football was played. Interchanging positions with alacrity, featuring a deep lying centre forward in Nandor Hidegkuti, who traditional defenders found almost impossible to mark, the Hungary side of the early 1950’s was where Total Football truly gestated and developed.
Hungary V South Korea
Great things were expected of Hungary in Switzerland and they did not disappoint. Their group stage performances served highlight their potent goal scoring menace. Sweeping aside South Korea 9-0 in their first match the Hungarian side set a goal difference benchmark that has not been superseded in the thirteen subsequent tournaments. The game, played against the debuting Asian side, allowed the vaunted Hungarian forward line to find their feet early. Puskas and Peter Polotas both notched two goals, while Kocsis scored a hat trick on his World Cup debut. Czibor and defender Lantos completed the route with a goal apiece.
The Asians, a year after the cessation of the conflict that had devastated the Korean peninsula, had endured a difficult six days of travel to reach Switzerland and were clearly unprepared to meet a team of Hungary’s quality. However, this fact cannot disguise the quality and precision of the Magyar’s attacking inventiveness. West Germany, no callow newcomers on the world scene, would be next and they too would feel the full force of Hungary’s attacking power.
Hungary 8 West Germany 3
West Germany, in choosing to field a drastically weakened side in their group match against Hungary realistically ceded the match before the kick off. However there would be method behind the seeming madness of manager Sepp Herberger. The Germans coach wanted to judge the strength of the favourites without giving away their strongest tactical line up.
The Hungarian’s duly romped home 8-3, but the victory and qualification had come at a cost, with iconic captain Puskas injuring an ankle. Puskas would not return until the final and even then the prevailing opinion was that he was only half fit. As for the match itself Toth, Hidegkuti (2), Puskas and the predatory Kocsis (4) scored the goals that secured a quarterfinal match against Brazil. Puskas was forced from the field with ankle damage, following a savage tackle by German defender Werner Liebrich. The Hungarian captain had been cynically targeted throughout the match and the foul that would cast a pall over his team’s victory occurred with the score at 6-0 and the match already won.
The Battle of Berne
In Puskas’ absence the Hungarians defeated Brazil 4-2 in one of the most spiteful and bad tempered encounters in the history of the tournament. English referee Arthur Hill sent off three players, though this did not prevent the violence continuing in the Hungarian dressing room after the game. Hungary coach Sebes was struck, causing a cut that required four stitches. Kocsis was the hero on the day with two well taken goals. Hidegkuti and Lantos were the other scorers for Hungary, who were clearly peaking as the tournament neared its closing stages.
The Semi Final Against Champions Uruguay
The Semi Final against the reigning champions Uruguay was a tight affair. With the score poised at 2-2 in extra time Kocsis once more proved to be the man of the hour. Two more goals took him to eleven for the tournament (a record at that time) and propelled Hungary into a rematch with the German team they had humiliated in the group stages. In four games the rampant Magyars had rifled home an astonishing 22 goals.
The World Cup Final of 1954
The fickle hand of fate was to turn against Hungary when it mattered most in Berne. Playing in driving rain Hungary raced quickly into a 2-0 lead, with goals from Czibor and the returning Puskas, Hungary looked to have the match won inside the opening eight minutes. However, the Germans (now fielding their very strongest side) hit back with two goals in nine minutes, from Morlock and Rahn, to send the teams in level at half time.
Hungary missed a number of opportunities to wrap up the match before Rahn rifled home Germany’s third goal in the 84th minute. Even then there was still time for Puskas to force home what appeared to be the equaliser two minutes from time. To the disbelief of Puskas and his teammates referee William Ling, on the recommendation of linesman Benjamin Griffiths, disallowed the goal for offside. Minutes later Ling blew for time and brought the curtain down on the greatest run in football history. The German press christened the match The Miracle of Berne, yet controversy dogs their triumph at almost every turn.
Accusations of steroid abuse followed the victorious Germans from Berne. An outbreak of jaundice among the side in the week after the match seemed to lend credence to the rumour that the German players had been the recipients of illegal performance enhancing injections at half time.
The Record Breaking Hungarian Football Team of the 1950’s
Despite their stumble at the last, posterity has remembered the Hungary side of the 1950’s fondly. They remain the record scorers (with 27) in a single World Cup competition and their four year unbeaten run of 32 international games stood unmatched until finally surpassed by Spain in 2009.
Their Elo rating of 2166 (awarded in June 1954) remains the highest ever awarded to an international side, only the France side that won the World Cup and European Championship double (1998-2000) has ever approached this particular footballing benchmark. They were a team of stars who ushered in a new and more daringly innovative era of football. For this and so much more they deserve to be remembered as one of the greatest, if not they greatest, international teams to have ever taken the field.
Steven Pink - Steven Pink is an experienced teacher and lecturer in English and History. He has worked across the age and ability spectrum in both the ...
