Soccer World Cup History: 1954 World Cup Switzerland

Number of participating teams: 16
Top scorer: Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis (11 goals)
Number of games: 26
Total goals scored: 140
Average goals per game: 5.38
Highest scoring game: Austria’s 7-5 win over Switzerland on June 262
Total attendance: 943,000
Average attendance: 36,269

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The 16-team field was divided into four groups with two teams in each group seeded. Each country only played two games, and the two seeded teams did not play each other. Also, strangely enough, there were no draws—extra time was used to decide games that were tied at the end of regulation. The top two teams in each group would advance to the quarterfinals. Teams tied on points after two games would play an extra game to decide who progressed.

THE FINAL

The Hungary-West Germany final was a repeat of the first-round match that saw German coach Sepp Herberger purposely field a weakened team. The question going into this contest was whether or not Puskas would play? His ankle had not fully healed from the first game, but the Galloping Major trotted out onto the field at Bern’s Wankdorf stadium for the final on July 4.

Heavy rains made for a slick field, but although the conditions were hardly ideal, both sides put on a mesmerizing display of skill. Hungary jumped out to a 2-0 lead after eight minutes through Puskas and Zoltan Czibor. The Germans, to their credit, did not become unhinged and hit back within two minutes. Helmut Rahn’s centering pass deflected off of Hungary’s Jozsef Bozsik into the path of Max Morlock who athletically stretched to poke the ball past goalkeeper Gyula Grosics. In the 18th minute, Fritz Walter curled a corner kick that passed through the hands of Grosics and fell fortuitously at the feet of Rahn who thundered the ball into the back of the net.

Puskas was denied twice on brilliant saves by Toni Turek, Kocsis’s header hit the crossbar, and German defender Werner Kohlmeyer cleared Jozsef Toth’s shot off the goal-line. Germany weathered the storm, and with six minutes left in regulation, it completed the miraculous comeback. Hans Schaefer raced down the left wing and crossed the ball over a crowd of players into the penalty box. Hungary’s Mihaly Lantos appeared to have intercepted, but instead the ball flashed by him and into the path of Rahn who took a few steps before driving a low shot past the goalkeeper.

The frantic Hungarians appeared to have equalized a mere two minutes later when Puskas, still labouring under a sore ankle, latched onto a pass from Toth that beat the German defence and scored. It was not to be, however, as the Welsh linesman ruled Puskas was offside, a controversial call that Hungary disputed even after the game. Shortly after, English referee Bill Ling blew the final whistle.

Group 1