The 1954 World Cup, in Switzerland, was marked by the performance of the Hungary team, which ruthlessly thrashed its opponents. The campaign was remarkable, despite the defeat in the final to Germany:
– Hungary 9×0 South Korea – group stage;
– Hungary 8×3 West Germany – group stage;
– Hungary 4×2 – quarter-finals;
– Hungary 4×2 Uruguay – semi-final;
– Hungary 2×3 Germany – final;
The base in Hungary was Honved, a team incorporated by the country’s army and which became a football powerhouse. At the time, teams did not warm up before matches. However, the European team changed this concept and the players started duels at a fast pace. Puskás, Kocsis (top scorer in the World Cup, with 11 goals) and Czibor were the highlights.
The team remained undefeated for 31 games: 27 wins and four draws. However, they lost their unbeaten record in the 1954 World Cup final to Germany. 1952 Olympic champion, Hungary was coached by Gusztáv Sebes. Two years after the World Cup, the Revolution forced players to flee the country. Puskás played for Real Madrid and wore the Spanish team’s shirt in the 1962 World Cup.
GERMANY 3 × 2 HUNGARY – Bern – 04.07.54
Germany: Turk; Posipal, Kohlmeyer and Eckel; Liebrich and Karl Mai; Rahn, Morlock, Ottmar Walter, Fritz Walter a shepherd;
Hungary: Grosics; Buzánski, Lóránt e Lantos; Bozsik e Zakarías; M. Tóth, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Puskás e Czibor;
ArbitratorWiltiam England;
Goals: Puskás (6), Czibor (9), Morlock (11) and Rahn (18) in the first half. Rahn (39) in the final stage;
The newspapers highlighted that Germany had achieved the greatest feat of the World Cup, by beating Hungary, 3-2, in the final, in Bern. As usual, the start was devastating: Puskás, in the 6th minute, and Czibor, in the 9th minute, scored goals, despite the wet field, as it was raining. However, two minutes later, Morlock pulled one back, and Rahn equalized in the 18th minute. The second half was very even, but Hungary were unable to repeat the football from the other games. In the 39th minute, Rahn scored the winning goal, to everyone’s surprise. Hungary even had a goal disallowed by English referee William Ling.
Germany captain Fritz Walter received the cup from FIFA president Jules Rimet. The top hat, creator of the World Cup, would die in October 1956. A report by The Globe called Hungarians “ghosts”: “The Magyar ghosts have fallen”.
No “Memory of Pan”listen to the match in which Hungary eliminated the Brazilian team from the World Cup. The recording, from Rádio Nacional, starts when the score is already 2-0 for the Europeans. The narration is by Jorge Curi.
