England 3 Hungary 6 – Wembley Friendly
Despite the shock 1-0 defeat to the USA in the World Cup, three year previous, England still believed that not only was it the home of football but still the team to beat. With Hungary’s three year unbeaten run and recent Olympic success, critics hailed the Magyar’s as the current world’s best. Consequently the English FA were keen to put this to the test and arranged a friendly at Wembley with the media billing it as the match of the century.
Sebes as part of his traits was particularly meticulous in his preparation for the match by obtaining English footballs and ensuring that his players played with the balls so that they could get used to the weight particularly as the football absorbed moisture and got heavier as the game went on. Furthermore due to the wide dimensions of the Wembley pitch, Sebes had one of the training pitches measured specifically to those measurements.
It took only ninety seconds for Bozsik to give Hungary the lead with Jackie Sewell equalising twelve minutes later. Hungary though continued to dominate and re-took the lead with Puskas scoring the third with a memorable goal as he dragged the ball back with his studs, and in one movement lashed the ball into the back of the net, leaving the England centre half Billy Wright sprawling in his wake. Puskas scored another before the breaking and although Mortensen had pulled one back it was 4-2 to Hungary.
The second half continued with the Hungarian’s giving the English a footballing lesson. This was a surreal moment for the England players and supporters as they believed that English football was still streets ahead of any nation. Instead they had to suffer the indignity and reality that they were no longer the major force that they once were as Hungary ran out as 6-3 winners which could quite easily have been more to become the first team outside of the Home Nations to beat England at Wembley. Harry Johnston the England Centre back summed up the feelings of that match. ‘The tragedy was the utter helplessness… being unable to do anything to alter the grim outlook.’
Hungary were more innovative as they were more fluid and had the ability to interchange for all positions with Sebes declaring it as ‘Socialist football.’ In contrast England were left floundering with the tried and trusted W formation looking tired and past its best. English football had become tired and complacent with no changes to the style of play since Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal of the 1930’s.
To show that the win was no fluke a second friendly was arranged in Budapest with England to suffer a worse defeat as they were thrashed 7-1. It meant a major re-think and tactical change for England if they were not to fall further behind other International teams.
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