Miracle of Bern / Das Wunder von Bern
The omens on the eve of the final were not good. Firstly the Hungarian side’s sleep was disturbed by the Swiss brass band practising for the Swiss Championship, whilst their team bus was stopped by Police in entering the stadium forcing the players and officials to get past the large crowds just to enter the stadium. Then there was the weather with the heavy rain turning the pitch into a quagmire hindering the Hungarian’s passing game.
Incidentally the German team were supplied with the latest football boots by adidas which had screw in studs meaning that they could be adapted for any type of weather unlike the Hungarian’s.
Only five of the players who had started for West Germany prior to the earlier game against Hungary were in the line up for the final. It was alleged later on that the West German coach Herberger believing that the team was too strong for Turkey in their final game and would do enough to beat the Turks rested key players giving him the opportunity to assess Hungary without giving anything away. This view was backed up by assistant manager Schon who himself went on to lead West Germany to victory in the 1974 World Cup.
Nevertheless it only took Hungary six minutes for Puskas to give them the lead with Czibor making it 2-0 Hungary, two minutes later. Morlock pulled one back for West Germany on the tenth minute, with Rahn equalizing for the Germans eight minutes later.
Hungary pushed forward in the second half with the German keeper Turek making a number of fine saves. However it was the Germans who scored the goal that was to decide the tie as Rahn put West Germany into the lead for the first time with six minutes left on the clock.
Two minutes later Puskas had equalized for Hungary only for the Welsh linesman Melvyn Griffiths to rule it offside. Even now it is a hotly disputed topic as to whether Puskas was offside who claimed it took the ‘linesman a minute to raise his flag,’ and ‘to lose a World Cup on such a decision isn’t right.’ The decision stood and it was West Germany who were crowned World Champions, and became known in Germany as ‘the victory that made a nation,’ mainly due to raising much needed morale after the repercussion’s of the Second World War.
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