| It did not take long to realise that the rain-soaked pitch was
not going to spoil the quality of the football, nor was it going
to rob the Hungarians of what has now become a habit for them -
almost a necessary of life - the inspiring effect of an early goal.
When these shock goals come they generally come in twos. First Kocsis
bounced on a faulty clearance, veered slightly right and shot. Did
Puskas know that that shot would strike a defender and roll out
a perfect opening? Anyhow, there he was waiting for it, and a model
scoring shot followed. Puskas stood with arms upraised like an Egyptian
greeting the sun god Ra; his rapture told how glad he was to be
playing. Life, he knows, is something to be lived, not watched from
the sideline. A moment later a wretched defensive blunder put Hungary
further ahead. Turek failed to gather Posipal's hurried back pass
and Czibor, racing up nimbly, filched the ball from him, and tapped
it home.
Swift reply
But in 18 minutes the Germans had wiped out the deficit. They discovered
that all the Hungarian magic is in their forward line; their defenders
are merely humans. Schaeffer sent a long low shot scudding across
the Hungarian goal, Lorant failed to check it, and Morlock, darting
in, scored with relish. A second fine shot by Morlock won a corner.
F Walter took it, a glorious inswinger with a long carry, and Rahn,
streaming in from the wing, scored through an aperture through which
a cat could barely squeeze.
A setback of that nature would disturb most teams' serenity. It
only inspired the Hungarians to a display of ball jugglery more
fit for a variety stage than a football field. For instance, Kocsis's
overhead shots with back to goal are as powerful as most men can
make by normal methods. Luck hereabouts was playing for Germany
as well as 11 determined footballers. Hidegkuti suddenly wheeled
when a pass seemed likely and a fierce shot struck the foot of the
post.
It has always been thought that the Hungarians stood alone in their
masterly use of the first rule of football, to mark your man when
your opponents have the ball, and break loose and run into the open
spaces as soon as a player on your own side gets it. Their fanning
out is something to behold. But to everyone's amazement the Germans
had spells which left the Hungarians plodding in their rear. One
tremendous German onslaught was a veritable throw-back to the old
blitzkrieg. The Hungarians rocked under the German hammer blows.
Back and forth across their goals they staggered as shot after shot
roared into them and it was a most anxious and relieved Hungarian
team that left the field for a respite at half-time.
But the Hungarians are supreme in laying surprising through passes,
half the field in length, and after the interval it was the turn
of the Germans to be penned in their goalmouth and only the Teuton
gods in Valhalla can explain how they survived the dodgings and
feinting, the twists and turns, the hurricane shot, the slight thrusts
and deceptive jumpings over the ball that teased them. One glorious
header by Kocsis had shaved a post in the first half; a second and
better one had rolled along the cross bar. But the Germans held.
What is more they hit back so hard and with such resource that Czibor
- a quick-tempered little fellow - introduced the first element
of foul play into the match.
The Final Counter-Attacks
More great play by Morlock and Rahn, the German right wing, sent
whirlwind shots hurtling goalwards. Groscis's fine goalkeeping parried
some; unsteadiness of aim ruined others. They let Schaeffer sneak
away - you could not watch all these slippery devils all the time
- and he seemed all set for the leading goal until Kocsis's body
dropped like a sack of coals on the rolling ball.
Then the gods took pity on those sweating Germans. Another great
move, one of dozens, and a goal by Rahn crowned the effort. But
anxiety was to bite deep before that last mighty shout told the
watchers at Rheinselden that the German cause was won. Puskas had
the ball in the net in a twinkling but offside ruined that; and
when Czibor put every ounce of his strength in the last dying moments
into a shot that should have saved the match, a great save by Turek
ruined that too.
Line-ups
Hungary: Groscis, Buzansky, lantos, Bozik, Lorant,
Zakarias, Czibor, Kocsis, Hidegkud, Puskas, Toth.
Germany: Turek, Posipal, Kohlmeyer, Eckrt, Liberich,
Mal, Rahn, Morlock, O Walter, Walter, Schaeffer.
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