This is a bit of a weird thing to ask about but where do you source all the vintage football images? Just a simple google search or something else?
All To Play For - A Very British Football Redux TL
- Thread starter QTXAdsy
- Start date
Yeah, that or Bing images to find suitable photos from the time period, some more difficult to find that others for teams E.G Welsh team pictures of the early 60's.
Fair enough, slightly surprising that they're relatively easy to find tbh.
Yeah, I'm making a map of how different the British rail network would be here by TTL 2021. Will have it up possibly by the next update.
Chapter 7: Our Wee (Plucky) Nation
Chapter 7
Our Wee (Plucky) Nation
Just a few days ago when all four Home Nations managed to make to the last eight, there was quite a a degree of hope that three would make it to last four (Northern Ireland and Scotland were drawn together in their Quarter-final game) with the British media boasting that there would be a British World Cup winner for 1958. It was said however that they were likely suspecting either England or Scotland, or one or the other depending which side of the border you came from, would win though it would be something of an upset when both fail to progress. Only Wales' loss to Brazil seemed like the most correct prediction that they had; the most unlikely prediction that they all had was a Northern Ireland victory over Scotland and it was that which had happened. As they say, football is a funny old game.Our Wee (Plucky) Nation
June 24th would see little Northern Ireland prepare to take on Sweden in which would be their first game taking on the Scandinavians and hosts in which the Ulstermen found themselves walking onto the field in Gothenburg to a charged atmosphere who were there to see the hosts make it to the final and send them packing. It was all a bit of a strange turn around in what the hosts thought of them as when they managed to defeat the Germans they were the country's favourite team outside their own due to their plucky nature and being the smallest nation to play at a World Cup.
Northern Ireland's star goalkeeper Harry Gregg looked up towards the crowd and he could only see the odd Northern Ireland fan in the crowd being recognised dressed in all green and flying Union Jack flags, nonetheless the small handful that were here were still overwhelmed by the huge numbers of Swedes in the crowd. There were also a handful of British press men there to cover the game but they were English and understandably not exactly pleased that England weren't here and the rest had all been interested in covering the more exciting Semi-final between Brazil and West Germany which many felt would be of more interest to the wider world.
The Northern Irish team prior to kick off
In those days, the advert of television was still very much off for most families so for many across Northern Ireland many would be sitting close to the radio either in bars or living rooms in the hope of hearing their wee plucky nation attempt to pull off a miracle. At about seven o'clock in the evening, the Hungarian referee blew his whistle
and quickly the Swedes started quickly on the attack and thanks to the roaring support of a partisan home crowd, Sweden's World Cup experience came to the front and were making the Irish look very ordinary by all accounts. For the first two minutes, all that Northern Ireland could do was try and get the ball off Sweden and they find themselves nearly going a goal behind after just five minutes but Gregg would come to the rescue to bail out his teammates but he was far from happy that the team hadn't woken up yet.
The next few minutes of the match would thankfully see the Irish managing to hold the ball much better and trying their best not for the men in yellow shirts trying to get the ball of them. The slowing down of the game managing to break the momentum the Swedes had early on and this plays into Northern Ireland's hands in which in the twenty-forth minute and to everyone's amazement, McParland decides to volley the ball towards the goal from thirty yards out and although the Swedish goalkeeper managed to get his hands to it, he couldn't hold it and he fumbled it and it went in for a goal than stuns the team and the home support.
Scenes of joy after Northern Ireland take the lead
Great celebrations for the men in green on the pitch and no doubt similar scenes being repeated back home if they were listening to the game live. Surely the unthinkable wasn't going to happen so easily, right? What happened next would akin to one of those moments in which what happens when you poke a dangerous animal in the eye and in this case, the Swedes went out in the attack to cause Northern Ireland problems. After that goal from Northern Ireland in which one would think things might go in favour of the underdog, the best chance on goal falls to the Swedes in the twenty-eighth minute when Simonsson blast home a ball which goes past the hands of Gregg yet ends up rattling on the crossbar to give the Irish a sigh of relief. Alas, that is only the best thing they are going to get.
Although the Irish haven't troubled the Swedish goal since McParland's fluke of a goal, they are braving the storm. In the thirty-first minute, Blanchflower tries to pass the ball to Cush, however he slips forward and this leads for Borjesson to rush in in what looks like a split second and rush towards the penalty box, despite the presence of Keith and Cunnignham, the Swede chips it over the two defenders where Skoglund is waiting and Gregg tries to dive right at it, but he is unable to get it as the ball falls kindly to the Swede who thumps the ball home to put Sweden back on level terms and crowd roar with delight and the Irish now know that they have a game on their hands.
It is not what they wanted and Gregg looks back and the ball sitting in the back of the net and wondering what will the half time team talk will be about now considering how well things started for them only for things go rather wrong now. Sweden have been the hardest team they've come across and it is starting to look like that most predictions on who will come out victorious are proving to be right. After the game starts again, Swden come attack again with the intention of not only keeping much of the ball away from the rather flustered Irish players, they intend to take the lead before half time is here.
As a matter of fact, they almost do so from Borjesson who attempts to play one-on-one with Gregg but he ends up making a fool of himself as Gregg pulls of a good catch of the ball off the Swede's feet and takes some comfort in which he is doing his bit to keep his country in this game. Finally half time comes round and the two teams walk off with a range of emotions either happy, exhausted, confused and perhaps all of the above. The score might be 1-1 for the time being but it's very likely that it's not going to be like that forever...
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When the teams returned to the pitch, the Northern Irish team came out last in which they were greeted by the sight of a rather impatient looking Swedish team who clearly wanted to get the game started again. The half time team talk would end up planning out a formation change to tighten up the back which manager Peter Doherty felt was important given how easy Sweden were getting to the team mainly after the equaliser. When the second half does begin, things start off rather different in which rather than the Swedes coming right at them as what the Irish had planned for, they seem more interested in keeping the ball around the midfield and not going anywhere near the goal.
There is some visible confusion from the men in green as they have no idea what is going on if this type of lay is part of some plan. Up until the fifty-fifth minute, nothing happens in the game until suddenly it all kicks off when a slip from Northern Irish captain Danny Blanchflower gives Gren the chance to snatch the ball from before charging down on the counter in which the crowd rises to their feet and roaring with delight before he crosses the ball into the box in which Hamrin gets his head onto the ball and fires it into the bottom left corner and looks set to put Sweden 2-1 in front...that is if they weren't dealing with Harry Gregg between the sticks.
The man in question
Things would start to go wrong for them rather ironically when things were looking up for them as in the sixty-third minute, Northern Ireland won a free kick in which Cush would attempt to fire it over the Swedish wall but failed to do so in which the ball went off the head of the Swedish players and before any of them knew what was happening, the ball was picked up by Gren who attempted to counter attack yet again down on the flank.
This time with the Northern Irish defence now cut open with few men in green back there, the time had come to attack in which Gren went to cross towards Hamrin in which looks like a repeat of the previous attack and Gregg prepares to make sure nothing bad happens this time. However rather than go in for the kill, Hamrin decides to knock it back towards Gren in which utterly bamboozles Gregg who in his mindset of marking Hamrin has left one side of the goal gaping and what happens next is perhaps the simplest little tap in Gren knocks it to put the Swedes 2-1 up.
Gunnar Gren, the man that will cause nightmares for Harry Gregg
That goal from Sweden however has really set Sweden's tails up and now they are looking more comfortable by the time the game marches onwards to the final twenty minutes and the Irish can only hope that things don't get any worse. They do. The Northern Ireland team are getting more flustered and no more so than their defender Wille Cunningham who is not having a good day to say the least and in the seventy-second minute, he ends up making a stupid tackle on Gren but rather than swing the game in favour, the brutal challenge that it is only ends seeing the Hungarian referee sending him off for his troubles and now Northern Ireland are down to ten men.
From between the sticks, Gregg can only watch in utter disbelief at what he is seeing as all planning that they had done has all gone to the wall and now it's looking likely that his team are on damage control and all they can do is not make things look worse. But sadly, there is no luck of the Irish today for what happens next. In the seventy-seventh minute, Sweden end up wrapping the game with a third and final goal in which Hamrin fires an absolute screamer from about forty yards out which at first looks like it's neer going to hit the target but yet somehow does and it causes the Swedish crowd to celebrate with joy that they are on course to the final while Harry Gregg ends up lying on his back and staring up the sky wondering how on Earth it has come to this.
The expression that might tell you how much it hasn't gone well for Northern Ireland
Eventually the ten men of Northern Ireland limp on towards the end of the game in which, mercifully, nothing happens and Sweden celebrates a handsome 3-1 victory and a place in the final to play Brazil. The score line might suggest that Northern Ireland were made to look ordinary but really things were level until the second in which it all went horribly wrong for them. With that, Northern Ireland's World Cup hopes were in tatters scattered across the field in Gothenburg and the UK's last representative was out.
There was the solace of becoming the third best team in the world if they could beat the Germans in the bronze game, but alas the Germans would get their revenge on the plucky Irish as they utterly spanked them 3-0 and Northern Ireland's Swedish adventure ended on a downbeat note. When the team did return to Belfast, many in the team felt that they had let them down at how close they had come to make the final. Instead they were greeted to a hero's welcome for not only getting as far as they did but rather they had done better than the rest of the Home Nation teams.
They would call their team as their 'Wee Plucky Nation' which in many ways best describe the adventure of 1958. With that, there was much hope that it wouldn't be long that not only Northern Ireland would be back at the World Cup, but also for one of the Home Nations would get their hands on the World Cup, question was who would it be? In four years time, the tournament would be held in Chile and all would be found out there...
Final results of the 1958 World Cup Knockout Stage
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Chapter 8: It's A Bit Chile Out Here - 1962 World Cup
Chapter 8
It's A Bit Chile Out Here
It's A Bit Chile Out Here
Four years after Sweden hosted the tournament, 1962 would mark as the seventh year of the World Cup and this time it would be based in Chile and fourteen countries would be present...well, sixteen if you didn't mean the United Kingdom as a whole. Somewhat disappointedly, compared to all the British teams making it to the last World Cup, only three would make the big trip to South America; England, Scotland and Wales. It would be the Scots who were feeling confident in winning the World Cup as their efforts in wining that season's British Home Championship had seen them go undefeated, as well as defeating Czechoslovakia in that two legged play-off to qualify, and thus it wasn't hard to think about their chances if they could replicate such performances in the World Cup.
However, England were feel shaky after having a disappointing Home Championship by coming third in their group and didn't feel good if they could go all the way and this wasn't help that their star man Duncan Edwards after his time at the last World Cup would end up making a move from Manchester United (who years later files showed that they needed the money) to Italy to play for Juventus a year ago. However despite being full of talent, his injuries did make him more weaker and he would suffer a mix bag and at the worst possible timing shortly before the World Cup began, he would suffer a groin strain which ruled him out of the World Cup and thus, England's creative forward thrust was pretty much ruined.
Then there was the absence of Northern Ireland. There was some sadness that they had failed to make it to Chile after being place in a tough qualifying group including West Germany and Greece, the former would go on and qualify, and after their brave heroics at the last World Cup, they sadly wouldn't be able to make the trip to South America but there was some hope that it would only help spur them on for making the next World Cup.
Finally for Wales, Jimmy Murphy stayed on as Wales manager, no doubt his impressive performances in Sweden had done more than enough to keep his job and he would repay the debt by achieving the remarkable task of beating Spain in a tight play-off which to some was considered a shock. Murphy though was happy that compared to the rather shambolic and well documented preparations that the Welsh team had suffered prior to the 1958 World Cup would not be repeated here and this time things were done more smoothly and right before the tournament happened, John Charles would end up leaving Juventus (teaming up with Edwards and being well aware of the problems with his teammate) and went back to England to play for Leeds United though it wouldn't last long there and he ended up returning to Italy to play for Roma.
Welsh manager Jimmy Murphy
Much like how the English and Scottish teams shared a transatlantic flight to Brazil for the 1950 World Cup, the English, Scottish and Welsh teams did the same for the trip to Chile and many locals were waiting for them at their airport to greet them and must of though that the concept of three teams sharing a flight over from the other side of the world all being very strange, but then again that probably was British football as a whole in the eyes of the world who couldn't understand why they needed four teams...
But like the other nations competing, they all shared a desire...to win the World Cup and be champions of the world. When the draw had been set, England had been placed in Group 4 along with Argentina, Hungary and Bulgaria while Wales and Scotland would both end up in Group 3 along with Mexico and champions Brazil. Neither group being seen as easy by most however both teams hoped that their experience would help them get them out of the their respected groups, that said the all British derby in Group 3 was one that was going to attract most attention.
The Scots had taken care of the Welsh in the British Home Championship the previous year in November beating them 2-0 so not many gave Wales a chance and there were even many boasting that this Scotland team that Matt Busby had put together was considered as not only one of the best Scotland teams ever assembled but maybe one that could go on and win the World Cup. The game itself would be a brutal affair which was not one of high class and with it being the winter in South America at that time, it did feel like a very British affair and neither side seemed to have it in them to win.
Scotland vs Wales at the 1962 World Cup
For the Welsh, that victory was a sweet given how much they had gotten sick of hearing that Scotland were going to win the cup and given them a bloody nose like that, especially as they hadn't beaten them at that point for two years, it really was a satisfying conclusion. Wales would prove everyone that their victory over Scotland was no fluke and ended up humiliating Mexico 2-0 which helped them book their place in the next round before ending up getting battered by Brazil 3-0 in their final group match, the latter winning the group ahead of Wales. The news of Wales victories would be finally noticed by a mostly rugby obsessed public who began to hear that their football team wasn't that half bad after all.
For Scotland, it was to a disaster. Despite in their second match gaining a respectably 0-0 draw with Brazil, it would all go horrible wrong for the Scots as even before they had kicked a ball for their final group game. The day after their draw with Brazil, the Scots heard the news about Wales beating Mexico which meant even if Scotland beat Mexico, they would end up being a point off from going through and thus their World Cup was pretty much over. Consequently, the final game with Mexico was pretty much a game to avoid the wooden spoon.
Even with nothing to lose at this point, Scotland would end up getting destroyed by Mexico 3-1 in their final group game to finish bottom and ultimately out of the World Cup in the first round, the first time they had gone out in the first round at this point since 1950. On their return home, the team would end up getting a fierce reception when they returned home over what they felt was a humiliation for Scottish football and how this team that were considered to be one of the favourites ended up being nothing more than farce. Matt Busby would end up stepping down from the Scotland job and Ian McColl would take over with the promise to helping Scotland qualify for the next World Cup for 1966. For now though, there would be a lot to think about...
Final results of Wales and Scotland's group at the 1962 World Cup
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Thankfully for England things ended up looking more better as England would end up turning over Argentina three goals to one though there was more to the game as the English weren't that happy by the play of the South Americans in which they claimed to be quite brutal and some even saying that if Edwards had been part of the team in his current condition then he might have dodged a bullet. Little did anyone know then that not only would this be far from the last time the two would play each other at any tournament but also for what was to come in the future.
The final group game for England was, on paper at least, an easy victory for England but it wold end up being one of the more frustrating games England had to play a frustrating and poor game which ended 0-0 and there was much criticism that England in this form were never going to go anywhere. With that both they and Argentina ended up on level points and would have gone to a play-off match to decide who would go through but a new rule had been put in place to allow the team on better goal avarage to go through and here, England would be the lucky side here.
England vs Argentina at the 1962 World Cup
Final results of England group at the 1962 World Cup
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Soviet Union vs Chile
Brazil vs England
West Germany vs Yugoslavia
Hungary vs Wales
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So who will go for it then? Until then, catch you all later for the next update as we'll see how well Wales and England will do here...
Soviet Union vs Chile
Brazil vs England
West Germany vs Yugoslavia
Hungary vs Wales
Brazil vs England
West Germany vs Yugoslavia
Hungary vs Wales
Chapter 9: Who Are The Welsh?
Chapter 9
Who Are The Welsh?
It is said that being Welsh in the world is perhaps the most difficult thing to say where you come from as while the English, Scots and Irish all have a decent amount of promoting their own national identity, the poor Welsh have never really had any luck given how long they have been part of England for much longer than that of either the Scots or Irish. Indeed, the only chance the Welsh could have a chance could promote their Welsh-ness would be either supporting their national rugby or football teams, though it was fair to say this mostly happened with the former throughout the years though the national football side of 1962 were hoping to try and promote who they were. Though sadly and perhaps to the surprise of no one, they weren't having much luck out in Chile. Who Are The Welsh?
Prior to their Quarter-final tie with Hungary, the team are glad to have a four day break but knew that they couldn't rest on their laurels. The team would end up training on the beach overlooking the South Pacific Ocean and not only was this good for keeping them alert, but also warmed up his players to get use to the climate out here, in addition their training exercises would draw a crowd of curious locals as they were considered an unknown quantity and had no idea where Wales was. Perhaps the most well documented case of Wales being such an unknown nation to the rest of the world was one amusing moment that Welsh manager Jimmy Murphy and the players watched while at their stay at the hotel in which a FAW official was trying to point out Wales on a map of the world to bemused members of staff. However no matter how much he tried, the poor man couldn't win as they kept coming up with the same response.
"¿te refieres a Inglaterra?" They would say, what that meant was 'you mean England?' The official sighed in defeat and walked away, despite the amusement it had caused for the team, and invariably helping them relax more, they couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy who had been trying so hard to promote Wales to the world.
Though nothing to do with the 1982 World Cup, this poster from the last tournament shows the lack of a knowledge of Wales with their flag not being used
"Was a good effort, sir," said Mel Charles.
The poor man didn't reply and walked away flustered and frustrated at his efforts had been all for nothing and made a beeline towards a bar on the other end of the room talking loudly about how hopeless it was. Truthfully, no one could blame him; to these Chilean members of staff, the Welsh team might have been from the Planet Mars for all they knew and the players sitting around in the lounge area chatted among themselves about this fact
"They'll know us eventually," Roy Vernon said. "Don't know when but I'm sure they will.
Murphy smiled and looked at his players. "And I know the best way of doing that...by winning the cup!"
Several players laughed at this thinking it was a joke, but they all looked at the determined look on his face and saw he wasn't joking.
"You...you think we can do it?" John Charles asked in bewilderment. Surely his coach was seriously thinking that these bunch of guys were going to be capable of taking on the rest of the world?
"I don't see why not," Murphy replied with confidence. "We qualified to win the World Cup, not to make up numbers as some of these other nations seem to do just like our Scottish chums. Don't tell me you're thinking of being one of them, right?"
The players were all silent and didn't know how to reply, in all fairness, the thought of winning it had never really crossed their minds, they thought England would want it (they would be playing Brazil on the same day Wales would take on Hungary more and yet...
"He's right," Ivor Allchurch uttered out. "Who knows, could be our last chance to play in a World Cup and lets be honest, if the English win it, we'll probably won't hear the end of it."
Many of the teammates mutter in agreement, that had been something that hadn't thought it if England won it.
"Alright then," Stuart Williams added. "Why the hell not?
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The day of the Quarter final game would arrive and Wales would take on Hungary in Rancagua. Murphy had stuck with his tried and tested team selection he had used in the last few group games but he wasn't thinking about the game but rather the press back home. When they returned from the World Cup in Sweden, it seemed like no one all over the Welsh Valleys seemed aware of their plucky heroics and the press seemed more keen on how the rugby team was getting on and the football team wasn't even given a mention in all their time they have been at this World Cup, never mind being even an afterthought. It had been a sad joke among the Welsh contingent in which had Wales won the World Cup in 1958, they would likely be the only nation that either didn't know about the victory. It just seemed like everything seemed to conspire against them.
The players all knew this as well as the team bus rounded the corner as it approached the stadium, they all shared Murphy's frustrations of them not being regarded as such and made all the more worse with the London and even Cardiff based media focusing on England's game with Brazil with hardly any member of the press covering this game. Granted they all knew England had all the big stars surrounding it with it being such a big tie with Brazil at stake, but the Welsh seemed to get, at best, little more than a small article saying that they were lucky to get through and that the Scots should have been here instead. Why all this negative press from home?
The bus finally stopped and the players starting to leave the bus as many curious locals ran up to the players trying to get autographs. Though the crowd quickly dispersed when they didn't seem to know who they were. Murphy and the rest of his players felt angry by this, who were they expecting? Italy? Brazil? West Germany? Still, he was sure that by the end of this tournament, hopefully everyone would know where Wales was...even if he knew that they wouldn't be playing the smartest of football.
Allchurch's away Welsh kit for the Quarter-final game with Hungary on display many years later
The start of the game would have Hungary proven to be quite a handful for Wales as the much experienced team passed the ball around the pitch. There was a small crowd here of just under twelve thousand which might've not sound that big, but in some way it did sort of worked for the players as it gave them a intimate, rather than hostile, feel which helped the Welsh players settle in more. However in the tenth minute, János Farkas managed to outwit Mel Hopkins before trying his hand at firing a long shot out towards the goal, only for Jack Kelsey to make a diving safe to his right and keeping it goalless.
Although Murphy wasn't a superstitious person, he was convinced that the Welsh's away yellow kit which they had to wear in this match, due to the Hungarian team 'apparently' forgetting their changed kit, was bad luck. True, nothing terrible had happened to them in that kit, but after that Brazil game in which the Welsh were played off the park, there was something about yellow shirts that he found off putting in a strange way. He was so deep in thought when he didn't notice that the Welsh bench all leapt to their feet about to celebrate before groaning in despair, for in the seventeenth minute, Vernon had almost put Wales up in front though his shot ended up hitting the crossbar. The game had suddenly opened up and while Wales weren't playing silky football that wasn't going to win them any fans, it was working a treat for them at keeping the Hungarians at bay. He didn't know, but Murphy had a feeling the longer this went on that they could get something out of this game. Hungary was still a top class team, but they were no longer the skilful team that had come so close to winning the World Cup just eight years ago and had been on something on a decline since then.
Then in the twenty-ninth minute, Barrie Jones ran down on the left flank of the pitch to cross the ball over to John Charles who had to leap higher over several Hungarian players to try and get his head on it. It connects with the ball and with just a few inches to space, the ball goes flying just under the bar and puts Wales a goal head to everyone's amazement. Murphy smiles at the players as they surround Charles and congratulate him on their unlikely lead, the Hungarians are stunned for not only were they losing but to a team that perhaps most of them couldn't tell on a map where the Welsh were from. The game carries on with the Welsh playing with their boring but practical style of football and keeping the Hungarians from trying to equaliser right up to the end of the first half when afterwards, many of the men in yellow look at each other in disbelieve then towards a large score board reading out 'Gales 1 - Hungría 0'.
The Hungarian team prior to the start of the game with Wales
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For about a minute it descends into a finger pointing match that ends with a whimper when the captain on either team doing their best to make sure the players returned to the game. Eventually the game restarted and Wales started to pass the ball around that was a far cry from the boring style of play Wales had been playing before. If only they had started like this before hand though it is starting to be seen that the Hungarians are not happy with how things are and are starting to make mistakes which only plays into the Welsh players' hands.
"It's like watching Brazil," Murphy chuckled to one of the assistants in the dugout. It was then during the sixtieth minute that Vernon had the ball a few feet away from the penalty box with László Sárosi and Ernő Solymosi crowding around him, but somehow the Welsh forward pulled of a great move to deceive both Hungarian defenders and strike home the ball into the bottom left corner and putting Wales 2-0 up.
The game has not gone the way most pundits, journalists and even most neutrals have expected as everyone in the stadium is gripped by a sense of the bizarre in this strange game. Just three minutes later, it gets worse for Hungary as Sipos, with the frustration getting to him, finds himself getting into yet another scuffle with Cliff Jones with Sipos pushing Jones over in what can be described as playground argument. The referee, having put up with the Hungarian player's antics for nearly the whole game, has had enough and orders Sipos off. Despite his and his teammates' protests, he has to walk off the field and soon, out of this World Cup.
With Hungary down to ten men, Wales starting pushing them back with them almost going 3-0 up in the sixty eighth minute by Charles, but his kick just goes wide off the post and it is a let off for Hungary, but in the end, it doesn't really matter. The game ends 2-0 to Wales and the Chilean crowd applaud, stamp their feet and cheer the Welsh for their great underdog performance as Wales become the third British team to reach the Semi-final stage of the World Cup. Murphy let's the players celebrate their moment of glory while he shakes the hand of Lajos Baróti, the Hungarian head coach. After shaking his hand, Murphy now starts to wonder if they'll get a little bit more respect and more importantly, who will be their opponents in the Semi. But there is perhaps even better news when they get back to the hotel...
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As the team returned to the Hotel Miramar Caleta Abarca in Viña del Mar, they all wanted to know how the other results had gone and most importantly, who they would be playing. At the reception desk where there was radio being played of the results and the draw for the Semi-finals, only problem was that it was in Spanish and they had to use a translator to tell them the results. The translator, one of the hotel staff members told them, with great delight that Chile had gone through along with Yugoslavia.
Then came the news that likely made all the Welsh team stunned yet joyful in which came the news that Brazil had dumped out England and given the lack of attention for the Welsh with the majority of the British press covering that game, there was a small sense of karma of after being left out that they had the last laugh. Much of that game is well documented in which while England took the lead, Brazil would end up coming from behind to win the game 3-1 and thus end England's hopes of winning the World Cup.
Then another thought would dawn on all of them. With Scotland and now England both out, Wales were against all odds the last remaining British team left in the World Cup and now suddenly all eyes would be on them and now there was the question that many would be asking about the team the longer they remained in the World Cup...Who are the Welsh?
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At last, here we are, the next update and some changes from the old TL with more focus on Wales here. Anyway here are the semis as follows:
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Brazil vs Chile
Wales vs Yugoslavia
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Hope you enjoyed the update and stay tuned for the next update, until then, catch you all later!
Chapter 10: Some Respect
Chapter 10
Some Respect
For any nation during the World Cup, if a nation actually makes the last four one would expect that the press and media would go out to get the nation whipped up in a football frenzy and hope that their country would be on course that they would go all the way to play in the final. That is if you are from Wales. Ever since their victory over Hungary in Quarter-Finals, it had been reported that back home that Wales had been gripped by football fever and that the establishment of sport journalists and pundits were fearful that their beloved and preferred sport of rugby was endangered of being replaced as Wales' game if the football team were to go all the way. Even one such local Welsh sport column, which shall not be named, made the shocking claim that a defeat by Semi-Final opponents Yugoslavia would be a good thing for Wales.Some Respect
The shameless bias against the Welsh football team from their own media was there for all to see and to rub it in even further with England out following their defeat to Brazil, much of the British press had gone home with only a handful staying behind to cover Wales and there stories that so many had been invested in following England that many hadn't even noticed that Wales had been in the tournament, never mind the fact that the Welsh had gone further than the English. If all this didn't show that the entire world seemed to be conspiring against the Welsh football team then what would?
Ironically, all this lack of respect from their own media had all managed to help fire up the Welsh team to get as far as they had done with their colourful manager Jimmy Murphy conducting this anger into helping them get this far and to his delight, it had all worked until now. Their opponents, Yugoslavia, were much like Hungary as in being no push over and were considered favourites to make the final and this wasn't the first time the two had faced with the Yugoslavs battering the Welsh 5-2 in a friendly in Belgrade back in 1953 and this followed in the following year in Cardiff in which Wales suffered a 3-1 loss to Yugoslavia. Given past records, it wasn't hard to see why many, even in some of the small British press team felt that everything was about to lead to yet another Welsh defeat.
The Yugoslav team that would face Wales
"Look at this one!" David Ward called out to his teammates pointing to one of the Welsh papers. "It says that a defeat by Yugoslavia would be good for Wales, and it's from one of the Welsh papers!"
"Absolute Nonsense!" Charles replied expressing his displeasure. "How many countries do you know in which your home media doesn't want you to do well?!"
The Chilean hotel staff, who a good few were ear dropping and likely didn't speak or no any English, were likely confused as to why a team would be angry as to why a team was in a Semi-Final. If only they knew about what it was all about.
"There's one here called Jerković and the Dragons!" Alan Harrington added as he lifted the Daily Mail paper up to show his teammates of a medieval caricature drawing of star Yugoslav player Dražan Jerković, in the foreground, on a horse holding a lance aiming at eleven dragons, representing the Welsh team and all having caricature faces of the players on the dragons with the World Cup trophy seen in the background with the dragons blocking it.
The players were angered by this rather stupid drawing from the Daily Mail and didn't know if this was them showing their displeasure at the Welsh team or perhaps their own twisted way of supporting the team, nonetheless lthey were angry saying that the drawing was totally uncalled for, but Murphy heard a noise outside of a vehicle and could see through the window that their coach had arrived to take them to the stadium, he also had one last thing to say for his players as he cleared his throat to get their attention with one last thing to bring up for his players. "There is one way to let the anger out."
They all looked at him wondering what he meant before he spoke again. "...Beat that lot, win the World Cup and make all those papers eat humble pie...simple."
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Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar, the venue of the Semi-Final between Wales and Yugoslavia
As the two teams stood side by side in the tunnel (Wales back in their traditional red kit), many thoughts were going through their minds at the gravity of the situation. The team had only just realised if they could get past Yugoslavia, not only would they reach the final but would end up being the first British team to reach the final. Something that they could all brag about for the rest of their days. During this time, some of the players jogged on the spot, others placed their hands on their hips thinking of the situation that was to happen next, but most just wanted to get out and play.
Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar, the venue of the Semi-Final between Wales and Yugoslavia
There is another factor about winning this game is that a victory in the Semi-Finals will bring the players a bonus of £400, a sum of money that is the same as a player's monthly wage at any big British football club. It would be certain that there was more than a likely chance that the thought of the money up for grabs hadn't gone through the players minds and the thoughts of what they might do with it.
Just then the Swiss referee ordered the teams to come out of the tunnel and onto the field. "Good luck lads," John Charles called out to his teammates as they headed out on to the field and into the Chilean winter sunshine.
Back home they would've been used to huge crowds in Cardiff for such a massive game like in the Home International, but when they went outside and looked around, they were all taken aback that the crowd in a stadium that could hold up to eighteen thousand, there was just over a measly five thousand souls scattered around the stadium, with even fewer Welsh supporters who were in the stands too.
The Welsh team knew that due to the long distance, it was hard for much of their working class support make the long and expensive journey out here and thus the Welsh supporters in the ground were those either on holiday or had long since emigrated out here. That said even for the humble sized crowds that the team had been used to at this World Cup, it was a shock to them though they would later find out that most Chilean interest was in the other Semi-final in which the host nation was taken on Brazil for a place in the final at the same time thus why the ground seemed near empty.
Regardless of what the teams might've thought of the crowd size, they had a game to do as Welsh captain, David Ward, met to shake hands by the centre circle and let the referee choose who was to start the kick off, it would go for Yugoslavia and shortly afterwards, the game began. From the start the Yugoslavs started to play their attacking style of play as the Welsh tried to stop any advance. Even in the opening minutes of the game, it was already starting to show to look like a good game and in all fairness, it was looking like the game wasn't going to be anything like the previous encounters which were rather one sided.
In the thirteenth minute, Williams ran on the break with the hope to passing the ball to Charles, but instead the ball collided with Jusfufi and the ball went back going out for a throw in for Wales. For Murphy watching on from the bench, the game was going well and he looked up behind him seeing the commentators and noticed the chap doing the Welsh commentary for the BBC. What stood out for the Welsh manager was that he could see that the expression of the commentator was of a strange mix of fear, hope and unsettledness at how well Wales were performing. Clearly this gentleman was a rugby commenter and was not only someone who had bee dragged out here to Chile but was one of those rugby-biased guys who didn't want rugby to fall out of favour in the Valleys.
Wales' secret weapon, John Charles
Ward took it and a range of red shirts could be seen jumping up over those in blue shirts trying to get on to the ball. Out of all of them, Southampton player Stuart Williams headed the ball downwards which Yugoslav keeper Milutin Šoškić had no chance to get down to grab it and the ball headed down and bounced up hitting the roof of the net and putting Wales 1-0 up. A range of emotions went through the Welsh players as many of them couldn't believe it as they ran to embrace Williams as the English players could only look on stunned, expect for Šoškić who kicked the ball out of the net in frustration. To the Yugoslavs, this was not suppose to happen.
However the game is far from over as rather than bury their heads in the ground, the Yugoslavs start pushing Wales back and the Welsh seem to make the mistake of holding back so early in the game as it only gives the Yugoslavs a chance to regroup and attack and it seems almost more than certain that this rather lacklustre style of play will come back to bite Wales and it it most certainly does in the thirty-third minute.
After a brilliant move by Petar Radaković, he passes the ball over to Dragoslav Šekularac who tucks it in pass Welsh keeper Jack Kelsey who has no chance to getting a hand on it and now the game is all square. The atmosphere is a strange one too as with the crowd being so small, it feels like a cold Sunday amateur type of game one would play at a park rather than being a World Cup Semi-Final; a bizarre feeling all around.
All touch and go with Wales struggling against
Yugoslavia
From that goal, Yugoslavia began turning the screw on the Welsh and their attacking style of play towards the later period of the first half had pushed the Welsh back towards the goal with nearly all of them trying to defend from a relentless Yugoslavs. Thankfully for the Welsh and annoyingly for Yugoslavia, no more goals were scored as the referee blew his whistle for half time and the players walked off to an applause by the small Chilean crowd who had liked what they had seen and were grateful for taking their time to watch this game, though were perhaps more interested in how their own team was getting on.
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With a cold wind being blown off from the South Pacific, The Welsh players ran out last from the tunnel with the Yugoslavian team standing on the pitch waiting impatiently to get going again. In the changing room, Murphy had told his players that they just had another forty five minutes to get a goal and be in the final and if that happened, they'd be in the final. A somewhat optimistic view many will say, but a manager has to build up his players confidence that they can do it.
However he wasn't pleased to see that Yugoslavia had not taken their foot off the gas and not only had they started off well, they were clearly determined to win this game no matter how much the desperate red wall of Welsh players tried to stop them. Like a row of waves, the Yugoslavs battered the Welsh and most neutrals would've argued that Yugoslavia looked to be deserving to be going in front with the way they played, but the Welsh stood firm...until the fifty-first minute when Šekularac scored his second which was a volley that went off the Welsh post and into the back of the net to put Yugoslavia in front that almost made them set for the final.
Murphy had to hope his players wouldn't drop their heads as they trailed 2-1 and knew that it was Yugoslavia's to lose now. Oddly, Wales started to fight back which took their opponents off guard and suddenly it made everyone feel that another goal was in this game, question was which side would it be? Tackles happened, fouls as well, corners and even a penalty that Yugoslavia think they should've gotten was not given, it was turning into a nail biting game much more than what most expected. Certainly the small crowd who had turned up to watch the game were getting their money's worth.
The game would then turn on it's head once again in which in the sixty-ninth minute, John Charles managed to find a hole in the Yugoslav defence, which by this point was starting to rattle now, and slotted a ball right through the gap up towards Allchurch who would then cross the ball over to Vernon who ended up thumping the ball that saw it roar past a stunned Šoškić that equalised for Wales. This game was turning into a mad one and Wales were not out of this by a long shot.
Wales' hero,
Allchurch, who helped score Wales' vital goal
...But it scrapped past the post, taking the white paint off as it did and would be a painful moment for Wales and one of relief for Yugoslavia. Finally after ninety minutes, the game ended and it would now go into extra time. Both managers joined their players on the field to discuss the plans on how to win the game for the next five minutes. However, both managers tactics to get the winning goal in extra time would prove to useless as neither side could score with both teams looking very cautious of not wanting to let something slip.
Yugoslavia were relieved that they had a break to recover and plan ahead for extra-time and it seemed that they had gotten a right earful about how they were in danger of letting this slip and they did start to look more better like they did during the early part of the game though Wales seemed more than happy to defend their lines. There is one brutal moment in the ninety-ninth minute in which a coming together of Charles and Popovic happens in which the latter went in and pretty not only sent the Welshman flying but landing awkwardly and he doesn't get up for a time and looks to have injured himself. If cards had been in use at this point then Popovic would have been sent off but alas the game must go on though eyes are looking towards Charles and fear that he might be weaker now.
Just a few minutes later in the one hundred and third minute of the game, Charles passes the ball up to Vernon who runs with the ball as he gets inside the Yugoslav box, many spectators start to rise up thinking a goal will be scored, but instead Yugoslavian defender Vladimir Durković makes a stupid tackle bringing Vernon down and every Welshman in that stadium or the many more who either watching on TV or listing on radio back home all cry for a penalty, and thankfully for them, the referee didn't need asking choice to point to the penalty spot for such a stupid move.
Up step forward is Charles who despite not being quite what he once was following that brutal tackle, steps up to take perhaps the most important penalty in Welsh football history. He faces down the Yugoslav keeper Šoškić and the two men eye each other as they await for the referee to blow his whistle, when it blows, Charles fires it home right down the middle and sending the keeper the wrong way to put Wales 3-2 up in extra-time and suddenly a miracle is happening...Wales are so close to a World Cup final!
The moment Wales take the lead in extra-time
The aftermath proves to be crazy as several stunned yet delighted Chileans run onto the pitch to congratulate the victorious Welsh and Murphy would end up being carried upon the shoulders of his players like a hero. The man had now already assured himself of getting the freedom of his home village of Pentre in South Wales but God knows what might happen next if his lot of players can do something better in the Final...
For now though, it seems that most of their home based media and press will have to show the Welsh some respect after all that has happened. Nothing like sweet, sweet karma for those who had doubted this Welsh team all along.
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And here we are! Wales are in the final (much like in the old TL) and yes, Brazil get there like in OTL and how are you all enjoying it now, quite happy I am of the small improvements I've made to this redux. Anyway, stay tuned for the final update of the 1962 WC in which a plucky Wales attempts to play Brazil...no pressure there! Until then, catch you all later!
Thank you, anything you especially like about it or are looking forward for a specific tournament?
Well, I really like the underdog story of Wales here, and the dissections of every match they play. I enjoyed the bit about the media having absolutely no faith in the Welsh.Thank you, anything you especially like about it or are looking forward for a specific tournament?
I'm mostly just looking forward to the new chapters, obviously, but I do look forward to the 1966 WC since it's in England and this TL is all about the British.
Chapter 11: That Damn Linesman
Chapter 11
That Damn Linesman
That Damn Linesman
June 17th would mark the day for the 1962 World Cup final and it would be Brazil; their fellow group stage opponents, previous winners and heavy favourites that the Welsh would face off in Santiago's Estadio Nacional stadium that day. It was expected that nearly seventy thousand spectators would be cramped into the stadium and the huge size of the crowd is a contrast to the rather cosy and even rather humbling crowds that the Welsh team had enjoyed where sometimes during group games with hardly anyone watching them play, pelicans would be perched on the perimeter wall being more curious about a game rather than the average person here.
Throughout this tournament, the British media Welsh had pretty much ignored the team and instead been focusing on England to do well. However following England's defeat to Brazil, the media had ended being aphetically following the team as they were the last remaining British side left and now with them in the final, they had been swarming the Welsh team from the moment they left their hotel and, in some ways, were trying to cover up their embarrassing bold predictions of an England victory.
That said even with them finally getting reconnection, the support the media was given them was rather questionable in their approach. For example during a pre-match media conference with the British and some international press, Jimmy Murphy couldn't help but feel that the questions being ask about his team seemed rather negative as for example the questions ranged from 'How can you really defeat Brazil?', 'What chance do you have to win?' and perhaps the most damning one of all, 'Do you feel this final is a total mismatch?'
Though the questions weren't biased, they were quite condescending to the Welsh who despite many thinking that many would love to support and find out more about what was clearly a wonderful underdog story, Murphy would along with the rest of his team would soon get the impression that Wales were not welcomed to be gracing a World Cup final though there was also, mainly from the English members of the press here, that a fairly understandable reason as to why the British press were quite lukewarm and even jealous to the Welsh was that their much beloved England team was not here and that not only had the Welsh become the first British side to reach a World Cup final but of the thought of them actually going on to win and become champions of the world it would be an embarrassing and nightmarish thought for the English. If that wasn't enough to fire up the Welsh players who picked up on these vibes then surely nothing would.
Though to be to be fair to them, they were right about Brazil being heavy favourites to lift the cup for a second time despite Wales having a number of good and even arguably world class players in their own ranks, the thought of playing Brazil for the second time for a revenge rematch is somewhat diluted by the absence of their two most important players: Pelé, who has missed out on most of the World Cup due a groin strain, and Garrincha, who was dismissed in the Semi-final and has been suspended for the final. This news gives Murphy food for thought as they just might have a chance to rip the World Cup out of Brazil's hands, the thought of Wales becoming World Champions sounds absolutely crazy, but yet, here they were from perhaps turning the world on it's head.
After that press conference in which he'd rather forget about, there was some happier news that Murphy had heard from home about what Wales' plucky run to the final had meant for the country. It was said that nearly everyone across Wales from north to south had been talking about the team from not just football supporters but everyone who didn't really think much of the game from young kids to the elderly and soon every member of the team had become a household name. It was now certain to anyone that was from Wales that there was indeed for to their little country than that of rugby, though they are only scratching the surface of what it means to people on the day of the final in which their hotel is flooded with letters from home in which the Welsh manager decides on a motivational plan for the team...
Murphy on the phone to someone back in Wales hearing about the mania their run has done for the country
The team soon leave on the bus to take them to the stadium and as the team bus approaches on it's final way destination, the players have been wondering the whole time while on the bus of how they'll cope from being use to be playing to small crowds of interested locals to a mammoth one here that was expected and one that would likely cheer on their South American neighbours against a nation that most in that stadium could not pinpoint on a map where Wales is. Everyone is rather quiet as this is a trip into the unknown that no British team has ever gotten this far and as the bus gets closer to the stadium, it slows to a crawl due to hundreds of Chilean locals cramming the streets on their way to the stadium while many try to catch a glimpse of the Welsh players, in which the team smile and wave at them.
For the people of this poverty-stricken country, which is still recovering from the horrendous Valdivia earthquake of 1960, the World Cup has brought a much needed welcome of fun and excitement which is just what the people need to distract them from their daily struggles. Murphy wonders how everyone will watch the game on television at home as they came back home from the last tournament to a bemused Wales that had no idea of their heroics. Regardless, here they were about to play in the World Cup final...no pressure there.
Half an hour till kick off and in the Welsh dressing room, Murphy decides to leave the players to get on with their own business to get warmed up, though he is secretly feeling annoyed at the delay of not getting the Brazilian team sheet by now and is off to try and find someone who can tell him what's going on. A Chilean FA man witnesses Murphy walking down the corridor and scurries away with a look that seems to read 'I've nothing to do with this', that already gives the game away to Murphy that something is up and tries to find an English speaker. Among everyone the officials milling around the area outside the dressing rooms, he is surprised to face to face with none other than Manchester United manager, former Scotland boss and his assistant at the former, Matt Busby.
"Busby?" Murphy asks dumbfounded, of all the people he had expected to meet out here, the last person was the Manchester United boss.
"Weren't expecting me?" Busby replies with his hands in his pockets as a random member of some FA comes walking past them. "I heard you guys made it to the final and had to come out here to see history being made by my assistant. Must admit I'm a wee bit jealous you have done well and that you put Scotland out like that, but hey, that's life i suppose."
The Welsh manager was dumbfounded and couldn't find the words what to say next. "Um...thank you, but, I was looking for a--"
"Team sheet?" Busby interrupts. "Aye, I've not seen the actual team on paper but...you're not going to like this." The former Scotland manager looked uncomfortable as he ended his sentence before glancing around to make sure no one was hearing them.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Garrincha is in the Brazil selection."
There is a long silence from the two men as they stare at each other as the only sound of chatting is members from other FA members in the area. Finally, Murphy speaks. "What?! He sent off in the last game, he can't play in the final!"
"Indeed," Busby agrees. "I can't find anyone from the Welsh FA here, only members from the other British FA's are here and I doubt any of them can help us. We can't go against FIFA for if we did decide to withdraw at this moment in protest, there would be a riot, our names would be dirty and I'm sure as hell they'd happily give the cup to Brazil."
Murphy sighs sadly as he shakes his head. "Yeah...but imagine if it was happening the other way round, you'd think the Brazilians would take this lying down?"
"No, I doubt they would," Busby replies. "But we can't complain, you have to get out there and win."
Murphy and Busby in somewhat less corrupted and more simpler times
As it would transpire, Busby and the other British FA's in attending the final to wish Wales well had all been informed that Garrincha would play and despite their horror at wanting FIFA to stop this from happening at such a blatant rule being broken and this was made worse when it was rumoured that the Brazilians had paid off FIFA members to allow Garrincha to play. The Home Nations were all given warnings that if they were to kick up a fuss about it, the British teams would face a ban from world football. In many ways and bottom line, FIFA had only gone out and blackmailed them and worst was that the four associations faced the prospect of losing their positions on FIFA's international board if they were to bring this up for the world to know about.
It would be an infamous moment in history for the British to see some of the questionable work that the South Americans did for FIFA in all it's corrupted glory, ironically former SFA Secretary George Graham had not wanted Scotland to go to the 1950 World Cup because of some of the alleged stories from the South American countries being somewhat suspect. Though he failed in preventing Scotland from going, it seemed that his views on South America and what went on behind the scenes at FIFA were somewhat vindicated.
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Just eight minutes to go until they have to be out on the pitch, the Welsh players are all preparing final checks to make sure they are ready to head out and face their destiny. They have been spurred on with messages of support from Harold Macmillan and Henry Brooke, the Prime Minster and Secretary of state for Wales respectably, the Royal Family also gave a message of support to wish them well as too were the clubs that each of the players played with, Plaid Cymru not surprisingly also gave them an rather gushing letter of support hoping that their victory would put Wales on the World stage and eventually independence for Wales...one that the players probably wisely kept their head down and didn't want to drag politics into football.
There were other letters of support from a wide range of people from their families, friends, teammates, humble working class people right up to the upper class and each of the letters were all stuck up all along the dressing room walls and it was a comfort that there people out there looking out for them. It was just amazing to think that their own actions had really touched the hearts and captured the imagination of so many people.
Just then the door opened and in stepped Murphy himself looking both frustrated over the obvious gripes he had discovered but was also looking determined and he stood there in the middle of the room silently until his players had stopped all their discussing with each other as they all turned to look up at their manager. Murphy stood there in the middle of the room with his hands in coat pockets and looked round at his players with a small smile.
"Well then," he finally spoke, "You've done rather well to get this far and it seems everyone hasn't forgotten about us." He pointed out and the letters on the wall before carrying on. He had not told them one important and crucial bit of news until now. "But, I do bring some bad news, the Brazilians are cheating by bringing on that Garrincha, remember that he should've been suspended for the final? There is nothing we can do to stop that from happening."
As he expected, the players in the dressing room started to let their feelings be known by angrily complaining about this stupid choice that had happened. "BUT!" Murphy barked to let himself be heard by his players. "They may win that battle, but the war isn't won, it's the final in which we'll show them the error of their cheating ways, beat them out there and ripped that cup from their cheating hands!"
He paused impressively and looked over to David Ward sitting in the corner and from his large coat pocket, he threw over the captain's armband to the Cardiff City Midfielder. Ward stared at the armband and looked up at the manager before Murphey carried on speaking. "Go on Dai," he spoke to him by his Welsh name. "I want you to lead the boys out and to glory, for Wales..." He then clapped his hands together before he yelled, "COME ON!"
The Welsh team to play in the 1962 Final
This made his players roar with encouragement as they ran out of the room to head towards the tunnel, but not before each of them gave a random letter a little pat for luck as they left. It was time for heroes.
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From the subterranean dressing rooms and tunnel, the two teams emerge out into the sunshine to a roar of excitement from the seventy-thousand something souls waiting to see a historic football match. Some hundred or so photographers were there on the field taking many shots of the teams, but mostly of Brazil. The Welsh are not use to this attention and after they have their team photo taken, the photographers head straight towards the Brazilians, it is clear who everyone wants to win and the men in red are sadly not the star attraction, though it is highly unlikely that any of those photographers know about the dirty goings on with how Garrincha is starting in this game. As the Welsh players look into the crowd, they can just make out a few Welsh flags being flown from the stands and these brave individuals must have spent their family silver to pay for the long journey to South America in the hope of wanting to see history.
David Ward and Brazilian captain Mauro Ramos meet in the circle with the referee and shake hands, though Ward is sure he can help his teammates make a huge upset and he can't help but feel that the more chilly conditions might be more suited to them rather than the Brazilians. With the referee blowing his shrill whistle, the 1962 FIFA World Cup final begins and it is a frantic and mad game with Wales' British style of attack play clashing with the Brazilian's slinky style of play making for an interesting contest and even after fourteen minutes, the crowd are enjoying their money's worth already. Then a minute later, Charles evades a flailing boot and nicks it to George Williams, on the edge of the Brazil eighteen-yard box.
Allchurch darts into the penalty area, the ball on his left foot and only Djalma, the right-back, is in place to make a challenge, which he does, just as Allchurch lifts a flicked precise ball into the path of Vernon in which he thumps the ball past Brazilian keeper Gylmar dos Santos into the far corner of the net. As one, the stadium rise to acclaim an exceptional goal from an unlikely team. Yes, it was true and not some drunk fantasy, Wales are 1-0 up in the final against the World Champions! The Welsh have taken the game to the Brazilians and they have made their claim that they have a point to prove to the South American giants and one in the know might feel that karma is on the horizon.
Brazil vs Wales during the 1962 Final
However, like pulling on a sleeping animal's tail, the men in yellow strike back in fine fashion just two minutes later when Amarildo finds himself past Williams and outwits the Welsh defence to fire in a wonderful goal that helps the Brazilians draw level and the crowd roar in delight in which the Welsh can't help but feel that many are clearly backing Brazil. After that goal, the game carries on with both teams trying to find more of the ball than trying to find another goal in this and in one attempt in the twenty-fifth minute, Alan Harrington brings down Garrincha and the Welshman gives the Brazilin a dirty glare as Brazil are award a corner which in the end comes to nothing.
It is clear that Garrincha is becoming a punching bag that the Welsh want to get into for him playing in this game and the resulting first half ends with some meaty challenges on the poor Brazilian in which tackling will be key to winning this match. After some poor shots on target and some cynical fouls, mostly by the Welsh in which the referee has a difficult game in keeping the game flowing, the first half ends 1-1 and both teams, as well as possibly the crowd, are breathless from such a exciting display. Who knows what the second half would bring...
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Disappointedly for the neutrals, the second half doesn't have the same flair of excitement as what the first half did with both teams playing more steady this time in a waiting game like attempt to try and pounce on the other team when that team is caught napping, then again it was always going to be hard to match the excitement of the first half no matter what. In the fifty-second minute, Vavá tries a neat little curl for a shot on goal, but instead it is caught by the hands of Kelsey, he himself has been having a hell of a game for his country and probably wonders what bonus the players might get if they win the final. They all got a handsome bonus for winning the Semi then God knows what rewards lie in wait should they do it.
Alas, money is not on the mind on Murphy as he stands on the touchline with his arms crossed and watched the game unfold, credit to his players, they were pushing the Brazilians back and it seems that the world champions weren't expecting the firepower of the plucky Welsh. Then in the sixty-third minute, George Williams noticed a hole in the Brazilian defence and thought there was a chance to strike home with a volley. It all seems to go all slow motion then when to his, and everyone else's amazement, the ball hits the cross bar and bounces downward and land on the goal line when it seems that Wales have gone 2-1 up and Williams, filled with unbridle joy as he rushes over to celebrate with his teammates, however confusion follows with some of the Brazilian defenders, especially the keeper claim the ball didn't go over the line.
The crowd grow visibly quiet as the Russian referee runs over towards, rather ironically, a Scottish lines man named Bobby Davidson who was the one nearest the goal and the two men conform with each other to decide if the goal should count. After what feels like an age of waiting, the two men end their talk and the referee points not at the centre circle, but for a goal kick! This causes many angry Welsh players to run up towards the referee to express their feelings at him and to make matters worse, years later when footage of the goal is looked again, it shows that the ball did cross the line and that Wales should've got the goal and were robbed of it. And for the Scottish linesman? Well, little was anyone to know at that time that this moment would mark as the start of an increased rivalry between the Welsh and the Scots.
Some time after the Brazilians express relief of Wales' chalked off goal
From that moment onwards, Brazil start attacking more and Wales are pushed back, with their heads down with many feeling aggrieved that lady luck seemed to be conspiring against the Welsh. The Brazilians keep pushing them back trying to find a goal, but the red wall of the Welsh won't let any goals go in. The game is becoming a truly tense for all concern with the score still at 1-1 with the game slowly becoming a more bad tempered affair with fouls flying in and the game stop and starting. Finally in the seventy-eighth minute, Vavá finds himself through the Welsh defence and with a cheeky chip over Kelsey, making him fall on his back, Brazil now go 2-1 up and after that, there are no more goals scored.
Brazil are champions for the second time in a row and the Welsh players are all gutted either lying on the field or in sense of disbelieve. That 'ghost goal' being a turning point in the game and one that many Welsh football fan will look back with anger that they were cheated out of winning the World Cup and how things might have been all so different if it had been counted. Then again considering the lack of media attention the Welsh first got, then rather patronising coverage they did get and ultimately hard done by cheating before the game and with that goal that never was, it wasn't hard to feel that life had been made difficult for Wales throughout this tournament and that this sad ending for them was pretty much written for them.
The Victorious (or cheating if you ask the Welsh) Brazilian side of 1962 after beating Wales
Despite what happened, Jimmy Murphy, emotional after what has happened, heads out on the field to comfort his players and orders them to gather round in a huddle. He lifts their spirits that they can be proud at what they have done and they know that this experience will only help this group of players even more for the next world cup in England in four years time, and one that the other British teams will want to do well too but tells them that no matter what happens next, they can boast that Wales were the first to get this far and nothing can take that away from them. After that though as Murphy walks away with his hands in his pockets, he looks up at the Chilean sky and reflects over what he has done, but fears that this might've been his last chance for glory for Wales.
Things though turn around for Wales as they would return home as heroes for their plucky underdog nature, even winning the BBC Sports Team of the Year for 1962. Although Wales may not had won the World Cup that year, it would be Roy Vernon that thanks to his four goals would see him win the joint award for the top goal scorers along with several during that World Cup. His efforts would end up with him making a transfer to Italy in which he would return to the national side as the finished article ready to help Wales qualify for the 1964 European Championship. Things with the benefit of hindsight, would prove that things would get better for Wales but for now, the Welsh' South American adventure had come to an end after so much hardships along the way.
Final results of the Knockout Stage of the 1962 World Cup
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