1966 World Cup: Football Coming Home After Dramatic Final

The 1966 World Cup in England was the first to have a mascot – Willie the Lion – but the dog Pickles became the hero after finding the Jules Rimet trophy in a garden, stolen four months ago before the tournament was scheduled to start. Indeed, the World Cup in England stood out due to numerous unexpected results.

For instance, two-time World Cup winners Brazil and Italy did not get through the first round. North Korea beat the Italians and, upon arriving home, were pelted with tomatoes thrown by angry supporters.

Despite having Pelé and Garrincha on their team, the Brazilians did not manage to perform as they did in previous World Cups and also went home early after being steamrolled by Eusébio’s Portugal.

New Kids On The Block

The 1966 World Cup tournament’s leading player and top scorer with nine goals, Eusébio managed to lead Portugal to third place, their best finish to date. Another name that stood out in the 1966 World Cup was that of German player Franz Beckenbauer.

At twenty, the Kaiser started mesmerizing the planet and steered West Germany into the final.

It was time for the inventors of football, England, to win. After not showing much interest in the first editions of the World Cup, being embarrassed in 1950 with a defeat to the United States, and playing supporting roles in 1954 and 1962, the English team made the most of the home advantage, and with a golden generation made up by Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, Geoff Hurst, and Bobby Charlton, finally won the Jules Rimet trophy.

England In The 1996 World Cup

The hosts beat Argentina in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final and Eusébio’s Portugal in the semi-final, with two goals from Bobby Charlton. However, a controversial goal would forever stand out in the English victory over the West Germans in the final.

Geoff Hurst was the English hero in their 4-2 win at Wembley Stadium, scoring a hat-trick with two goals in extra time. Hurst has the record for the highest number of goals ever scored in a FIFA World Cup final, although today, there are still doubts over whether his second goal was legitimate.

The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down – supposedly on the line -but the goal was awarded by the linesman Tofik Bakhramov. The party started in the stands and throughout England.

1966 World Cup Brazilian Disappointment

Having won the World Cup in 1958 and 1962, Brazil arrived in England as hot favorites, mainly because they still had Pelé and Garrincha. Their first match seemed to confirm this favoritism.

In Liverpool, the home of the Beatles, Pelé and Garrincha scored the goals of Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Bulgaria. It was the last time they played together. And Brazil never lost with Pelé and Garrincha on the pitch. However, in the 1966 World Cup, their winning streak would end after the first match.

A vicious tackle in Brazil’s first match took Pelé out of the second match against Hungary. The result was Brazil’s first defeat in World Cups in 13 matches, a disastrous 3-1.

Brought back for the match against Portugal, Pelé was viciously fouled throughout the game and did not manage to stop Portugal, which beat Brazil 3-1 with two goals from Eusébio. As a result, the team that had conquered the world in previous World Cups was out of the tournament.