Bern 1954

On 4 July 1954, at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Hungary led West Germany 2–0 after eight minutes and lost the World Cup final 3–2. For Hungary it was the defeat that defined the team; for Germany it became the "Miracle of Bern". This chapter follows the tournament, the injury that shadows the final, and the match itself, and it gives both sides of the story. The scores are firm; the explanations offered for the result are disputed, and the chapter says which are which.

The Tournament Run

Uruguay were the reigning champions and had never lost a World Cup match, and the semi-final against them is often rated one of the best of the tournament. The quarter-final against Brazil was so violent that it is remembered as the "Battle of Berne".

The Group Match and Puskás's Injury

The 8–3 win over West Germany came in the group stage, in a match where the Germans were widely understood to have fielded a weakened side, resting players for the later rounds. The exact degree of weakening is argued about, and this course says only that the German coach, Sepp Herberger, was reported to have rotated his team. In that match Puskás was fouled by a German defender and injured his ankle. He missed the quarter-final and the semi-final and came back for the final, but he was not fully fit. How much that affected the result is a matter of opinion.

The Final

The match was played in heavy rain. The start went as Hungary's supporters would have hoped.

The game stayed at 2–2 until Helmut Rahn scored the winner six minutes from the end. Moments later Puskás put the ball in the net for what would have been an equaliser, but the goal was disallowed for offside, and the decision is still debated. Fritz Walter was the German captain and Toni Turek the goalkeeper, and the radio commentator Herbert Zimmermann's reaction to Turek's saves ("Turek, you are a football god") became part of German memory.

Why Did Hungary Lose?

People have offered many explanations, and no single one is decisive.

• Puskás's injury. He was not fully fit, and the team had been scoring heavily without him.
• Tiredness. The semi-final went to extra time, and the Hungarians had played several demanding matches.
• The weather. Heavy rain favoured a team with the right equipment. Stories about German boots with adjustable studs, associated with the Dassler company, are widely told but should be treated as a popular explanation.
• Overconfidence. Hungary had beaten Germany 8–3 earlier and may have treated the final as won.
• Allegations about German preparation. There have been later claims about injections given to German players. These have been investigated and discussed, but they remain disputed, and this course does not treat them as established.
• Luck. Some goals can be explained by good fortune, and football contains luck.

The Reaction at Home

Reports describe disappointment in Hungary, with angry crowds in Budapest and criticism of the coach, and the regime was embarrassed because the team was a showpiece. The scale of the reaction is described differently in different sources, so this course says only that it was severe. Two years later events of a much larger kind overtook football, the subject of Chapter 7.

Exercises

Next chapter: 1956: The Team Scattered, when the uprising and Honvéd's tour broke up the Golden Team for good.