1966 revisited

When you think to the controversial incidents that have occurred throughout the history of the World Cup, there is none that has been more stifled over or fiercely debated than Geoff Hurt’s goal for England against Germany in the 1966 final at Wembley. The record books tell us that with eleven minutes gone in extra time, Alan Ball put in a cross and Hurst swiveled and shot from close range. The ball hit the under side of the cross bar and either crossed the line, or was cleared off it. The Referee awarded the goal and England went on to lift the trophy for its first and only time. Forty four years later and the incident is still talked about and depending who you speak to, you’re given differing versions. In 2010, for a split second Frank Lampard would imitate Geoff Hurst only this time Germany would be on the receiving end.
Football is like this sometimes. Comparisons are often made between players and teams, tournaments and eras. In the days leading up to the Germany vs. England second round match in Bloemfontein we knew we were about to witness history. The nations have a rivalry which extends beyond Football and the choruses heard walking toward the stadium reminded us of just that. The chant of ‘there were ten German bombers in the air, and the RAF from England shot one down’ is testimony to long memories and a lasting enmity. In a Footballing sense the battles in the past between the two nations have created one of the biggest international rivalries. You only have to look over the clashes between the two over time to realise this.
True to the pundits, there is a reason why many consider the England fans to be the best in terms of numbers. Everywhere the England play, their supporters swarm to see them. Bloemfontein was no exception as a massive English contingent could be seen in and around the stadium hours before kick off. Their passion for the ‘three lions’ they hoped would help beat off their biggest rival and advance themselves into the quarter finals. The Germans though had other plans.
It wasn’t the end result of 4-1 that had the neutral fans talking but it was the manner in which the Germans, at particular stages of the match were able to pulverise their opposition. Oziel, Schweinstieger and Podolski took the game by the horns and began to run the English off their feet. As they had done in games against Australia and Ghana they broke forward quicker than any team has done before. Two goals inside the opening half hour to Klose and Podolski and a double to Muller in the second half would be more than sufficient to bundle the English out of the tournament. As a neutral observer, it was a pleasure to witness the German fluid movement at a venomous pace. The English simply had no answer to the German attack on the counter. Rooney was no where to be seen and an out of position Gerrard couldn’t exact his normal influence.
The English however will and have cried foul over the incident jus before half time, and rightly so. When Frank Lampard’s thunderous shot hit the woodwork and went in, the English began celebrating and the rest applauded not only the goal but the fact that they had been able to over turn a two goal deficit within twenty minutes. However, the referee and the linesman seemed to be the only people in the entire world who didn’t see that the ball had clearly crossed the line. For that period and a brief stint after the half time interval the English had complete control of the game and it was only once the Germans scored their third, against the run of play did the some of the steam come out of the game. After all was said and done, the Germans were clearly the better side over the ninety minutes and deserved the victory, but one wonders what might have been had the goal been credited, just like fans still wonder what would have resulted had Geoff Hurst’s goal been ruled out forty four years ago.