World Championship --Jules Rimet Cup 1966 Final ... - FIFA.com

defence . England seemed unable to make swift attack or to subject the
Argentina defence to unceasing pressure. The zoning of England's
defence was not effective in stopping sequences of interpassing in midfield
by the Argentine team . Some bad behaviour and fouling from both
sets of players finally led to the expulsion of Rattin, though the Argentine
team, uncertain of the reason, strongly protested . Following a dreadful
scene, the Argentine team began to play for the safety of a draw by
using more "containing" play which England found difficult to counter .
The Semi-Final match against Portugal proved to be one of the
outstanding matches of the tournament and the best at Wembley, both
in the spirit in which it was played and the standard of attacking football.
England's 1-4-3-3 showed purpose in attack as well as defence . Passes
went to the advanced forwards as quickly as possible and unselfish
overlap running by players including defenders put increasing pressure
on the Portugese defence . In this game, R . Charlton's support play was
outstanding, and Stiles effectively shielded the attacks of Eusebio . The
physical condition demanded of this fast tactical interchange between
attack and defence was typified by the play of Alan Ball, who one moment
was defending and the next initiating attack or unselfishly running
to provide opening for other attackers . England, on balance of play,
deserved to win this game, though in the last ten minutes the Portugese
team had good chances to equalise .
The Final match against Germany West saw two teams strong in
defence with Beckenbauer and R . Charlton cancelling each other's efforts .
Most attacking moves were of a speculative nature with long passes.
England on the whole had more of the game, but there were many
defensive slips on both sides and several goals came as a result of them .
The defence of England played well with Stiles having an outstanding
game until extra time, when again the stamina and individual attacking
ability of Ball was a notable feature. Both teams played powerfully from
defence with backs giving an excellent performance . Hurst again proved
himself invaluable as a marksman in heading and shooting . There was
some controversy about the fifth goal which gave England a lead of 3-2,
many observers claiming that the ball did not bounce from the crossbar
over the goal line . Despite its dramatic excitement, the game was played
in a wonderful spirit and both teams earned congratulations on their
performances .