World Cup Quarter-Final June 14 1970

West Germany v England

Estadio Guanajuato, Leon
West Germany 3 (Beckenbauer 69, Seeler 82, Muller 108)
England 2 (Mullery 31, Peters 49), (After Extra Time)

West Germany: Maier, Schnellinger, Vogts, Fichtel, Hottges (Schulz), Beckenbauer, Overath, Seeler, Libuda (Grabowski), Muller, Lohr.

England: Bonetti, Newton, Cooper, Mullery, Labone, Moore, Lee, Ball, Hurst, R. Charlton (Bell), Peters (Hunter).

Referee: Angel Norberto Coerezza (Argentina)
Yellow Cards: Muller, Lee

The defeat of reigning World Cup holders England to West Germany remains one of the most controversial matches in the competition's history, at least from an England perspective.

All sorts of theories have been put forward as to how and why Sir Alf Ramsey's team threw away a 2-0 lead and finally succumbed to a Gerd Muller goal in extra time.

Much of the blame has been placed on the shoulders of Peter Bonetti, a replacement in goal for Gordon Banks, who was taken ill on the eve of the game.

Bonetti certainly seemed to be at fault for the Germans' first goal, when Franz Beckenbauer's speculative shot crept under the Chelsea goalkeeper's dive. And he was caught in limbo by Uwe Seeler's headed equaliser from Karl-Heinz Schnellinger's cross eight minutes from the end of normal time. But those mishaps do not tell the whole story of how England, having gone ahead through a splendid goal by Alan Mullery and another by Martin Peters, finally wilted in the Mexican heat.

Ramsey's second-half substitutions of Colin Bell for Bobby Charlton and Norman Hunter for Martin Peters undoubtedly had a negative impact on England's performance and aroused much post-match criticism.

Such criticism was compounded by the way in which Ramsey's opposite number used his substitutes with devastating effect. Jurgen Grabowski, coming on for Libuda, ran Terry Cooper ragged and gave the Germans new heart as this pulsating game reached its climax.

Even then England could easily have won it in extra time. Francis Lee wriggled clear down the right and delivered a pulled-back cross which Geoff Hurst drove into the net. But the goal was inexplicably disallowed, and England went on to suffer a shattering defeat which irreparably damaged the reputation of both Bonetti and Ramsey.