World Cup Final 4 July 1954

Wankdorf Stadion, Berne
West Germany 3 (Morlock 10, Rahn 16, 85) Hungary 2 (Puskas 5, Czibor 7)

West Germany: Turek, Posipal, Kohlmeyer, Eckel, Liebrich, Mai, Rahn, Morlock, O. Walter, F. Walter, Schaefer.

Hungary: Grosics, Buzansky, Lantos, Bozsik, Lorant, Zakarias, Czibor, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Puskas, J. Toth.

Referee: Bill Ling (England)
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None

Hungary had made it through to the final playing some of the most attractive football seen in the World Cup, scoring goals almost at will.

The collective talents of Puskas, Kocsis and Czibor had destroyed Korea 9-0 in their opening game, and then they thrashed West Germany 8-3 in their next outing. 4-2 wins over Brazil and holders Uruguay in the quarter and semi-finals respectively made the Mighty Magyars odds-on favourites to win the cup, especially as they faced the Germans again.

The opening ten minutes of the game served only to back up this view. Ferenc Puskas gave Hungary the lead after only five minutes and Zoltan Czibor added a second two minutes later. On any other day that would have been the start of an avalanche of goals, but the Germans clearly had other ideas.

Puskas, who had missed the semi-final through injury was clearly struggling and faded more and more as the game went on. And within nine minutes of being two-up, Hungary found themselves level at 2-2.

Max Morlock pulled the first back after ten minutes and Helmut Rahn put Germany level after 16 minutes. As the game reached half-time it was clear that the Hungarinas had a real fight on their hands.

The second half was a tense affair and then with only five minutes remaining, outside-right Rahn scored what proved to be the winner. Puskas had a chance to rescue the game, but he had a goal disallowed that would have forced extra-time.

It was to no avail and the Germans had their first World Cup victory, whilst the Hungarians were left knowing that the best team in the world had failed at the final hurdle. Their chance had gone and Hungarian football lost any hope of a second chance when the 1956 Soviet invasion meant that Puskas and others fled from their homeland, to ply their trade in Western Europe.