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Sportsweek: Replay 8 June 1968
England save their best form for last to take third place in Europe
BY OUR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT
in Rome
England 2
Charlton 40, Hurst 70
USSR 0
Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 68,817
Sir Alf Ramsey, the England team manager, was left to reflect on what might have been after England clinched third place in the European Championship by beating USSR. 2-0 in the play-off. This was a much better performance than the semi-final display, which had resulted in a losing effort to Yugoslavia, and Ramsey knew it. "We are world champions," he said. "Third place is not our real position."
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The return of Hurst to the front line made all the difference to this display. Had England played just three-quarters as well in their previous match it would have been they, and not Yugoslavia, taking on Italy in the final. Finding something like his vintage form, Hurst pulled the defence this way and that, giving England the penetration that they had sorely lacked.
The goals were scored by Charlton and Hurst, but if the truth be told they could easily have netted four, not just the two. Moore, superb as ever at the back, and one of the world's outstanding defenders, led his team to victory in satisfying style. England's convincing win over opponents who had held Italy to a goalless draw reinforces the view that the next European Championship should be staged as a mini league, with the four teams playing each other once - which would mean the addition of only one more match.
England have gained a reputation as being a side which resorts to illegal, unfair play, but there was no evidence of wrongdoing on this particular occasion. However, when they took to the field, the crowd of nearly 70,000 booed them on this hot evening in the glorious Rome Olympic stadium. This was due in no small part to England's match against Yugoslavia three days previously, when it seemed obvious that the world champions were the guilty party in what was a ill- tempered, dirty match.
However, when asked what he thought of the behaviour, Stiles commented: "This is the result of a campaign which started in Europe during the World Cup and perhaps even before. I believe Continental crowds are brainwashed by their own pressmen."
Ramsey also joined the debate. "I would just like to remind people that football started in England, the rules were formulated there, and we still play to them. We go for the ball and never go beyond that." These are fine sentiments, and they are indeed accepted by most northern and western Europeans, but football is a global game, and Wednesday's bitter semi- final encounter, seen by an audience of millions on television, was the product of Latin and western European styles meeting each other head-on.
The Soviets were asked afterwards if they thought England "were unfair or a dirty side", to which they replied: "We think England do play hard, but in a fair and correct way." However, if Sir Alf and others persist in the view that they are right, that you can take an opponent's legs when going for the ball, then the next World Cup will inevitably see further explosions. Only a few days before, the England Under-23 international Bill Nicholson admitted: "We may have to concede that we are wrong in our interpretation of the rules."
England have proved countless times in the past that they can not only survive but enter-tain, and need not resort to fouling methods. Players like Peters and Ball were able to blend their skills in a silky-smooth manner. After an uncertain start in which Banishevsky and Byshovets caused Moore and Wilson some uncomfortable moments, the world champions steadily took control of a match that was a considerable anti-climax, as such play-offs for third and fourth invariably are.
Hunter, playing with unaccustomed refinement and unrecognisable in this regard from the match against Yugoslavia, assisted Peters and Charlton in winning the midfield battle, and the tireless running of Hunt and Hurst brought their due reward. That seemed to knock the fight out of the Soviets and, apart from an occasional dribble by Banishevsky, they were rarely dangerous in the second half. The second goal came with 20 minutes left when Peters dispossessed Logofet, made ground smartly before shooting, and Hurst drifted in to squeeze the ball home.
Five minutes from time there was a palpable penalty when Peters, sliding through only five yards from the goal, was upended. However, the referee inexplicably waved the play on, much to the disgust of the England players and any non-biased fans of the game.
Stiles came back into the side yesterday for the first time in 15 months and was whistled on each occasion he touched the ball - an action that Ramsey described as deliberate provocation from the press in Europe.
With 20 minutes gone, England were pushing the Soviets back, and following near misses by Hurst and Charlton, they scored five minutes before half- time. A lob by Moore was glanced on by Peters. Hurst went up with Shesterniev, about 12 yards out, shielded the ball as it came down and touched it into the path of Charlton, who had come bursting through the middle, to score easily from close range.
