History of Football in 90 Minutes, The: (Plus Extra-Time)

Facts correct as of December 2020

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2021

Pitch Publishing

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BN13 3QZ

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© Ben Jones and Gareth Thomas, 2021

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Contents

Introduction

1. Nándor Hidegkuti opens the scoring at Wembley (1953)

2. Dennis Viollet puts Manchester United ahead in Belgrade (1958)

3. Gaztelu help brings Basque back to life (1976)

4. Wayne Rooney scores early against Iceland (2016)

5. Brian Deane scores the Premier League’s first goal (1992)

6. The FA Cup semi-final is abandoned at Hillsborough (1989)

7. Cristiano Ronaldo completes a full 90 (2014)

8. Christine Sinclair opens her international account (2000)

9. Play is stopped in Nantes to pay tribute to Emiliano Sala (2019)

10. Xavi sets in motion one of football’s greatest team performances (2010)

11. Roger Hunt begins the goal-rush on Match of the Day (1964)

12. Ted Drake makes it 3-0 to England at the Battle of Highbury (1934)

13. Trevor Brooking wins it for the underdogs (1980)

14. Alfredo Di Stéfano scores for Real Madrid in the first European Cup Final (1956)

15. The first FA Cup Final goal (1872)

16. Carli Lloyd completes a World Cup Final hat-trick from the halfway line (2015)

17. The first goal scored in the Champions League (1992)

18. Helmut Rahn equalises for West Germany in the Miracle of Bern (1954)

19. Lucien Laurent scores the first World Cup goal (1930)

20. Michelle Akers opens the scoring in the first Women’s World Cup Final (1991)

21. Roberto Carlos’s banana goal (1997)

22. Mario Balotelli asks, ‘Why Always Me?’ (2011)

23. Johan Cruyff turns the footballing world inside out (1974)

24. Just Fontaine’s first of 13 in Sweden (1958)

25. The end of Ronaldo’s final, but not the end for Portugal (2016)

26. Kevin-Prince Boateng takes a stand against racism (2013)

27. David Beckham scores his first US goal (2007)

28. Nigel de Jong kung fu kicks Xabi Alonso (2010)

29. Germany score their fifth in the 7-1 Mineirazo defeat of Brazil (2014)

30. Ada Hegerberg nets her Champions League Final hat-trick (2019)

31. Pelé scores his first of five v Eusébio’s Benfica (1962)

32. Katie Chapman helps make it four in a row for Arsenal (2009)

33. Australia’s 13th in a record-breaking 31-0 win (2001)

34. Ivan Perišić’s handball leads to history-making VAR penalty (2018)

35. Gino Colaussi helps Italy to back-to-back World Cups (1938)

36. Jimmy Simmons opens the scoring in the Khaki Cup Final (1915)

37. Lawrie Sanchez helps the Crazy Gang lift the FA Cup (1988)

38. Joe Gaetjens’s ‘Miracle on Grass’ (1950)

39. The world sees Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’ cross the line (2010)

40. The Valley Parade fire begins in Bradford (1985)

41. Mario David’s ‘worst tackle in history’ (1962)

42. North Korea stun Italy (1966)

43. Gerd Müller’s World Cup winner (1974)

44. Robin van Persie’s flying header (2014)

45. Britain’s first £1m player helps pay back his fee (1979)

Half-Time

46. Steven Gerrard sees red against Manchester United (2015)

47. David Beckham kicks out at Diego Simeone (1998)

48. Eric Cantona is sent off and goes berserk at Crystal Palace (1995)

49. The El Clásico stranglehold on Spanish football is finally broken by Atlético (2014)

50. David Seaman is lobbed by Ronaldinho at the World Cup (2002)

51. ‘A little with the hand of God and a little with the head of Maradona’ (1986)

52. Robert Lewandowski makes it two out of five (2015)

53. Lionel Messi’s 400th goal in La Liga (2019)

54. ‘Hello, hello … here we go’ – The Miracle of Istanbul (2005)

55. Hal Robson-Kanu turns into Johan Cruyff (2016)

56. Gini Wijnaldum equalises in the Miracle of Anfield (2019)

57. Angelos Charisteas shocks Portugal to win the Euros (2004)

58. Michel Platini wins the European Cup which should never have been played (1985)

59. The Copa del Generalísimo begins in Barcelona (1939)

60. Future full time? (2017)

61. Alan Shearer sets a seemingly unbreakable record (2006)

62. Tommy Gemmell equalises in Lisbon (1967)

63. Khalid Boulahrouz sees red in the Battle of Nuremberg (2006)

64. Gareth Bale’s Champions League overhead brilliance (2018)

65. Megan Rapinoe stands tall for women’s football (2019)

66. Welsh hearts broken by 17-year-old Pelé (1958)

67. Redemption for Ronaldo (2002)

68. Falcão equalises for Brazil in Barcelona (1982)

69. Benfica’s final European triumph before the Curse of Béla Guttmann (1962)

70. Sammy Thomson completes English football’s first double (1889)

71. Lars Ricken lobs Dortmund to the Champions League (1997)

72. Luís Figo welcomed back to the Camp Nou with a pig’s head (2002)

73. Bert Trautmann breaks his neck (1956)

74. Hughie Ferguson wins the FA Cup for Cardiff City (1927)

75. José Mourinho self-proclaimed Special One after Champions League victory (2004)

76. Wolves equalise before becoming ‘champions of the world’ (1954)

77. Jürgen Sparwasser’s winner as East meets West (1974)

78. Handball! But was it a Welsh or a Scottish hand? (1977)

79. Alcides Ghiggia scores the winner in Maracanazo (1950)

80. Number eight Jimmy Dunn scores Everton’s third in the FA Cup Final (1933)

81. Alejandro Villanueva scores for Peru at the 1936 Olympics (1936)

82. Robert Ullathorne’s injury ends the Battle of Bramall Lane (2002)

83. Dixie Dean scores 60 in a season (1928)

84. Super-sub David Fairclough makes the Kop go wild (1977)

85. The final Premier League goal before COVID-19 suspends play (2020)

86. Carlos Alberto scores that goal for Brazil (1970)

87. Lionel Messi makes fools of Real Madrid in El Clásico (2011)

88. Hosts South Korea equalise in one of the game’s most controversial matches (2002)

89. An epic comeback for Turkey at Euro 2008 (2008)

90. ‘Dennis Bergkamp! Dennis Bergkamp! Dennis Bergkamp!’ (1998)

When The Clock Passes 90

91. ‘It’s up for grabs now!’ – Michael Thomas’s title winner (1989)

92. Bill Perry wins the Matthews Final (1953)

93. ‘And Solskjær has won it!’ – Manchester United seal the treble (1999)

94. ‘Agüeroooooo’ – Manchester City snatch the title (2012)

95. Oliver Bierhoff’s golden goal wins Euro 96 (1996)

96. Ajax stunned by Lucas Moura’s last-gasp winner (2019)

97. Troy Deeney punishes Anthony Knockaert’s penalty miss (2013)

98. Germany’s golden goal snatches the Women’s World Cup (2003)

99. Bobby Charlton completes United’s remarkable journey back from the brink (1968)

100. Shannon MacMillan’s Olympic golden goal sends USA to the final (1996)

101. Pipo Rodríguez’s winner sparks the Football War (1969)

102. Injuries take their toll in ‘the most brutal game in English football history’ (1970)

103. Thierry Henry’s handball sets it up for William Gallas (2009)

104. Henri Camara wins the ‘best golden goal period ever’ (2002)

105. Traianos Dellas scores football’s only ‘silver goal’ (2004)

106. Roger Milla dances around the corner flag (1990)

107. Blackburn Olympic provides football’s early rebirth (1883)

108. Klaus Fischer equalises for West Germany against France (1982)

109. Substitute Ryan Giggs weaves through the entire Arsenal defence (1999)

110. Zinedine Zidane headbutts his way into retirement (2006)

111. The ‘Game of the Century’ is settled by Gianni Rivera (1970)

112. Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team completes the set (1992)

113. The Soviet Union win the first European Championships (1960)

114. Laurent Blanc’s golden goal puts the Rainbow Team on course for victory (1998)

115. Argentina win the most controversial tournament in history (1978)

116. Andrés Iniesta wins the World Cup for Spain (2010)

117. Homare Sawa equalises for Japan in the World Cup Final (2011)

118. Marcelo helps seal La Décima for Real Madrid (2014)

119. Fabio Grosso’s late strike decides one of football’s greatest ever matches (2006)

120. ‘They think it’s all over… it is now!’ – England win the World Cup (1966)

Penalties

Epilogue

Bibliography

Photos

Dedication

We would like to thank our friends and family

as well as those who have supported The Football

History Boys for the last eight years.

And a special thank you to those who

inspired our love for both sport and history at

school and university:

Mr K. Morgan

Mrs S. Osmolska

Mrs C. Lamrick

(Bishop of Llandaff CiW High School, Cardiff)

Mr T. Wallace

Mrs S. Hall

(Whitchurch High School, Cardiff)

Professor Martin Johnes

(Swansea University).

Introduction

‘The first 90 minutes of a match

are the most important.’

¹

A LOT can happen in 90 minutes. In the past 160 years, key moments from thousands of matches have left remarkable legacies still felt strongly to this day. When football is offered into a conversation, replies will often consist of certain instances which have left a lasting impact on the game. ‘The hand of God’, ‘Zidane’s headbutt’ and ‘Gazza’s tears’ are just a few common responses among football fans around the world. Prior to a match starting, no one could predict these events or the minute they would materialise in, but they have been endlessly dissected and scrutinised almost every day since. Upon their occurrence, in different minutes, it gives further proof to the old notion that every minute in football is as important as the next.

Football stands alone in its present format with most team sports favouring 60- to 80-minute matches. Understandably, most football histories make little reference to the longevity of a single game, but its individuality makes it stand out. Despite being essential to the modern game, football has not always been played over 90 minutes, even since its codification in 1863. The length of a game was not written into the first set of rules adopted after the initial meeting of the Football Association with laws initially focused on alleviating potential disagreements on the pitch. In general, matches were to last longer than an hour however, usually with a break halfway through.

Despite the formation of the FA in 1863, its future was less than certain in the immediate years after. Other codes of the game were just as prevalent during this time. The lack of willingness of many clubs to initially join the association offers a suggestion as to why a definitive duration wasn’t immediately agreed upon. References to the length of a game are difficult to find and our research into newspaper archives led us to the 1860s for the first real mentions of an ‘hour and a half’. Our first such find was in 1865, when Charterhouse met Westminster in which an ‘hour and a half of vigorous play’ was recorded.² Charterhouse had infamously chosen not to join the FA at the Freemason’s Tavern in 1863, preferring a more progressive style of play focused on passing the ball forwards.

Further evidence for a 90-minute game came in 1866 from a match between Sheffield and Nottingham (played under ‘Sheffield rules’). It was recorded as having two halves each consisting of ‘three quarters of an hour’.³ Although seemingly a suitable length of time, it wasn’t definitive. Just a month earlier, the two sides had played for a period double the length.

In 1869, a series of matches between different sides were recorded by The Field with alternative time limits. Although not conclusive whether each were playing ‘association rules’, it reports that Lilliputians and Mr Broughton’s Team played for 75 minutes; Royal Engineers and Ravenscourt Park played for 90 and other matches from the same year were recorded as lasting up to two hours.⁴ It is important to note that many of the early games, particularly among those outside of the FA, offered fluctuating rules (if agreed upon by the opposing sides). Fixtures would often see uneven numbers of players on the respective teams.

The introduction of the FA Cup would be essential to the sport’s agreement on 90 minutes of play. Just weeks before the competition began in November 1871, The Sportsman reported on a match between the Wanderers and Civil Service lasting only an hour.⁵ Although not officially included in the association rules, the inaugural FA Cup season would use 90 minutes as its definitive time limit. The Morning Post wrote that the Football Association was ‘assimilating’ the rules of the popular Rugby Football Union.⁶ Although true to some extent, football’s simplistic nature and relatively few rules were in stark comparison to rugby’s 59 laws. The adoption of 45-minute halves was also seen in the international game when Scotland entertained England in 1872. It seemed for the first time that a definitive duration had been decided.

It is generally agreed that the duration of 90 minutes finally reached a consensus around 1877. The change goes a long way to explaining why the earliest FA Cup Finals have no accurate records of the minutes in which the goals were scored. Relying solely on the post-match newspaper reports and their less than reliable time-keeping, many of the defining fixtures in the game’s infancy were difficult to include in this book. Referees still had the power to change the length of a game, with poor weather or lack of players often leading to early finishes. The most notable use of this rule came in 1879 in the first tie between England and Wales at the Kennington Oval.⁷ Ninety minutes was eventually written into the game’s official rules and confirmed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 1897.⁸

* * *

Football, as the old cliché suggests, is a game of two halves and in this book, we have separated the first 45 from the second. The first half typically sets the tone for the rest of the game and the opening section features a number of significant goals, challenges and bookings. From Nándor Hidegkuti’s first-minute opener in the ‘Match of the Century’ to Trevor Francis’s repayment of his £1m transfer in the 1979 European Cup Final, it has provided incredible passages of play to rival the second period of a match. Upon researching the moments we have chosen to represent these minutes, it has become evidently clear that they reveal stories that go far deeper than just a ball crossing the goal line or a player’s studs being planted into their opponent’s chest.

The second half is generally regarded as football’s most entertaining and pivotal to defining decades of history. The first half, no matter how bad it may have gone for a side, can always be rectified if the team in question has the hunger and togetherness for victory. As the game reaches its often-dramatic climax the tension inside and outside the stadium heightens. This of course leads to the later minutes becoming the most shocking, the most heartbreaking and the most euphoric.

In total, there are 130 different moments covered throughout the book as we couldn’t leave out the incredible drama often found in periods of extra time. Remarkably, the extra 30 minutes needed if a game ends in a draw has been a key element in football since its earliest days. The 1875 FA Cup Final was one of the first to feature an additional period and ever since, its presence has been altered and edited to suit the setting in which it is played. The introduction of the ‘Golden Goal’ was meant to initiate attacking play in the 1990s and remove the fear of losing. Despite leaving some of the sport’s most joyous yet heart-breaking minutes of play, its initial aim was ultimately flawed. Its successor, the ‘Silver Goal’, didn’t last long and yet its single use in a major tournament features later in this book.

Penalty shootouts have arguably provided football’s most dramatic moments. They are a relatively new innovation in the game, only being used since 1970, but the sense of theatre they bring is unrivalled in wider sport. In comparison to other sports, the rarity of a shootout is perhaps what makes it so special. Despite the fact the clock has stopped and the minutes in which a penalty is scored or saved aren’t recorded, it would be foolish to leave them out.

The earliest moment recorded in this list comes from 1872 with the first FA Cup Final goal. Upon its scoring, it brought almost ten years of Football Association uncertainty to a conclusion and set in stone a competition we still play today. The minutes also include an incredibly modern moment, which at the time of its occurrence held little initial relevance but in the subsequent weeks has led to arguably the biggest news story since the end of World War Two. An 85th-minute goal from Leicester’s Harvey Barnes against Aston Villa was indeed the last scored in the Premier League before the suspension of the game due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Matthew Taylor writes that football provides a sanctuary with which we can escape from real life, even if just for 90 minutes.⁹ For the next 90 minutes (plus extra time) we hope you enjoy your journey through the unrivalled history of football as much as we have enjoyed writing about it.

1

Nándor Hidegkuti opens the scoring at Wembley (1953)

‘KEEP IT tight early on, give nothing silly away!’

Often, that is the instruction given by managers at the start of football matches across the world. However, on 23 November 1953, Hungary had no such plans to keep it tight as within the first minute they took the lead at Wembley Stadium versus their hosts, England. The game that would take place is commonly labelled the ‘Match of the Century’ – a fixture which is etched into football history.

Hungary came to Wembley as reigning Olympic gold medallists and on an unbeaten run of 24 matches. England, though, had never lost on home soil to a side from outside the British Isles. This would be a fascinating clash, but as over 105,000 fans packed into the national stadium there was no genuine belief they were about to witness a shock.

Hungary’s XI contained the likes of Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor and they were led by their innovative coach Gusztáv Sebes. England would line up in their usual WM formation, while Hungary’s inventive 2-3-3-2 formation (played like a 4-2-4), would allow for József Bozsik, ‘one of the finest playmakers in European soccer history’,¹⁰ to pull the strings creatively alongside deep-lying centre-forward Nándor Hidegkuti. This allowed goal machines Puskás and Kocsis the opportunity to relentlessly attack the opposing defence, as England were about to find out.

England’s side, featuring some all-time greats like Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen and Alf Ramsey, were overwhelmed in the first minute. Hidegkuti found space in the inside-right channel and blasted a shot past goalkeeper Gil Merrick. Despite Jackie Sewell levelling for England in the 13th minute, just seven minutes later Hidegkuti had a second. Puskás got in on the act with a brace of his own, the first a glorious drag-back. Puskás, on the right side of the six-yard box, saw England captain Billy Wright ready to come flying in to make a tackle. Dragging the ball back with his heel, Wright was sent sliding away as the Galloping Major smashed the ball home. Puskás described the ‘instinctive’ move as ‘my favourite goal of all time’¹¹ – and he had a lot to choose from.

Despite Mortensen pulling England back to 4-2 behind at the interval, Hungary continued the rout in the second half. Bozsik added a fifth before Hidegkuti completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute. Ramsey’s penalty notched a third for England but when the final whistle blew, the score read England 3 Hungary 6. The thumping was resounding, and the Daily Mirror waxed lyrical about the Hungarians in its match report the next day, crediting them as ‘masters of the ball, of position, of movement’.¹²

England wanted revenge so in May 1954 they would travel to Hungary to right the wrongs of Wembley. Puskás (who scored 84 international goals in 85 appearances), Kocsis (75 in 68) and Hidegkuti (39 in 69) once more tore England apart. The Hungarians decimated England again, this time 7-1, and centre-half Syd Owen described the experience as ‘like playing people from outer space’.¹³

England, the self-proclaimed creators of the beautiful game, had been destroyed at home and away by the Mighty, Magical Magyars. Along with their 1950 World Cup humiliation (Minute 38), the 1950s provided a wake-up call to the British nations. They were, in fact, not as good as they thought they were.

2

Dennis Viollet puts Manchester United ahead in Belgrade (1958)

WHEN INSIDE-FORWARD Dennis Viollet netted in the second minute, little did he and all the watching spectators know that this goal would not be remembered for what it should be – a vital European Cup quarter-final second leg strike. Violett was part of the famous Busby Babes, the legendary Manchester United side led by manager Matt Busby, brought together by scout Joe Armstrong and trained by assistant manager Jimmy Murphy. The day after this European clash, the majority of this side would be killed in the terrible Munich air disaster.

The Busby Babes were reigning English First Division champions, having won the title in 1955/56 and defended their crown in 1956/57. A European Cup was the ultimate goal for the side with an average age of just 21 years old. Their 1957/58 run had seen them dismantle Irish team Shamrock Rovers, before comfortably dispatching Czechoslovakia’s Dukla Prague. This set up a tie with Red Star Belgrade of Yugoslavia in January and February of 1958.

United had a 2-1 lead to take to Belgrade from the home leg at Old Trafford. Avoiding defeat on the night (5 February) would set up a potential semi-final clash with AC Milan. Viollet’s opener was added to by a brace from Bobby Charlton in a fine United first-half performance. This meant even a second-half treble from Red Star was not enough to overturn the 5-4 aggregate scoreline. The Busby Babes were into the semi-final.

Following the game, United’s journey home involved a refuelling stop at Munich-Riem airport in West Germany. The snowy weather had seen their British Airways plane abandon two take-off attempts, but the pilot insisted on one more try before giving in and having to stay the night. Flight 609 once more failed to take to the air, this time with tragic consequences. The plane skidded on the icy slush of the runway and hit a fence then a house. The destruction was enormous, with 23 of 38 passengers losing their lives.

Matt Busby’s dream team was torn apart as Geoff Bent (25), Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Duncan Edwards (21), Mark Jones (24), David Pegg (22), Tommy Taylor (26) and Billy Whelan (22) all died. Two others would never play the game again (Jackie Blanchflower, 24, and Johnny Berry, 31). Additionally three club staff, eight journalists and two other passengers succumbed to their injuries in Munich.¹⁴ The side that promised so much would have to be ‘virtually rebuilt’.¹⁵

Unbelievably, chairman Harold Hardman vowed to finish the 1957/58 campaign. He defiantly promised, ‘We carry on. Even if it means being heavily defeated, we shall fulfil the season’s programme. We have a duty to the public and a duty to football to carry out.’¹⁶ Hardman fulfilled his proclamation, United playing again as early as 13 days after Munich. With a side containing two survivors (Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes) and the rest made up of youth and reserve players, a 3-0 win showed extraordinary resilience in the midst of grief.

Matt Busby remained at the helm of United until 1969, significantly achieving his goal ten years on from Munich. In May 1968, Manchester United finally lifted the European Cup, this time at Wembley as they defeated Portuguese side Benfica 4-1 (Minute 99). Redemption was complete, but the Munich air disaster is a moment that shall never be forgotten.

3

Gaztelu help brings Basque back to life (1976)

THE BASQUE derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao is perhaps not the most glamorous tie in the beautiful game. However, on 5 December 1976, a particular derby day would go down in Basque history. It would not be remembered for Sociedad’s thumping 5-0 victory, nor for midfielder Gaztelu’s third-minute strike to give his side the lead. A year after the death of Franco, this derby brought with it the rebirth of cultural identities across Spain.

General Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1 October 1936 until his death on 20 November 1975. Franco ruled as Caudillo, his fascist state closely aligned with Benito Mussolini’s Italy and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Franco’s authoritarian ruling of Spain saw the Catalan and Basque peoples (to name but a few) pushed to the margins and their cultures criminalised. Franco’s politics were based around his people fearing and/or respecting him and the discourse from the dictatorship was that ‘any foreign declarations against Franco were the design of communists or other hostile politicians’.¹⁷

Barcelona’s Camp Nou became a safe haven for those seeking to speak Catalan whereas the Basque football clubs of Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad quietly (but with defiance) represented their culture. After decades of repression, Franco’s death in 1975 offered the opportunity for a new Spain, triggering a resurgence in Spanish provincial identity.

In the derbies following El Caudillo’s death, Athletic Bilbao recorded a 2-0 home win thanks to Dani and Javier Irureta, while a superb Ricardo Muruzábal hat-trick at Sociedad’s Atocha Stadium gave the home side a 3-2 win. In December 1976 though, the derby would take a political turn as ‘ardent Basque nationalist’ yet Sociedad bit-part player,¹⁸ Josean de la Hoz Uranga, came up with the idea of parading the banned Ikurriña flag around the pitch before the winter derby.

The flag had been hidden inside Uranga’s kitbag. Uranga was lucky to avoid detection from the regular searches players were subject to and a possible prison sentence