1958 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1958 British Home Championship
was a football
tournament played between the British Home Nations
during the 1957–58 season. The competition was marred by the Munich air disaster
on 6 February 1958, when an aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team home from a European Cup
match in Belgrade
crashed at the Munich-Riem airport
on take-off. Eight players and fifteen other people, including an array of senior coaches, officials and sports journalists were killed and another nineteen seriously injured. Three of the dead, Roger Byrne
, Tommy Taylor
and Duncan Edwards
were experienced England
team members while Jackie Blanchflower
, an Ireland
international, was left permanently disabled. Several other international footballers were also injured more or less severely. This tragedy rather subdued the tournament culmination two months later, although the England team did secure a cathartic 4–0 victory in Glasgow
over the Scots
with one of the goals coming from Bobby Charlton
, who had been badly injured in the Munich crash.
The tournament itself was shared by England and Ireland after weak performances by Scotland and Wales
in their games. While Scotland and Ireland played out a 1–1 draw in their opener, England began well, beating the Welsh 4–0 in Cardiff
. The second round of matches however changed the tournament's direction as Ireland beat England in London in a surprising overturn of form. The match was very close, the Irish only winning 3–2, one of the English goals coming from Duncan Edwards. Scotland and Wales meanwhile were both unable to take advantage of England's discomfort, drawing 1–1. Before the final matches, the season was permanently disfigured by the Munich disaster. Wales and Ireland again struggled to a 1–1 draw, denying the Irish a rare undisputed title while England, with a team containing several young and inexperienced players, achieved an impressive 4–0 victory over the Scots in Glasgow to take their share of the tournament.
The competition was also intended to have been a good indicator of form going into the 1958 FIFA World Cup
in Sweden
, which all four Home Nations had reached through separate qualifying groups
. The disaster however made the tournament a poor indicator and so it proved, England and Scotland unable to progress from the group stage, England still suffering from the loss of so many key players. Wales and Ireland progressed from their groups in impressive form but were unable to sustain their momentum, Wales going down to a Pelé
goal in a hard fought match to eventual winners Brazil
, while the Irish lost 4–0 to the France
of Just Fontaine
.
The points system worked as follows:
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British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
was a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament played between the British Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
during the 1957–58 season. The competition was marred by the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
on 6 February 1958, when an aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team home from a European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
crashed at the Munich-Riem airport
Munich-Riem Airport
Munich-Riem Airport was the main, international airport of Munich until it was closed down on 16 May 1992, the day before the new airport near Freising commenced operation. It was located near the old village of Riem in the Munich borough of Trudering-Riem.-History:Construction on the airport...
on take-off. Eight players and fifteen other people, including an array of senior coaches, officials and sports journalists were killed and another nineteen seriously injured. Three of the dead, Roger Byrne
Roger Byrne
Roger William Byrne was an English footballer and captain of Manchester United F.C.. He died at the age of 28 in the Munich air disaster....
, Tommy Taylor
Tommy Taylor
Thomas "Tommy" Taylor was an English footballer, who was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster....
and Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster.Born in Dudley,...
were experienced England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
team members while Jackie Blanchflower
Jackie Blanchflower
John "Jackie" Blanchflower was a Northern Irish football player. He graduated from Manchester United's youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster...
, an Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international, was left permanently disabled. Several other international footballers were also injured more or less severely. This tragedy rather subdued the tournament culmination two months later, although the England team did secure a cathartic 4–0 victory in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
over the Scots
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
with one of the goals coming from Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
, who had been badly injured in the Munich crash.
The tournament itself was shared by England and Ireland after weak performances by Scotland and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in their games. While Scotland and Ireland played out a 1–1 draw in their opener, England began well, beating the Welsh 4–0 in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. The second round of matches however changed the tournament's direction as Ireland beat England in London in a surprising overturn of form. The match was very close, the Irish only winning 3–2, one of the English goals coming from Duncan Edwards. Scotland and Wales meanwhile were both unable to take advantage of England's discomfort, drawing 1–1. Before the final matches, the season was permanently disfigured by the Munich disaster. Wales and Ireland again struggled to a 1–1 draw, denying the Irish a rare undisputed title while England, with a team containing several young and inexperienced players, achieved an impressive 4–0 victory over the Scots in Glasgow to take their share of the tournament.
The competition was also intended to have been a good indicator of form going into the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which all four Home Nations had reached through separate qualifying groups
1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
-UEFA Group 2:--------------------France qualified.-UEFA Group 3:--------------------Hungary qualified.-UEFA Group 4:--------------------Czechoslovakia qualified...
. The disaster however made the tournament a poor indicator and so it proved, England and Scotland unable to progress from the group stage, England still suffering from the loss of so many key players. Wales and Ireland progressed from their groups in impressive form but were unable to sustain their momentum, Wales going down to a Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
goal in a hard fought match to eventual winners Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, while the Irish lost 4–0 to the France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
of Just Fontaine
Just Fontaine
Just "Justo" Fontaine is a former French football player.-Football career:He holds the record for most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup finals tournament, with 13 in 1958...
.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | −4 | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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