Battle of Berne
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Berne is used to refer to a quarter-final match at the 1954 World Cup between Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

 and 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...

, played on June 27, 1954 at the Wankdorf Stadium
Wankdorf Stadium
The Wankdorf Stadium was a football stadium in the Wankdorf quarter of Bern, Switzerland, and the former home of Swiss club BSC Young Boys. It was built in 1925, and as well as serving as a club stadium, it hosted several important matches, including the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1961...

 in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

 and 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...

 were two of the highest scoring teams at the 1954 World Cup. However, what could have been an outstanding match between the two sides degenerated into an ill tempered contest on the field, during which English referee Arthur Ellis
Arthur Edward Ellis
Arthur Edward Ellis was an English football referee.Ellis was a referee in The Football Association competitions and in FIFA international competitions...

 sent off three players for violent conduct and fighting. The fighting between the teams continued in the dressing rooms after the game.

Background

Brazil had a reputation for attractive and attacking football. In their group games, they beat Mexico 5-0, and drew the other 1-1 with Yugoslavia after extra time. Yugoslavia had beaten France 1-0 in their other group game, which meant that both Brazil and Yugoslavia were equal on points in their group. Goal difference was not used to decide who finished top of the group; instead, lots were drawn, with Brazil being elected group winners.

Hungary had revolutionised football tactics and coaching in Europe. Their fluid and open style of play - an early form of total football
Total Football
"Total Football" is the label given to an influential tactical theory of association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax from 1969 to 1973, and further used by the Netherlands National Football...

 - meant that they were unbeaten for the previous 4 years. Hungary were clear winners of their group, winning both of their group games - they beat South Korea 9-0, and West Germany 8-3.

Brazil had scored 6 goals in two group games, and Hungary had scored 17. The quarter final game between two openly attacking and stylish teams promised much.

The match

The match was played in driving rain, producing slippery conditions and a hard to control ball.

Hungary took the lead in the third minute, with Nándor Hidegkuti
Nándor Hidegkuti
Nándor Hidegkuti was a Hungarian football player and manager. He played as a forward or attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a member of the Hungarian National Team team known as the Golden Team...

 scoring. Four minutes later, Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars...

 made it 2-0 to Hungary. Brazil was awarded a penalty; Djalma Santos
Djalma Santos
Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos known simply as Djalma Santos is a former Brazilian footballer who started for the Brazil national team in four World Cups, winning two, in 1958 and 1962. Santos is considered to be one of the greatest right-backs of all time...

 scored to make it 2–1 at half time.

In the second half, Hungary was awarded a penalty; Mihály Lantos
Mihály Lantos
Mihály Lantos , also known as Lantos Mihály or Mihály Lendenmayer, was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He played as a defender, spending the majority of his career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a member of the Hungary team known as the Mighty Magyars...

 scored to make the score 3-1. The penalty award was the cue for a pitch invasion by Brazilian journalists and officials, who had to be ushered off by police. The game then degenerated into a series of increasingly violent fouls and cynical tactics, with Brazilian forward Julinho somehow scoring to bring the score to 3-2. After this, József Bozsik
József Bozsik
József Bozsik was a Hungarian footballer. He represented Hungary in various international tournaments, and is a member of the Mighty Magyars.-Biography:...

 was fouled by Nilton Santos
Nílton Santos
Nílton Reis dos Santos is a Brazilian former association footballer who played defender. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was a pioneering left back, being one of first full backs to participate in the offensive game....

; the two men started fighting, and both were sent off. Hungary scored a fourth goal via Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars...

 to make the score 4-2 to Hungary. The last moments of the game was little more than a running battle between the two teams; Brazilian forward Humberto Tozzi
Humberto Tozzi
Humberto Barbosa Tozzi was a Brazilian international footballer who played for São Cristóvão, Palmeiras, Lazio and Fluminense. Tozzi represented Brazil at the 1954 FIFA World Cup.-External links:* *...

 kicked Hungary's Gyula Lorant
Gyula Lóránt
Gyula Lóránt , also referred to as Gyula Lipovics or Lóránt Gyula, was a Hungarian football player and manager...

 prior to the final whistle and was sent off.

In total, 42 free kicks and 2 penalties were awarded, with 4 cautions and 3 dismissals issued.

The ill-temper continued after the game, with the Brazilian players invading the Hungarian dressing room and continuing the on-pitch fighting. Despite evidence from independent witnesses of violent conduct from both sides, football's governing body FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 did nothing, leaving discipline to the respective countries.

Post-match commentary

The game's English referee Arthur Ellis
Arthur Edward Ellis
Arthur Edward Ellis was an English football referee.Ellis was a referee in The Football Association competitions and in FIFA international competitions...

 commented: "I thought it was going to be the greatest game I'd ever see. I was on top of the world. Whether politics and religion had something to do with it I don't know, but they behaved like animals. It was a disgrace. It was a horrible match. In today's climate so many players would have been sent off the game would have been abandoned. My only thought was that I was determined to finish it."

The Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...

 newspaper correspondent on 28th June 1954 drew a similar conclusion; "Never in my life have I seen such cruel tackling, the cutting down of opponents as if with a scythe, followed by threatening attitudes and sly jabs when officialdom was engaged elsewhere.".

"This was a battle; a brutal, savage match," recalled Hungary manager Gustav Sebes, who received four stitches in a facial wound during the fighting. "At the end we had won 4-2 but it wasn't over yet. Brazilian photographers and fans flooded on to the pitch and police were called to clear it. Players clashed in the tunnel and a small war broke out in the corridor to the dressing rooms - everyone was having a go; fans, players and officials."

The Battle of Berne's status in International Football's highest rated matches

The "Battle of Berne" in theoretical abstract terms, was one of the highest ranked contests of the 20th century according to the Elo rating system
World Football Elo Ratings
The World Football Elo Ratings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football. The method used to rank teams is based upon the Elo rating system method but modified to take various football-specific variables into account...

 in men's senior international competition.
RankCombined
points
Nation 1Elo 1Nation 2 Elo 2ScoreDateOccasionLocation
1 4211 2100 2111 0 : 1 2010-07-11 World Cup F
2010 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, to determine the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 with a goal from Andrés Iniesta four minutes from the end of extra time...

Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

2 4161 1995 2166 3 : 2 1954-07-04 World Cup F
1954 FIFA World Cup Final
- External links :* - fifa.com, FIFA, 2002.*...

  Bern
3 4157 2050 2107 2 : 1 2010-07-02 World Cup QF Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

4 4148 2068 2080 0 : 1 1973-06-16 Friendly   Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

5 4129 2085 2044 1 : 0 2010-07-07 World Cup SF Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

6 4119 2050 2069 1 : 0 1982-03-21 Friendly   Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

7 4118 2108 2010 4 : 2 1954-06-27 World Cup QF   Bern
8 4116 2141 1975 4 : 2 1954-06-30 World Cup SF   Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...

9 4113 2079 2034 2 : 1 1974-07-07 World Cup F
1974 FIFA World Cup Final
-References:...

  Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

10 4108 1715 1993 1 : 1 1977-06-12 Friendly   Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...


Match details

EWLINE|
 
HUNGARY:
GK 1 Gyula Grosics
Gyula Grosics
Gyula Grosics is a Hungarian former football goalkeeper who played 86 times for the Hungarian national football team and was part of the legendary Golden Team of the 1950s. He was nicknamed the Black Panther ....

DF 2 Jenő Buzánszky
Jeno Buzánszky
Jenő Buzánszky is a former Hungarian footballer and coach. Buzánszky played as a right back for Hungary. During the 1950s he was a member of the legendary Hungarian national team known as the Mighty Magyars. Other members of the team included Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József...

MF 3 Gyula Lóránt
Gyula Lóránt
Gyula Lóránt , also referred to as Gyula Lipovics or Lóránt Gyula, was a Hungarian football player and manager...

DF 4 Mihály Lantos
Mihály Lantos
Mihály Lantos , also known as Lantos Mihály or Mihály Lendenmayer, was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He played as a defender, spending the majority of his career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a member of the Hungary team known as the Mighty Magyars...

DF 5 József Bozsik
József Bozsik
József Bozsik was a Hungarian footballer. He represented Hungary in various international tournaments, and is a member of the Mighty Magyars.-Biography:...

 
MF 6 József Zakariás
József Zakariás
József Zakariás , also known as Zakariás József was a Hungarian footballer and manager. During the 1950s he was a member of the legendary Hungary team known as the Mighty Magyars...

FW 7 József Tóth
József Tóth (footballer born 1929)
József Tóth, also Hungarian Tóth József and in line-ups as Tóth II , was a Hungarian footballer, position forward, who played in the 1954 FIFA World Cup....

FW 8 Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars...

FW 9 Nándor Hidegkuti
Nándor Hidegkuti
Nándor Hidegkuti was a Hungarian football player and manager. He played as a forward or attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a member of the Hungarian National Team team known as the Golden Team...

FW 11 Zoltán Czibor
Zoltán Czibor
Zoltán Czibor Suhai , also referred to as Czibor Zoltán, was a Hungarian footballer who played for several Hungarian clubs, including Ferencváros TC and Honvéd, and Hungary before joining CF Barcelona. Czibor played as a left-winger or striker and was notable for having a powerful shot, good...

FW 20 Mihály Tóth
Manager:
  Gusztáv Sebes
Gusztáv Sebes
Gusztáv Sebes was a Hungarian footballer and coach. With the title of Deputy Minister of Sport, he coached the Hungarian team known as the Mighty Magyars in the 1950s. Among the players in the team were Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik, and Nándor Hidegkuti...

EWLINE|
 
BRAZIL:
GK 1 Castilho
Carlos José Castilho
Carlos José Castilho was a Brazilian football goalkeeper. He played for Fluminense from 1947 to 1964 and for Brazil. He was a member of the Brazil squad in four World Cups: 1950, 1954, 1958 and 1962, but he only actually played three games, all of them in the 1954 finals...

DF 2 Djalma Santos
Djalma Santos
Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos known simply as Djalma Santos is a former Brazilian footballer who started for the Brazil national team in four World Cups, winning two, in 1958 and 1962. Santos is considered to be one of the greatest right-backs of all time...

DF 3 Nílton Santos
Nílton Santos
Nílton Reis dos Santos is a Brazilian former association footballer who played defender. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was a pioneering left back, being one of first full backs to participate in the offensive game....

 
DF 4 Brandãozinho
Brandãozinho
Antenor Lucas, better known as Brandãozinho was a Brazilian football defender....

MF 5 Pinheiro
João Carlos Batista Pinheiro
João Carlos Batista Pinheiro, Pinheiro , was a Brazilian footballer who achieved notoriety playing for Fluminense and the Brazilian national football team...

MF 6 Bauer
José Carlos Bauer
José Carlos Bauer, commonly known as Bauer was a former Brazilian football player and manager. Born in São Paulo, he was the son of a Swiss man and an Afro-Brazilian woman....

FW 7 Julinho
Júlio Botelho
Júlio Botelho, also known as Julinho was a Brazilian football player....

FW 8 Didi
Valdir Pereira
Waldyr Pereira , nicknamed Didi , was a Brazilian footballer who played midfielder. He played in three World Cups: 1954, 1958, and 1962, winning the latter two. He is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders in the sport renowned for his range of passing, stamina and flawless technique...

FW 9 Baltazar
FW 17 Maurinho
Mauro Raphael
Mauro Raphael is a former Brazilian football player. He has played for Brazil national team.-References:...

FW 18 Humberto
Humberto Tozzi
Humberto Barbosa Tozzi was a Brazilian international footballer who played for São Cristóvão, Palmeiras, Lazio and Fluminense. Tozzi represented Brazil at the 1954 FIFA World Cup.-External links:* *...

 
Manager:
  Zezé Moreira
Zezé Moreira
Alfredo Moreira Júnior, usually known as Zezé Moreira was a Brazilian footballer and football manager that coached Brazil for some games in 1952. He was born in Miracema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was brother of Aymoré Moreira and Ayrton Moreira, both of them also successful coaches in the...


Assistant referees:

  William Ling
William Ling (referee)
William Ling was an English football referee from Stapleford, Cambridgeshire, who refereed the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final.-1948 Olympic Games:Ling rose quickly through the ranks as a referee...



  Raymon Wyssling

See also

  • Battle of Bordeaux
    Battle of Bordeaux (football)
    The Battle of Bordeaux is an informal name for the World Cup football match between Brazil and Czechoslovakia on June 12, 1938 in the Parc Lescure in Bordeaux, France, one of the quarter-finals of the 1938 World Cup finals...

  • Battle of Bramall Lane
    Battle of Bramall Lane
    The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002...

  • Battle of Nuremberg
    Battle of Nuremberg
    The Battle of Nuremberg is the nickname of a football match played in Round 2 of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Portugal and the Netherlands at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg on 25 June 2006...

  • Battle of Santiago
    Battle of Santiago
    The Battle of Santiago is the name given to a particularly unsavoury and infamous football match during the 1962 FIFA World Cup. It was a game played between hosts Chile and Italy on June 2, 1962 in Santiago...


External links

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