Three Sent Off In World Cup Games

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31120, 25 July 1966, Page 3

Three Sent Off In World Cup Games

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) LONDON. Stormy scenes marred the quarter-finals of the World Cup soccer championship on Saturday and resulted in three players being sent off.

Two Uruguayans were sent off against West Germany, and when Argentina’s captain, A. Rattin, was sent off against England at Wembley, the whole Argentina team followed him in protest, causing a heated hold-up of seven minutes.

At Liverpool, Portugal’s great inside-forward, Eusebio, scored four goals after little North Korea had led the favourites, 3-0. And at Sunderland the ball burst during a quiet and gentlemanly match between Russia and Hungary. The outcome of the afternoon’s exciting and dramatic events produced the following results:

England beat Argentina, 1-0; Portugal beat North Korea, 5-3; West Germany beat Uruguay, 40; Russia beat Hungary, 2-1.

In the semi-finals, West Germany will play Russia at Liverpool today, and England will meet Portugal at Wembley tomorrow. Argued With Referee Some of the most fantastic scenes seen on an English football field came with the sending off of Rattin at Wembley. The astonishing incident blew up when the West German referee, Mr R. Kretlein, who had previously taken note of rough play by Rattin, pointed to the dressing room.

The South Americans refused to accept the decision. Some of them argued furiously with the referee, and also with Mr K. Aston, the head of the F.I.F.A. referees’ delegation, and Mr H. Cavan, of Northern Ireland, the F. 1.F.A. official observer for the match. While the crowd of 88,000 whistled, booed and stamped, England’s players waited. Eventually play restarted with Rattin sitting on the red carpet leading to the Royal Box. Two police inspectors were beside him. Then, he dejectedly walked to the dressing room. Rattin is the first World Cup player ever to be sent off “for ungentlemanly conduct”: it was for arguing with the referee that he got his marching orders. Had Been Warned At the week-end, the F. 1.F.A. disciplinary committee had warned the whole Argentina team because of stormy incidents during the match a week ago with West Germany, in which another Argentinian, J. Albrecht, was sent off. Reduced to 10 men, Argentina tried to hold the England forwards, but G. Hurst headed a goal in the seventyseventh minute to put England into the semi-finals for the first time in history. At Sheffield, the two Uruguayans were ordered off in a torrid five-minute second half spell. After a promising start, in which the Uruguayans abandoned their usual tight defensive tactics and came near to scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes, play degenerated into a scrappy match, with foul following foul. Uruguay Offender

Uruguay, world cup champions in 1930 and 1950, was the main offender, and first H. Troche, its captain, was sent off by the English referee, Mr J. Finney, in the fiftieth minute, and H. Silva

followed him out of the game five minutes later.

S. Held opened the scoring for West Germany with a goal after 11 minutes, and against nine opponents, F. Beckenbauer, U. Seeler and H. Haller added second-half goals. The genius of Eusebio, Europe’s “Footballer of the Year,” carried Portugal into the semi-finals for the first time.

After the North Koreans had threatened the biggest World Cup upset of all time by snatching a three-goal lead after 24 minutes, Eusebio scored four goals, two from penalties, and played a vital part in the fifth goal by J. Augusto.

Eusebio, now with seven goals in the competition, seems like walking away with the £lOOO prize for highest scorer.

In the quietest match of the four, the Russians also won through to the last four for the first time by eliminating the fancied Hungarians, conquerors of Brazil in the group competition. The only incident came when the ball burst when it landed on a nail in the stand.