Most noteworthy of his work was covering the Match of the Century on 25 November 1953, wherein the 'Magnificent Magyars' (Hungary) rammed England by 6-3 scoreline under the heading "A New Conception of Football". It was England's first defeat at Wembley, and the inventors of football were described by him as "strangers in a strange world." New Conception referred to the middle ground between "the hard hitting, open" British method and the "more subtle, probing infiltration" of the continental game.
The best goal of the game was scored by Ferenc Puskas; having received the ball from Czibor on the right near the six-yard box when the England captain Billy Wright went towards him for the tackle, Puskas drew the ball back as Wright charged past "like a fire engine going to the wrong fire" leaving the Hungarian captain free to score from his powerful left-foot.
Many football historians in England believe that it was this defeat that made English football thinking again, and the seeds of 1966 World Cup victory were sown. "English football can be proud of its past. But it must awake to a new future". The venerable Times offers this match-report on their site as part of its dedication to the game and for fans worldwide.
Read more about this topic: Geoffrey Green
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