England 1966

Bobby Moore raises the World Cup trophy after England defeated Germany 4-2 in the final before 98,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London. PHOTO: DAILY STAR ARCHIVE

Finally it was England's turn to host the World Cup -- 16 years after taking part for the first time. Coach Alf Ramsey had a great generation of players in their prime age at his disposal; Banks, Moore, the Charltons, Greaves, Hurst and Hunt. Quarterfinalists in Chile 1962, Ramsay was confident his team would do better on home soil and boldly predicted his men would win the trophy.
Ramsey was on the way to making revolutionary changes to his team as evidenced by his tactical foresight. After some poor results in friendlies, on a freezing December night in Madrid, Ramsey sent out a team with no wingers. The 2-0 result to England was a lucky one for Spain and it was the first time that the term 'wingless wonders' wasn't used in derision by Spanish coach Jose Villalonga.
The World Cup in England was the first to have a mascot -- Willie the Lion -- but it was the dog Pickles who became the hero, after finding the Jules Rimet trophy in a garden, stolen four months before the tournament was scheduled to start. Indeed, the World Cup in England stood out due to a string of unexpected results.
For instance, two-time World Cup winners Brazil and Italy did not get through the first round. The Italians were beaten by North Korea and upon arriving home, were pelted by tomatoes thrown by angry supporters. Despite having Pele and Garrincha in their team, the Brazilians did not manage to perform as they did in previous World Cups and also went home early, after being steamrolled by Eusebio's Portugal.
The hosts were up against the Portuguese in the semifinal. Manchester United star Bobby Charlton scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Portugal. Eusebio scored on a late penalty -- it was England's first goal conceded in the finals. West Germany beat the Soviets 2-1 in the other semifinal. Beckenbauer scored a wonderful goal from long range past Yashin who seemed to misjudge the ball's direction. Yashin would have to pick out two more balls from his net in the consolation final against Portugal. Eusebio scored his ninth goal of the finals which made him top-scorer -- three more than West Germany's Haller -- and also secured his country bronze medals.
The final saw Alf Ramsey's prediction come true. His team triumphed at Wembley. Geoff Hurst scored the first (and only so far) hattrick in a final. His second, the much debated "did the ball cross the line?" and the third in the dying seconds "some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over....It is now!" are both World Cup classics. Of course the match also featured a late German comeback, but Hurst's two goals in extra-time sealed the win for England in a tournament which generally grew in quality and entertainment as it progressed.

 FACTS & FIGURES
Winners: England
Runners-up: West Germany
Leading Scorer: Ferreira Eusebio (POR) -- 9
Teams: 16
Matches: 32
Goals: 89
Attendance: 1,635,000