On 25 November 1953, England's footballers walked out at Wembley confident of victory. Ninety minutes later they had been taught a lesson so complete that English football would spend years trying to recover. Hungary's 6–3 win became known as the "Match of the Century".
Two very different teams
England had never lost at home to a team from outside the British Isles. (The Republic of Ireland had beaten them at Goodison Park in 1949, but many in England did not regard the Irish as "foreign" opponents.) The English game was still built around the rigid WM formation, in which defenders marked opponents according to their positions and shirt numbers.
Hungary were the 1952 Olympic champions and had been unbeaten for years. Coached by Gusztáv Sebes and led by the brilliant forward Ferenc Puskás, the "Mighty Magyars" played a fluid, modern style in which players swapped positions and moved the ball quickly with short passes.
A shock in the first minute
Within about a minute, Nándor Hidegkuti had already scored. Although he wore the number 9 shirt of a centre-forward, he dropped deep into midfield instead of staying up front. England's centre-half did not know whether to follow him or hold his position, and the confusion opened up huge spaces for the Hungarian attackers.
England equalised through Jackie Sewell, but Hungary were soon in control. Puskás scored twice before half-time, including one of the most famous goals ever seen at Wembley: dragging the ball back with the sole of his boot to leave England captain Billy Wright sliding past him, then firing into the net. At half-time it was 4–2.
The final score
Hungary added two more after the break, through József Bozsik and Hidegkuti, who completed his hat-trick. England's goals came from Sewell, Stan Mortensen and an Alf Ramsey penalty. Even the 6–3 scoreline did not fully reflect how dominant Hungary had been.
An even bigger defeat
England hoped to restore some pride in a return match in Budapest in May 1954. Instead Hungary won 7–1 — still the heaviest defeat in the history of the England team.
What England learned
The Wembley defeat forced a rethink. English coaches began to study continental tactics, training methods and fitness. Among the England players on the pitch that day was Alf Ramsey, who twelve years later would lead England to the World Cup with a flexible, modern system that reflected many of the lessons of 1953.
Hungary reached the 1954 World Cup final but lost to West Germany, and they never won the trophy. Yet their "Golden Team" is still remembered as one of the greatest sides ever — and their afternoon at Wembley remains one of the most important matches in English football history.