66 by Ian Passingham

Author:Ian Passingham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2016-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Wednesday 20 July

Matchday Seven

France v England (Group One)

7.30pm, Wembley, London

West Germany v Spain (Group Two)

7.30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham

Bulgaria v Hungary (Group Three)

7.30pm, Old Trafford, Manchester

Chile v USSR (Group Four)

7.30pm, Roker Park, Sunderland

STILL IN THE HUNT

France 0 England 2 (Hunt 38, 75)

Group One, Wembley, London (att: 98,270)

ALF RAMSEY watched England edge into the last eight and declared: We fear no one.

Two goals from birthday boy Roger Hunt, 28 today, set up a quarter-final date with Argentina at Wembley on Saturday.

The only worries for the England manager are that Jimmy Greaves could miss the game with a gashed leg and that Nobby Stiles faces more scrutiny after he was lucky not to be sent off.

Ramsey said, ‘I see no reason why we should be afraid of anybody now.

‘It will be a good quarter-final against Argentina. I have reports on them and quite obviously they have an excellent defence. This will be difficult to overcome, but I have no fears about the game.’

Ramsey admitted the weight of expectation had stopped England playing with freedom so far.

He said, ‘I am completely stunned by the amount of pressure we have been under. It is not a fear. I don’t think we are afraid of anything. I most certainly am not afraid of anything.

‘It is just the occasion. Everyone wanting to do well. Wanting to please not only themselves, but their family, their friends, the spectators, the public. They have been subjected to a tremendous amount of pressure. We have all felt this, even myself. I had no idea that the tension and the pressures would be so severe.

‘Looking around at the players before matches, at training sessions, in discussions and what have you, I think that these players haven’t been allowed to play with any freedom at all because of the emotional effects brought about by the tremendous pressures they have been subjected to.’

He added, ‘I did not think our performance was up to the standard of the two that went before. We were too casual and, after scoring the first goal, that seemed to sweep through the whole team.’

England, cheered on by a near-full house at Wembley, started like a whirlwind, but repeatedly fell into France’s offside trap.

An easy win looked on the cards as England created several early chances and France were reduced to ten fit men when Roby Herbin was injured.

Goalkeeper Marcel Aubour grabbed the ball at the feet of Hunt after he was set up by Martin Peters and a 30-yarder from Ian Callaghan forced another good save.

Greaves – who hurt his shin in a first-half collision – netted with an acrobatic shot after half an hour, but was flagged offside.

But the breakthrough came after 38 minutes when Hunt finished from close range after Jack Charlton’s downward header came back off the post. England were strangely cautious in the second half and, after Bobby Charlton had an effort disallowed, the fans had to wait until 15 minutes from time for the killer second.

Callaghan, the third winger tried by Ramsey in as many games, crossed and the keeper fumbled Hunt’s header into the net.

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