Will and Guy’s World Cup Stories – 1950 Winners Uruguay (World Cup 4)
Winners Uruguay
Strange but True
The final stages of the 1950 World Cup tournament was played not as a knockout, but as a series of ‘Round Robin’. As luck would have it the last match featured the two unbeaten teams in Uruguay and the hosts Brazil. The deciding game, which was played in the famous Maracaná stadium, resulted in a shock win Uruguay 2: 1 Brazil. This game was watched by over 200,000 spectators a record that is unlikely to be beaten.
Brazil appeared to score a goal early in the second half. However, the linesman raised his flag, can you imagine it, 200,000 home fans telling him to put down the flag, so fearing for his life he put the flag down. Then came the crucial point the Uruguayan captain Varela spoke with the referee about the offside flag. Although the English referee George Reader stood firm and awarded the goal, the captain had succeeded in rallying his team in the face of a perceived injustice.
From that moment the Uruguayans seized the initiative. They scored not only an equalizer, but a winner. In those days there was no jeering, or booing, instead the 200,000 went silent and remained so until the final whistle.
Phantom WhistlerIn the Sweden versus Ireland game, someone in the crowd blew a whistle. Whereas the Irish stopped, Carl Palmer of Sweden carried on and scored. That the goal was allowed, is a matter of record, however, two separate urban myths have developed. The first myth is that it was an Irishman in the crowd who blew the whistle – probably true. The second is that Palmer was deaf – not true.
Classic Games – Two of the Biggest Upsets – Ever
Uruguay 2: 1 Brazil
USA 1: 0 England
Average goals per game 4.0
Key Player
Ademir (Brazil) 9 Goals
Obdulio Jacinto Varela (Uruguay) Bossed the final and ‘ chatted’ to the ref.
