1966
In 1966 the World Cup
came to England the first time. In the early
rounds there were some shock results. North Korea
beat Italy and became the first Asian country to
reach the Quarter Finals. (In 2002 their
neighbours South Korea went one step further and
reached the Semi Final.)
In the opening game, Brazil beat Bulgaria 2-0. Against Hungary they lost 3-1. Pelé received some very rough treatment. For the second successive tournament he ended his World Cup early.
Eusebio
Portugal were the best team of the early rounds.
Benfica star, Eusebio, played brilliantly. In the
quarterfinal Portugal played the surprise team of the
tournament, North Korea. For short highlights of
this incredible game (with English commentary)
go here
Europe v South America
Two of the quarterfinals
were between European and South American countries:
Uruguay v West Germany and England v Argentina
Both games were very bad-tempered. Uruguay had two
players sent off and lost 4-0 to West Germany. But it
was the England/Argentina
game that was one of the most
controversial in World Cup history. It started a
rivalry that continues until this day.