Soccer Nostalgia: World Cup Stories-Part 2 (The Second World Cup 1934)-part g

V. Final: June 10^th, 1934

Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1

-Italy and Czechoslovakia faced one another for the Final of the World Cup at Rome’s Stadio Nazionale del P.N.F. ( Partito Nazionale Fascista).

-There was a gap of one whole week between the semifinals and the Final.

-This was the second time that a host Nation had acceded to the Final. It was also the first ever all-European Final.

Czechoslovakia was the first non-Latin Nation to reach a World Cup Final.

-Benito Mussolini was in the stands with other Fascist dignitaries.

-The Italians for the first time presented an unchanged side from the previous match.

For the Czechs, Ladislav Ženišek was back in and Jaroslav Burgr was out.

-This was the first and thus far, the only World Cup Final captained by the respective goalkeepers: Giampiero Combi and Frantisek Planicka.

Photo From: Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1934 Italien, Author Hardy Grune

(Team captains Giampiero Combi and Frantisek Planicka and Match Referee Ivan Eklind, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-The match was covered by 277 Journalists from 29 Nations.

-Even though the Austrians had protested against Swedish Referee Ivan Eklind, he was nevertheless selected by the Organizing Committee (one can draw their own conclusions, as to why).

At the age of 28, Eklind became and still is the youngest Referee in a World Cup Final.

-Before the start of the match, Ivan Eklind and the linesmen Louis Baert (Belgium) and Mihaly Ivanicsics (Hungary) saluted Mussolini in the stands with the fascist salute.

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Aerial view, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Match Referees giving the fascist salute, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-The day before the Final, FIFA Officials and Referees had been invited to dinner with Mussolini and some have claimed that Mussolini had been chatting with Eklind.

-Apparently Mussolini had subtly threatened his own players, by sending them a message that said "Win or Die".

The day before the Final he also met the Italian squad and told them "If the Czechs are correct, we will be correct. But if they want to win us overpowered, Italy should not give a hitter and Adversary to fall ... Good luck, and not to forget my promise: ‘Crash’ (sign of motioning his finger on his neck)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Benito Mussolini at the Final, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Italy squad, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Czechoslovakia squad, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: El Grafico, Libro De Seleccion-La Historia De Argentina En Los Mundiales-De Uruguay 30 A Corea-Japon 2002

(Italy squad, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-In the 10^th minute, Nejedly was one on one with only Combi to beat but Eklind waved offside.

-In the 15th minute, Krcil was injured by Guaita after a brutal foul. Krcil remained on the field, but was below par for the rest of the match.

Until the 30th minute the Czechs mostly dominated.

Shortly before half-time, Monti jumped with both legs on Svoboda. Eklind only gave a free kick not even a warning to Monti.

Photo From: Mondial, New Series, Hors Serie 14, 1982, La Glorieuse Epopee De la Coupe Du Monde

(June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(The Two team managers, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Azzurri, Storia della Nazionale di calcio tre volte campioni del Mondo, 1910-1983

(June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-In the second half, Puc broke through the Italian defense and was violently fouled by Monzeglio. Eklind waved play on as Puc was rolling on the ground. Puc had to leave the field for seven minutes.

Afterwards Meazza fouled Krcil and was warned by Eklind.

In another incident, Puc was prevented from taking a shot by Allemnadi who pushed him out of the penalty area and fouled him. Eklind just calls the foul without warning any player.

-In the 71^st minute, Czechoslovakia took the lead. Antonin Puc received a pass from Sobotka (or Nejedly) on the left side and struck a shot to Combi’s right corner into the net.

Photo From: History of the World Cup, Author Michael Archer

(Giampiero Combi after Puc’s goal, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Azzurri, Storia della Nazionale di calcio tre volte campioni del Mondo, 1910-1983

(Giampiero Combi after Puc’s goal, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

At this point Pozzo decided on a tactical switch. He noticed that Schiavio was tired. Pozzo made Schiavio switch positions with Guaita.

After Czechoslovakia scored, some Italians fans grabbed a Czech player’s hair through the wire netting, soldiers had to intervene.

Svoboda (or Sobotka according to other sources) hit the post some time later.

In the 81^st minute, Orsi took a pass from Guaita (some sources say Ferrari), he feinted to shoot with left foot, instead shot with his right foot and the ball curled and dipped over Planicka.

The Czechs complained as there may have been a possible handball by Ferrari (or Guaita) in the action leading up to the goal.

Some other sources believe the Czechs complaint was about an earlier foul on Ladislav Ženišek by Meazza.

On the following day, Orsi tried to repeat the same feat 20 times with an empty goal for journalists but failed to replicate it.

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1934 Italien, Author Hardy Grune

(June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: History of the World Cup, Author Michael Archer

(The Italians prior to Overtime, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(Czechoslovakia players before overtime, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-The Match went into overtime. It was the first ever World Cup Final to go into overtime as well as being the third match of the 1934 Finals.

The Italians were favored in the overtime, as they appeared fitter.

Meazza had been injured in a previous collision with Krčil and was limping throughout the overtime. As a result the Czechs took their attention off of him.

In the 95^th minute, Italy took the lead. Čtyřoký was unable to clear a ball, Meazza passed to Guaita, who passed to Angelo Schiavio.

Schiavio went past Čtyřoký and struck a shot that Planicka touched but could not stop it.

Photo From: Guerin Sportivo I Mondiali del 1934

(June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Azzurri, Storia della Nazionale di calcio tre volte campioni del Mondo, 1910-1983

(A diagram of Angelo Schiavio’s winning goal, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-At the end of the match, Mussolini presented Giampero Combi with the trophy. He handed the Cup to the Captain Combi and stayed by his side when a group dressed in black fascist shirts gave him another great trophy, with the caption "Coppa del Duce". Combi ended up with a trophy in each hand.

Photo From: The World Cup 1930-1990, Author Jack Rollin

(Italian players celebrating, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

Photo From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 99, April 1997

(Italian players celebrating, June 10, 1934, World Cup, Italy 2-Czechoslovakia 1)

-The takeaway from this match was that Italy wrote its name in the History of the game with its first World Cup.

The role of Referee Ivan Eklind would also be questioned until today. The Czechs certainly complained that Eklind did not give a bad call for the Italians throughout the match.

The Refereeing in the matches concerning Italy would always remain a talking point concerning this World Cup. Even if not willingly complicit, referees were certainly under enormous pressure from the host Nation at such a hostile time in history (politically speaking).

Vittorio Pozzo became the first European World Cup winning Manager.

The German Magazine Kicker were critical of the Italy’s cynical play, they wrote "brutality Triumphed" and "Monti and some other Italians simply do not belong on the field, and what happened on the lawn had nothing to do with Fussbal1 and Sport."