1939 Poland v Hungary football match
Event | Friendly | ||||||
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Date | 27 August 1939 | ||||||
Venue | Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw | ||||||
Referee | Esko K. Pekonen (Finland) | ||||||
Attendance | 20,000 |
The Last Game, as it is known in Poland, was played on Sunday, 27 August 1939, at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego in Warsaw. It was the last game of the interwar Polish football team before the Second World War. The Poland national football team faced and beat one of the best teams of that period – FIFA World Cup (1938) runners-up, Hungary, four goals to two. This match has generally been forgotten by the Hungarians – for them it was just one of many international friendlies, without any significance. In Poland, however, it is still remembered as the last match before World War II and also because it was a victory over a renowned team – the biggest success in history of Polish football up to that time.
Four days before the match, the
In 1939, the Hungarian football team was widely regarded as one of the best in the world,[2] and hardly anyone in Poland believed that their players in white and red uniforms, their national colours, were going to win over their opponents. This opinion was echoed by the nation's largest sports daily Przegląd Sportowy, which in Saturday's issue exclaimed in large print on the front page, "Without chances, but ready to fight".[3] Poland was to face the Hungarians for the ninth time – up to then, the Poles had never won.[4]
A famous Scotsman
Match details
Poland
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Hungary
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Match rules
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Match summary
At 5 p.m. sharp,
Just 180 seconds later, in the 33rd minute, Dytko passed the ball to Piontek who headed it to Wilimowski. The Polish topscorer ran a few meters and then fired high into the net, above the goalie. Poland continued attacking during the remainder of the half.
In second half, the situation continued, with Polish players attacking and the Hungarians unable to defend their score. In the 64th minute, Jablonski passed the ball to Piontek, who then put Wilimowski into action. 'Ezi' dribbled past two defenders and shot from a close range.
In the 75th minute of the game, Hungarian defender Sándor Bíró touched the ball with his hand in penalty area and conceded the foul. Piatek shot with force and precision, making the score 3–2. Just 60 seconds later – another feat by Wilimowski. The Hungarians were unable to take the ball away from him which resulted in another goal: 4–2, settling the game.
During the last minutes, the Polish side, happy with the result, attempted to defend it and although the Hungarians managed to score a goal, one of their players was in an off-side position and so it was disallowed.
After the match
At the final whistle, the Polish fans were overcome with joy. They had just witnessed the biggest success to date in the history of Polish football. Everybody was in good mood, hoping that political situation would – just like events in the game – get better.[citation needed] The visitors, although unhappy, accepted the defeat with honor, stating that the Poles were a better team.
However, there were people who were predicting catastrophe. Ominous were the words of the director of
The games that never took place
Meanwhile, Polish officials were planning the next games. On Sunday 3 September 1939, in Warsaw, Poland was going to face Bulgaria. Coach Kaluza had already selected players for this match. These were:
- Walter Brom, Ruch Chorzów,
- Edmund Giemsa, Ruch Chorzów,
- Michal Dusik, KPW Poznań,
- Kazimierz Lis, Warta Poznań,
- Wilhelm Piec, Naprzód Lipiny,
- Henryk Mikunda, Ruch Chorzów,
- Aleksander Schreier, Warta Poznań,
- Boleslaw Gendera, Warta Poznań,
- Ewald Cebula, Śląsk Świętochłowice,
- Franciszek Pytel, AKS Chorzów,
- Paweł Cyganek, Fablok Chrzanów.
In reserve stayed:
Then, on Wednesday 6 September 1939, probably in Belgrade, Poland was scheduled to face Yugoslavia. Coach Kaluza decided to send there almost identical team as the one that beat Hungary. There was only one difference – Schreier was going to replace Jaznicki. In reserve were: Brom, Pytel, Bialas and Piec.
On 24 September 1939 two international friendlies were scheduled. Polish first team was going to play Romania in Warsaw, Polish reserve was going to go to Helsinki, to face Finland.
On Friday 1 September 1939
References
Citations
- ^ N.S., 24 August 1939, ¶ "Jaki będzie wynik?".
- ^ N.S., 24 August 1939, ¶ "Na powitanie".
- ^ N.S., 24 August 1939, ¶ "Bez szans…".
- ^ N.S., 24 August 1939, ¶ "Historia 9 meczów…".
- ^ N.S., 24 August 1939, ¶ "Wielki wkład, mały skutek…".
- ^ Przegląd Sportowy, 28 August 1939, p. 2.
Bibliography
- (in Polish) Eugeniusz Bano (August 24, 1939). OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- (in Polish) N.S. (August 24, 1939). Stanisław Rothert (ed.). "Bez szans, ale z wolą walki" [Without chances, but with will to fight]. OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- (in Polish) Stanisław Rothert, ed. (August 28, 1939). "30 minut depresji – godzina przewagi" [30 minutes of depression, an hour of domination]. OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- (in Polish) Stanisław Rothert, ed. (August 28, 1939). "Sędzia Pekonen zdumiony grą Polaków" [Referee Pekonen amazed by Poles' play]. OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- (in Polish) Eugeniusz Bano (August 31, 1939). Stanisław Rothert (ed.). "Zgodna opinia prasy węgierskiej – Polacy musieli wygrać" [Hungarian press agrees the Poles just had to win]. OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- (in Polish) W. (August 31, 1939). Stanisław Rothert (ed.). "Wima zwycięża, ale Krywałt – rewelacją" ["Wima" wins, but Krywałt was truly amazing]. OCLC 680528764. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
See also
- History of football in Poland
- Polish soccer (football) in interwar period
- The first game: December 18, 1921. Hungary–Poland 1-0
- Polish Roster in World Cup Soccer France 1938