COUNTDOWN TO Qatar 2022 :Special Focus:Sweden 1958

By Eagle Eye Sports24

In our special chronicle of previous edition of the World Cup beginning from the first edition hosted by South American giant Uruguay in 1930. We tend to continue our series of the history of the World Cup.
In this series we will be analysing the 1958 World Cup hosted by Sweden, titled ‘teenage kicks’.

For the first time in the World Cup finals, there was no outright favorites and no country that a great team was going to emerge. The host (Sweden) had as good a chance as anyone, they recalled Raynor as coach and broke with tradition by picking players with Italian clubs. Liedholm, Skoglund, Hanrin and gustavsson were some of the greatest players of all time.But it was an elderly team (Gren 37, Liedholm 35 Svensson 32) and home support might not be enough.The 1956 revolution, crushed by Moscow deprived Hungary of Puskas, Kozsik were past their post.

The Soviets (now Russia) themselves entering for the first time, were Olympic champions and had the Famous Yashin in goal. West Germany had Rahn and Schafer, a dynamic young center, forward in Seeler and two heavies in Erhardt and Szymaniak, but were still relying on Fritz waller, now 37, as playmaker.Brazil had unsatisfactory European tour in 1956 and their two qualifying games against Peru ended 1-1 and 1-0, but their new 4-4-2 formation was still been bedded down Uruguay were not, beaten 5-0 in Paraguay.

Argentina back at long last had won the 1957 Copa America with some Scintillating football, scoring 25 goals in six matches, but yet again the Italians had swooped taking away their brilliant inside-forward trio of Sivori-Naschoi-Angelilo, all later capped by Italy, it was another virtual reserve team that came to Sweden.

For the first time, all four home countries were there, three of them affected by the Munich air crash which killed so many of the Manchester United squad and cost Scotland their part-time manager, Matt Busby, who was badly injured. The 1958 edition had four groups which comprises teams as: England, USSR, Brazil, Australia (4), Sweden, Mexico, Wales, Hungary (3), France, Paraguay, Scotland, Yuguslavia (2), Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Northern Ireland, West Germany (1).Out of the highlights of the Sweden 1958 edition was that Brazilian born Pele became one of the youngest player to score in a World Cup at the age of 17 years and 239 days. While French-born Just Fontaine became the highest goal scorer in a single tournament with his 13 goals.

Sweden 1958 was the emergence of a football super power, Brazil and the revolution of great new players like Pele of Brazil, Mario Zagalo, Garrincha, Just Fontaine (France). On the 29 June, 1958 Brazil was locked home with host nation Sweden in the final match which Brazil won by 5 goals to 2 with a superior fireworks orchestrated by 17 years old Pele while the third place match saw France defeating West Germany by 6 goals to 3.