FIFA World Cup 1966: Portugal and "The Golden Generation and the Brazilians of Europe"!

The team made it to their first World Cup in 1966, and they started well in the group stage when they won surprise victories over Hungary, Bulgaria, and defending champions Brazil. These wins gave the new boys a huge confidence boost, but in the quarter-finals against Korea they were 3-0 down and looked likely to go out of the tournament. Remarkably though, they provided a stunning comeback and took a 5-3 victory. Unfortunately. a match against the hosts – and ultimate winners – of that World Cup, England, resulted in a 2-1 defeat for Portugal and killed their hopes of reaching the final. The match was notable for the particularly high number of bookings. However, the loss of the cup from Portugal’s sights was slightly sweetened by a 2-1 victory against the USSR that sent Portugal into third place. Indeed, the 1966 World Cup was a high point for one of Portugal’s legendary teams, and particularly for national darling, the Mozambican-Portuguese Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, who had been elected European Footballer of the Year in 1965. Eusebio was the top scorer in the World Cup that year, with nine goals.

                                                       13. Juli 1966: Portugal - Hungary
Spectatori: 29.886
Arbitru: Leo Callaghan (Wales)

Portugal: Joaquim Carvalho – João Morais, Alexandre Baptista, Vicente, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória
Hungary: Antal Szentmihályi – Benő Káposzta, Sándor Mátrai, Kálmán Mészöly, Kálmán Sóvári – István Nagy, Ferenc Sipos, Flórián Albert – Ferenc Bene, János Farkas, Gyula Rákosi
Trainer: Lajos Baróti                                                      16. Juli 1966: Portugal - Bulgaria

Spectatori: 25.438
Arbitru: José María Codesal (Uruguay)
Portugal: José Pereira – Alberto Festa, Germano de Figueiredo, Vicente, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória
Bulgaria: Georgi Naidenow – Alexander Schalamanow, Dimitar Penew, Iwan Kolew Wuzow, Boris Gaganelow  – Dobromir Schetschew, Dinko Dermendschiew, Dimitar Jakimow – Petar Schekow, Georgi Asparuchow, Alexandar Kostow
Trainer: Rudolf Vytlačil                                                            

                                                        19. Juli 1966: Portugal - Brazil

Spectatori: 58.479
Arbitru: George McCabe (England)
Portugal: José Pereira – João Morais, Alexandre Baptista, Vicente, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória
Brazil: Manga – Fidélis, Brito, Orlando, Rildo – Denílson, Silva, Lima – Jairzinho, Pelé, Paraná
Trainer: Vicente Feola

The world’s greatest player, Pele, was reduced to a hobbling, bandaged shadow from the 30th minute after a bone-jarring challenge from Morais.The rival for Pele’s crown, Eusebio, scored twice to seal Portugal’s third group win. Pele’s Samba stars were saying "Adeus" to Liverpool.                                                        

                                           23. Juli 1966: Portugal - DPR- Quarterfinals

Spectatori:40.248
Arbitru: Menachem Ashkenazi (Israel)
Portugal: José Pereira – João Morais, Alexandre Baptista, Vicente, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória
DPR: Lee Chang-myung – Ha Yung-won, Lim Zoong-sun, Oh Yoon-kyung, Shin Yung-kyoo – Im Seung-hwi, Han Bong-zin, Pak Doo-ik – Pak Seung-zin, Yang Seung-kook, Li Dong-woon
Trainer: Myung Rye-hyun

                                         

                                           26. Juli 1966: England - Portugal - Semi - Final 

Spectatori: 94.493
Arbitru: Pierre Schwinté (Frankreich)
England: Gordon Banks – George Cohen, Jack Charlton, Bobby Moore, Ray Wilson – Nobby Stiles, Bobby Charlton, Martin Peters – Alan Ball, Geoff Hurst, Roger Hunt
Trainer: Alf Ramsey
Portugal: José Pereira – Alberto Festa, Alexandre Baptista, José Carlos, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória                                                     

                                       28. Juli 1966: Portugal - СССР (Sovietunion)  - 3rd place match

Spectatori: 87.696
Arbitru: Ken Dagnall (England)

Portugal: José Pereira – Alberto Festa, Alexandre Baptista, José Carlos, Hilário – Jaime Graça, Mário Coluna – José Augusto, Eusébio, José Torres, António Simões
Trainer: Otto Glória
СССР (Sovietunion): Lev Iaschin – Vladimir Ponomarjov, Murtas Churzilava, Valeri Voronin, Vassili Danilov – Alexei Kornejev, Georgi Sitschinava – Slava Metreveli, Anatoli Banischevski, Viktor Serebrjannikov, Eduard Malafejev
Trainer: Nikolai Morosov

1	GK	Américo	6 March 1933 (aged 33)		Porto
2	GK	Joaquim Carvalho	18 April 1937 (aged 29)		Sporting CP
3	GK	José Pereira	15 September 1931 (aged 34)		Belenenses
4	DF	Vicente	24 September 1935 (aged 30)		Belenenses
5	DF	Germano	18 January 1933 (aged 33)		Benfica
6	MF	Fernando Peres	8 January 1942 (aged 24)		Sporting CP
7	FW	Ernesto Figueiredo	6 July 1937 (aged 29)		Sporting CP
8	FW	João Lourenço	8 April 1942 (aged 24)		Sporting CP
9	MF	Hilário	19 March 1939 (aged 27)		Sporting CP
10	MF	Mário Coluna (captain)	6 August 1935 (aged 30)		Benfica
11	MF	António Simões	14 December 1943 (aged 22)		Benfica
12	MF	José Augusto	13 April 1937 (aged 29)		Benfica
13	FW	Eusébio	25 January 1942 (aged 24)		Benfica
14	MF	Fernando Cruz	12 August 1940 (aged 25)		Benfica
15	FW	Manuel Duarte	20 May 1943 (aged 23)		Leixões
16	MF	Jaime Graça	10 January 1942 (aged 24)		Vitória Setúbal
17	DF	João Morais	6 March 1935 (aged 31)		Sporting CP
18	FW	José Torres	8 September 1938 (aged 27)		Benfica
19	MF	Custódio Pinto	9 February 1942 (aged 24)		Porto
20	DF	Alexandre Baptista	17 February 1941 (aged 25)		Sporting CP
21	DF	José Carlos	22 September 1941 (aged 24)		Sporting CP
22	DF	Alberto Festa	21 July 1939 (aged 26)		Porto

   

    Alexandre Batista, Jaime Graça, Hilário, Vicente, Morais, José Pereira.​
 José Augusto, Torres, Eusébio, Coluna, Simões.​