Not only did the result signify the end of English dominance in the Beautiful Game – and the first-ever defeat for England at Wembley in 33 years of its existence – it emphasized Hungary’s position as the greatest team in the world. Team Hungary, known at that time as “The Golden Team,” was in fact in the midst of a four-year winning streak which stretched from May 1950 through to the 1952 Olympic Games and into the 1954 World Cup final.
Hungary’s top-dog status was ultimately made fleeting, thanks to the events of 1956. After the citizens’ uprising of that year, the national team saw an utter remake before the 1958 World Cup. All-time greats Ferenc Puskás and Sándor Kocsis were just a couple of mainstays who’d departed before the international tournament and Hungarian soccer would never be the same.
A fascinating and funny – but little-seen internationally, due to a strange lack of subtitles in English or any language – film was made centered on the events of November 25, 1953. Within the reels of the 1999 film “6:3 avagy játszd újra Tutti” (translated as “6-3 or, Play It Again Tutti”), the time-traveling protagonist from the post-communist days informs the Hungarian citizens of ’53 that the stunning Wembley result is “the best thing that will happen before 40 years of shit.”
We’ll leave that to the reader’s judgment, but as a sports fan, that had to have been one hell of a win…
Highlights, complete game clip and full version of 6:3 (unfortunately without, as stated previously, subtitles) run below.
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