What 1966 also had, as every single human being in the British Isles knows, was Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and the patrician tones of Kenneth Wolstenholme’s narrating the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium between England and West Germany.
“Some people are on the pitch,” Wolstentholme said, his voice rising, with England 3-2 in the lead. “They think it’s all over.” Whomp went Geoff Hurst’s left boot, clumping the ball into the roof of the net in the final minute. “It is now!”
Those two hours are among the 20th century’s most enduring contributions to Britain’s national mythology. Little else comes close, especially for the still-dominant English part of the country. It remains the first and only time England won the World Cup and the mark by which Britain measures itself — not only in soccer but also, in that squishy phrase, its place in world affairs. That moment, alongside the Beatles, Twiggy and miniskirts, Britain told itself perhaps it remained a world-beater after all.
– From Matthew Rose’s guest essay today in the New York Times, titled “England Defeats Itself. Again.” (The byline states ‘Mr. Rose is an Opinion editorial director and a long-suffering England soccer fan’.)
So Argentina and Spain will play for the World Cup on Sunday.
It really looked like England would defeat Argentina today, but no.
England had scored a goal after 55 minutes of play, and then Argentina scored twice, right at the end of regular time (at 85′ and 92′). Oy.
The clouds displayed beautiful pastel colors in the fading light.