The legendary duel between England and world champions Italy at London’s Highbury Stadium on November 14, 1934 was considered the “real” World Cup final of that year – and went down in football history as one of the most brutal games ever.
In the run-up to the game, the English media were grandiose. “England should win and win clearly,” wrote the “Daily Express” and the “Daily Mirror” said: “A win by ten goals should be the goal.”
The motherland of football considered itself to have the best team in the world at the time. However, the English had boycotted the finals in Italy a few months earlier.
The duel with the title holder was therefore viewed on the island as the true finale for global football supremacy.
Narrow victory for England
Because Italy’s dictator Benito Mussolini had heated up his players in advance and appointed them ambassadors for fascism, there was fire in the game from the start.
In just the tenth minute, Italy midfielder Luis Monti broke his foot in a duel. His team had to continue playing while outnumbered.
And at first England’s newspapers seemed to be right with their predictions: after less than a quarter of an hour the hosts were already leading 3-0.
But the Italians were now increasingly pushing the limits of what was permitted – and often beyond. The “Lions of London”, as the team was called at home, gradually got the better of the inexperienced hosts – where no player had more than ten international matches to his name.
After a double strike from striker Guiseppe Meazza in the 59th and 62nd minutes, the guests sniffed the draw. However, it remained a narrow 3-2 win for England.
“Not a football game, but a battle”
However, the Three Lions had to pay dearly for their victory. Hardly any players were spared: Captain Hapgood suffered a broken nose and Bowden sprained his ankle. Brooks’ arm was broken and one of Drake’s legs was, according to an English official, “cut almost to the bone.” Barker and Copping also had thick bandages on various parts of their bodies.
Stan Matthews, who was only 19 at the time, remained uninjured in his third appearance in the national jersey, but later always remembered one of the toughest games of his long career with horror.
“It wasn’t a football game, it was a battle,” the Guardian quoted an unnamed national player as saying. Another newspaper signed its match report with the line “from our war correspondent.” The myth of the “Battle of Highbury” was born.
English vs continental football
The impressions of the game led to a fundamental discussion in England about sporting comparisons with teams from the European continent.
It wasn’t just the Squadra Azzurra’s tough style on the pitch with lots of hidden fouls and niggles that angered the inventors of modern football.
They also reacted indignantly to the political instrumentalization of the game by the Italian regime, culminating in the players’ fascist greeting towards the stands at the end of the game.
“England should never play against a team from the continent again,” demanded Clem Stephenson, manager of first division club Huddersfield Town, which was met with widespread approval in the British media.
In fact, it only took six months for an English team to face an opponent from across the Channel again. In May 1935 the footballers traveled from the island to the Netherlands.
Tobias Knoop