Austria v Switzerland (1954)
Encyclopedia
On June 26, 1954, in a quarterfinal match of the 1954 Football World Cup
, Austria
beat Switzerland
7–5 in Lausanne
, Switzerland. The 12 goals scored in the match set a World Cup record
, unequalled to date, for the highest scoring match ever. The match is known by its German name, Hitzeschlacht von Lausanne (roughly translated to "The heat battle of Lausanne"), due to the high temperature that it was played under 40°C (104°F).
Robert Ballaman opened the score at the 16th minute, followed quickly by two goals by Josef Hügi
. Austria then became the first team in World Cup history to recover from a 3–0 deficit, scoring 5 goals in the remainder of the first half; Theodor Wagner
initiated the Austrian response at the 25th minute; forward Robert Körner drew the score to 2–3 one minute later, and another minute later Wagner equalized to 3–3. Austria had tied the score in three minutes. In 11 minutes, between the 16th and the 27th minutes, six goals were scored, three by each team. At the 32nd minute, Ernst Ocwirk
gave Austria the lead; Robert Körner added his second, making the score 5–3. Ballaman scored again for Switzerland at the 39th minute. The first half thus ended 5–4 in favour of Austria, being the highest scoring half in World Cup history, even after inside left Alfred Körner
had missed a penalty kick
in the 42nd minute.
Nine minutes into the second half, Wagner
put Austria up 6–4 with his third goal, recording the seventh hat-trick
of the 1954 World Cup (See List of World Cup hat-tricks). Hügi
would then emulate the feat, scoring his third at the 58th minute. Switzerland was not able to equalize, and Erich Probst
made it 7–5 to end the scoring at the 76th minute. According to FIFA
, the extreme heat adversely affected Switzerland after they led the match 3–0 at one point. Other sources add that at first, Switzerland had been able to take advantage of the temperature, when Austrian goalkeeper
Kurt Schmied
suffered from hyperthermia
early in the match, quickly allowing the first three Swiss goals, before being assisted by the Austrian masseur while in play.
Switzerland
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
, Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
beat Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
7–5 in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland. The 12 goals scored in the match set a World Cup record
FIFA World Cup records
This is a list of records of the FIFA World Cup and its qualification matches.-Most championships:5, -Most finishes in the top two:7, ,...
, unequalled to date, for the highest scoring match ever. The match is known by its German name, Hitzeschlacht von Lausanne (roughly translated to "The heat battle of Lausanne"), due to the high temperature that it was played under 40°C (104°F).
Match chronicle
Switzerland, the tournament hosts, took a notable lead early on. In four minutes, the Swiss scored three goals: ForwardStriker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Robert Ballaman opened the score at the 16th minute, followed quickly by two goals by Josef Hügi
Josef Hügi
Josef "Sepp" Hügi was a Swiss international footballer who played as a striker during the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s....
. Austria then became the first team in World Cup history to recover from a 3–0 deficit, scoring 5 goals in the remainder of the first half; Theodor Wagner
Theodor Wagner (footballer)
Theodor "Turl" Wagner is a former Austrian footballer.-International career:He made his debut for Austria in a November 1946 friendly match against Switzerland and was a participant at the 1954 FIFA World Cup, where he scored a hat-trick in the 7-5 quarterfinal win over Switzerland.He earned 46...
initiated the Austrian response at the 25th minute; forward Robert Körner drew the score to 2–3 one minute later, and another minute later Wagner equalized to 3–3. Austria had tied the score in three minutes. In 11 minutes, between the 16th and the 27th minutes, six goals were scored, three by each team. At the 32nd minute, Ernst Ocwirk
Ernst Ocwirk
Ernst Ocwirk was an Austrian football player and coach. He is considered one of the greatest Austrian footballers of all time....
gave Austria the lead; Robert Körner added his second, making the score 5–3. Ballaman scored again for Switzerland at the 39th minute. The first half thus ended 5–4 in favour of Austria, being the highest scoring half in World Cup history, even after inside left Alfred Körner
Alfred Körner
Alfred Körner is an Austrian former footballer.-Club career:He had a very successful career with SK Rapid Wien and also played for FK Admira Wien .-International career:...
had missed a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the 42nd minute.
Nine minutes into the second half, Wagner
Theodor Wagner (footballer)
Theodor "Turl" Wagner is a former Austrian footballer.-International career:He made his debut for Austria in a November 1946 friendly match against Switzerland and was a participant at the 1954 FIFA World Cup, where he scored a hat-trick in the 7-5 quarterfinal win over Switzerland.He earned 46...
put Austria up 6–4 with his third goal, recording the seventh hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of the 1954 World Cup (See List of World Cup hat-tricks). Hügi
Josef Hügi
Josef "Sepp" Hügi was a Swiss international footballer who played as a striker during the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s....
would then emulate the feat, scoring his third at the 58th minute. Switzerland was not able to equalize, and Erich Probst
Erich Probst
Erich Probst was an Austrian footballer.-International career:Probst made his debut for Austria in a May 1951 friendly match against Scotland and was a participant at the 1954 FIFA World Cup tournament 1954 in Switzerland, where he was one of the foremost strikers...
made it 7–5 to end the scoring at the 76th minute. According to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the extreme heat adversely affected Switzerland after they led the match 3–0 at one point. Other sources add that at first, Switzerland had been able to take advantage of the temperature, when Austrian goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
Kurt Schmied
Kurt Schmied
Kurt Schmied was a goalkeeper for First Vienna FC and Austria national football team.-International career:...
suffered from hyperthermia
Hyperthermia
Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate...
early in the match, quickly allowing the first three Swiss goals, before being assisted by the Austrian masseur while in play.
Match details
Line-ups
Austria- Erich ProbstErich ProbstErich Probst was an Austrian footballer.-International career:Probst made his debut for Austria in a May 1951 friendly match against Scotland and was a participant at the 1954 FIFA World Cup tournament 1954 in Switzerland, where he was one of the foremost strikers...
- Ernst Happel
- Kurt SchmiedKurt SchmiedKurt Schmied was a goalkeeper for First Vienna FC and Austria national football team.-International career:...
- Gerhard HanappiGerhard HanappiGerhard Hanappi is one of Austrian football's most famous sons.-Club career:A versatile midfielder, Hanappi started his career at SC Wacker Wien, where he made his Bundesliga debut in 1947. Deemed as Austria's biggest football talent, he then controversially moved to play for big city rivals Rapid...
- Karl KollerKarl Koller (footballer)Karl Koller was an Austrian football player.-Club career:Koller played most of his career for First Vienna FC...
- Alfred KörnerAlfred KörnerAlfred Körner is an Austrian former footballer.-Club career:He had a very successful career with SK Rapid Wien and also played for FK Admira Wien .-International career:...
- Ernst OcwirkErnst OcwirkErnst Ocwirk was an Austrian football player and coach. He is considered one of the greatest Austrian footballers of all time....
- Leopold BarschandtLeopold BarschandtLeopold Barschandt was an Austrian footballer.-International career:Barschandt earned 23 caps and scored 1 goal for the Austria national football team from 1954 to 1960, and participated in the 1954 FIFA World Cup and the 1958 FIFA World Cup.-External links:* - National Football Teams...
- Robert KörnerRobert KörnerRobert Körner was an Austrian footballer.-Club career:He played for and skippered SK Rapid Wien, and later managed SK Rapid Wien , SV Waldhof Mannheim , and 1...
- Ernst StojaspalErnst StojaspalErnst Stojaspal was an Austrian football player. He was born in Vienna.-Club career:A prolific striker, the left-footed Stojaspal played for Austria Wien for 10 years, winning three league titles and 2 domestic cups. Also, he topped the final goalscoring charts 5 times...
- Theodor Wagner
Switzerland
- Eugene ParlierEugène ParlierEugène Parlier is a Swiss football goalkeeper who played for Switzerland in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Neuchâtel Xamax, Servette FC, Urania Genève Sport, FC Biel-Bienne, FC Lausanne-Sport, and Étoile Carouge FC....
- Roger BocquetRoger BocquetRoger Bocquet was a Swiss footballer of the 1940s and 1950s. He played as a half-back and was a participant at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and 1954 FIFA World Cup. He insisted on playing during the 1954 World Cup although he had a disease: he was suffering from a brain tumour. He got operated for...
- Andre NeuryAndré NeuryAndré Neury is a Swiss football defender who played for Switzerland in the 1950 and 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also played for FC La Chaux-de-Fonds, FC Locarno, and Servette FC.-External links:*...
- Charles CasaliCharles CasaliCharles Casali is a Swiss football midfielder who played for Switzerland in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also played for BSC Young Boys.-External links:*...
- Oliver EggimannOliver EggimannOliver Eggimann was a Swiss football midfielder who played for Switzerland in the 1950 and 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also played for BSC Young Boys, FC Lausanne-Sport, Servette FC, ES FC Malley, and FC La Chaux-de-Fonds....
- Willy KernenWilly KernenWilhelm "Willy" Kernen is a former Swiss footballer.He played for FC La Chaux-de-Fonds from 1950 to 1962, winning two Swiss league titles and five Swiss Cups. He also earned 41 caps and scored 1 goal for the Switzerland national football team, and participated in three World Cups.-References:...
- Charles AntenenCharles AntenenCharles Antenen was a Swiss football player, who was nicknamed Kiki.-Career:...
- Robert BallamanRobert BallamanRobert Ballaman was a Swiss footballer.-Career:Ballaman earned 50 caps and scored 18 goals for the Switzerland national football team...
- Jacques FattonJacques FattonJacques "Jacky" Fatton was a Swiss footballer.-Career:Fatton, who was born in Exincourt, France, was capped 53 times and scored 29 goals for the Switzerland national football team. He played in two FIFA World Cups, scoring twice in 1950 and once in 1954.During his club career, Fatton played for...
- Josef HügiJosef HügiJosef "Sepp" Hügi was a Swiss international footballer who played as a striker during the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s....
- Roger VonlanthenRoger VonlanthenRoger Vonlanthen is a retired Swiss football player and manager.During his club career he played for Grasshoppers , Inter Milan , Alessandria and Lausanne . He earned 27 caps and scored 8 goals for the Switzerland national football team from 1954 to 1966, and participated in two World Cups...