Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics

Tournament details
Host country| Finland
Dates| 15 July – 2 August 1952
Teams| 25 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)| 6 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
Champions|  Hungary (1st title)
Runners-up|  Yugoslavia
Third place|  Sweden
Fourth place|  West Germany
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 26
Goals scored| 135 (5.19 per match)

<- 1948

1956 ->

International football competition

The Football tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics was won by Hungary.[1]

The games signalled the arrival (to Western Europeans at least) of the Hungarian national football team – the "Magical Magyars". Ferenc Puskás later said of the 1952 competition: "It was during the Olympics that our football first started to flow with real power."[2] It was during the Games that Stanley Rous of English Football Association invited the Hungarians to play a friendly at Wembley the following year.

## Venues

[edit]

Helsinki |

Olympic Stadium

Kotkan urheilukeskus

Töölön Pallokenttä

Lahden kisapuisto

Ratina Stadion

Kupittaan jalkapallo-stadion

| Kotka

|
|

Olympic Stadium | Kotkan urheilukeskus
Capacity: 70,470 | Capacity: 11,400

Helsinki | Lahti
Töölön Pallokenttä | Lahden kisapuisto
Capacity: 18,050 | Capacity: 8,067

Tampere | Turku
Ratina Stadion | Kupittaan jalkapallostadion
Capacity: 20,700 | Capacity: 14,224

## Squads

[edit]

Main article: Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's team squads

## Final tournament

[edit]

### Preliminary round

[edit]

The preliminary round saw Hungary record a narrow victory against Romania, whilst there was an 8–0 victory for Italy against the United States, and a 5–1 victory for Brazil against The Netherlands. Great Britain succumbed to Luxembourg 5–3, whilst Egypt defeated Chile 5–4. Yugoslavia were drawn against the Indians and won 10–1.

15 July 1952
19:00

Poland | 2–1|  France

|
|

Trampisz 31'
Krasówka 49' | Report | Leblond 30'

Lahden kisapuisto, Lahti

Attendance: 3,752

Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)

* * *

15 July 1952
19:00

Hungary | 2–1|  Romania

|
|

Czibor 21'
Kocsis 73' | Report | Suru 86'

Kupittaa, Turku

Attendance: 10,588

Referee: Nikolay Latyshev (URS)

* * *

15 July 1952
19:00

Yugoslavia | 10–1|  India

|
|

Vukas 2', 62'
Mitić 14', 43'
Zebec 17', 23', 60', 87'
Ognjanov 52', 67' | Report | Khan 89'

Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: John Best (USA)

* * *

15 July 1952
19:00

Denmark | 2–1|  Greece

|
|

P.E. Petersen 36', 37' | Report | Emmanouilidis 85'

Ratina Stadion, Tampere

Attendance: 4,372

Referee: Waldemar Karni (FIN)

* * *

15 July 1952
19:00

Soviet Union | 2–1 (a.e.t.)|  Bulgaria

|
|

Bobrov 100'
Trofimov 104' | Report | Kolev 95'

Kotkan Urheilukeskus, Kotka

Attendance: 10,637

Referee: Istvan Zsolt (HUN)

* * *

16 July 1952
19:00

Italy | 8–0|  United States

|
|

Gimona 3', 51', 75'
Pandolfini 16', 62'
Venturi 27'
Fontanesi 52'
Mariani 87' | Report |

Ratina Stadion, Tampere

Attendance: 15,342

Referee: Arthur Ellis (GBR)

* * *

16 July 1952
19:00

Brazil | 5–1|  Netherlands

|
|

Humberto 25'
Larry 33' (pen.), 36'
Jansen 81'
Vavá 86' | Report | Van Roessel 15'

Kupittaa, Turku

Attendance: 9,685

Referee: Giorgio Bernardi (ITA)

* * *

16 July 1952
12:00

Luxembourg | 5–3 (a.e.t.)|  Great Britain

|
|

Roller 60', 95', 97'
Letsch 91'
Gales 102' | Report | Robb 12'
Slater 101'
Lewis 118'

Lahden kisapuisto, Lahti

Attendance: 3,656

Referee: Vincenzo Orlandini (ITA)

* * *

16 July 1952
19:00

Egypt | 5–4|  Chile

|
|

Elfar 27'
Ahmed Mekawi 43'
Eldizwi 66', 75', 80' | Report | Jara 7', 78'
Vial 14', 88'

Kotkan Urheilukeskus, Kotka

Attendance: 5,354

Referee: John Nilsson (SWE)

### First round

[edit]

The first round saw Scandinavian countries join the competition; the hosts Finland were beaten 3–4 by Austria, whilst Sweden defeated neighbours Norway 4–1. The game of the round was between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union; Yugoslavia had been 5–1 ahead with 30 minutes of the match to go, only for the Soviet captain Bobrov to score a hat-trick and inspire his team to an eventual 5–5 draw. A replay resulted in a 3–1 victory for Yugoslavia; the Soviet side had been expected by Moscow to win the 1952 Games, and their defeat by Yugoslavia was not mentioned in the Soviet press until after Stalin's death the following year.

19 July 1952
19:00

Finland | 3–4|  Austria

|
|

Stolpe 11', 34'
Rytkönen 36' | Report | Gollnhuber 8' (pen.), 30'
Stumpf 59'
Grohs 79'

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Attendance: 33,053

Referee: William Ling (GBR)

* * *

20 July 1952
19:00

Brazil | 2–1|  Luxembourg

|
|

Larry 42'
Humberto 49' | Report | Gales 86'

Kotkan Urheilukeskus, Kotka

Attendance: 6,776

Referee: Marijan Matancic (YUG)

* * *

20 July 1952
19:00

Yugoslavia | 5–5 (a.e.t.)|  Soviet Union

|
|

Mitić 29'
Ognjanov 33'
Zebec 44', 59'
Bobek 46' | Report | Bobrov 53', 77', 87'
Trofimov 75'
Petrov 89'

Ratina Stadion, Tampere

Attendance: 17,000

Referee: Arthur Ellis (GBR)

22 July 1952
19:00

Yugoslavia | 3–1|  Soviet Union

|
|

Mitić 19'
Bobek 29' (pen.)
Čajkovski 54' | Report | Bobrov 6'

Ratina Stadion, Tampere

Attendance: 16,916

Referee: Arthur Ellis (GBR)

* * *

20 July 1952
12:00

West Germany | 3–1|  Egypt

|
|

Klug 33'
Schröder 38', 61' | Report | El-Dizwi 64'

Kupittaa, Turku

Attendance: 6,813

Referee: Giorgio Bernardi (ITA)

* * *

21 July 1952
19:00

Denmark | 2–0|  Poland

|
|

Seebach 17'
S. Nielsen 69' | Report |

Kupittaa, Turku

Attendance: 6,024

Referee: Folke Bålstad (NOR)

* * *

21 July 1952
19:00

Sweden | 4–1|  Norway

|
|

Brodd 23', 35'
Rydell 81'
Bengtsson 89' | Report | Sørensen 83'

Ratina Stadion, Tampere

Attendance: 4,072

Referee: Johan Aksel Alho (FIN)

* * *

21 July 1952
19:00

Hungary | 3–0|  Italy

|
|

Palotás 11', 20'
Kocsis 83' | Report |

Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki

Attendance: 13,870

Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)

* * *

21 July 1952
19:00

Turkey | 2–1|  Netherlands Antilles

|
|

Tokaç 9'
Bilge 76' (pen.) | Report | Briezen 79'

Lahden kisapuisto, Lahti

Attendance: 3,696

Referee: Carl Jorgensen (DEN)

### Quarterfinals

[edit]

Sweden defeated Austria to ensure a Scandinavian presence in the semifinals. Germany surprisingly beat Brazil 4–2 after extra time, whilst Yugoslavia won comfortably in a 5–3 defeat of Denmark. Hungary demolished Turkey 7–1 to complete the four semifinalists.

23 July 1952
19:00

Sweden | 3–1|  Austria

|
|

Sandberg 80'
Brodd 85'
Rydell 87' | Report | Grohs 40'

Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki

Attendance: 12,564

Referee: Vincenzo Orlandini (ITA)

* * *

24 July 1952
12:00

West Germany | 4–2 (a.e.t.)|  Brazil

|
|

Schröder 75', 96'
Klug 89'
Zeitler 120' | Report | Larry 12'
Zózimo 74'

Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki

Attendance: 11,451

Referee: Arthur Ellis (GBR)

* * *

24 July 1952
19:00

Hungary | 7–1|  Turkey

|
|

Palotás 18'
Kocsis 32', 90'
Lantos 48'
Puskás 54', 72'
Bozsik 70' | Report | Guder 57'

Kotkan Urheilukeskus, Kotka

Attendance: 4,743

Referee: Waldemar Karni (FIN)

* * *

25 July 1952
19:00

Yugoslavia | 5–3|  Denmark

|
|

Čajkovski 19'
Ognjanov 35'
Vukas 41'
Bobek 78'
Zebec 81' | Report | Lundberg 63'
Seebach 85'
Hansen 87'

Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki

Attendance: 11,456

Referee: Waldemar Karni (FIN)

### Semifinals

[edit]

In the first semifinal, Hungary saw off Sweden with a comprehensive 6–0 victory, whilst Yugoslavia beat Germany 3–1 to set up a Hungary-Yugoslavia final.

28 July 1952
19:00

Hungary | 6–0|  Sweden

|
|

Puskás 1'
Palotás 16'
Lindh 36' (o.g.)
Kocsis 65', 69'
Hidegkuti 67' | Report |

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Attendance: 30,471

Referee: William Ling (GBR)

* * *

29 July 1952
19:00

Yugoslavia | 3–1|  West Germany

|
|

Mitić 3', 24'
Čajkovski 30' | Report | Stollenwerk 12'

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Attendance: 25,821

Referee: Wolf Waldemar Karni (FIN)

### Bronze-medal match

[edit]

There was some consolation for the Scandinavian countries as Sweden defeated Germany 2–0 in the third place play-off to secure the bronze medal.

1 August 1952
19:00

Sweden | 2–0|  West Germany

|
|

Rydell 11'
Löfgren 86' | Report |

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Attendance: 28,470

Referee: Vincenzo Orlandini (ITA)

### Gold-medal match

[edit]

1952 Miss Universe Armi Kuusela awarding the Hungarian team

Two goals from Puskás and Zoltán Czibor saw Hungary beat Yugoslavia and take the gold medal.[3]

1952 Summer Olympics Football Final

2 August 1952

19:00

Hungary | 2–0|  Yugoslavia

|
|

Puskás 70'
Czibor 88' | Report |

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

Attendance: 58,553

Referee: Arthur Ellis (GBR)

Team details

Hungary

Yugoslavia

|

|  |

|

GK |  | Gyula Grosics
RB |  | Jenő Buzánszky
LB |  | Gyula Lóránt
RH |  | József Bozsik
CH |  | Mihály Lantos
LH |  | József Zakariás
OR |  | Nándor Hidegkuti
IR |  | Sándor Kocsis
CF |  | Péter Palotás
IL |  | Ferenc Puskás
OL |  | Zoltán Czibor
Manager:
Gusztáv Sebes
|  |

|

GK |  | Vladimir Beara
RB |  | Branko Stanković
LB |  | Tomislav Crnković
RH |  | Zlatko Čajkovski
CH |  | Ivan Horvat
LH |  | Vujadin Boškov
OR |  | Tihomir Ognjanov
IR |  | Rajko Mitić
CF |  | Bernard Vukas
IL |  | Stjepan Bobek
OL |  | Branko Zebec
Manager:
Milorad Arsenijević

## Bracket

[edit]

| First Round | | | Quarterfinals | | | Semifinals | | | Finals |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
|  Hungary | 3 | | | |
|  Italy | 0 |
| |  Hungary | 7 |
|  |
| | |  Turkey | 1 |
|  Turkey | 2 |

|  Netherlands Antilles | 1 |
| |  Hungary | 6 |
|  |
| | |  Sweden | 0 |
|  Sweden | 4 | |

|  Norway | 1 |
| |  Sweden | 3 |
|  |
| | |  Austria | 1 |
|  Finland | 3 |

|  Austria | 4 |
| |  Hungary | 2 |
|  |
| | |  Yugoslavia | 0 |
|  Denmark | 2 | | |

|  Poland | 0 |
| |  Denmark | 3 |
|  |
| | |  Yugoslavia | 5 |
|  Yugoslavia | 5 (3) |

|  Soviet Union | 5 (1) |
| |  Yugoslavia | 3 |
|  |
| | |  West Germany | 1 |
|  Luxembourg | 1 | |

|  Brazil | 2 |
| |  Brazil | 2 |
|  |
| | |  West Germany (a.e.t.) | 4 |
|  West Germany | 3 |

|  Egypt | 1 |

## Medalists

[edit]

Gold: | Silver: | Bronze:

|
|

Hungary

* * *

Gyula Grosics
Jenő Dalnoki
Imre Kovács
László Budai
Ferenc Puskás
Zoltán Czibor
Lajos Csordás
Jenő Buzánszky
Gyula Lóránt
Mihály Lantos
József Bozsik
József Zakariás
Nándor Hidegkuti
Sándor Kocsis
Péter Palotás |  Yugoslavia

* * *

Vladimir Beara
Branko Stanković
Tomislav Crnković
Zlatko Čajkovski
Ivan Horvat
Vujadin Boškov
Tihomir Ognjanov
Rajko Mitić
Bernard Vukas
Stjepan Bobek
Branko Zebec
Dušan Cvetković
Milorad Diskić
Ratko Čolić
Slavko Luštica
Zdravko Rajkov
Vladimir Čonč
Vladimir Firm |  Sweden

* * *

Karl Svensson
Lennart Samuelsson
Erik Nilsson
Holger Hansson
Bengt Gustavsson
Gösta Lindh
Sylve Bengtsson
Gösta Löfgren
Ingvar Rydell
Yngve Brodd
Gösta Sandberg
Olof Åhlund

## Goalscorers

[edit]

7 goals

* Branko Zebec (Yugoslavia)

6 goals

* Sándor Kocsis (Hungary)
* Rajko Mitić (Yugoslavia)

5 goals

* Vsevolod Bobrov (Soviet Union)

4 goals

* Larry (Brazil)
* El-Sayed El-Dhizui (Egypt)
* Willi Schröder (Germany)
* Péter Palotás (Hungary)
* Ferenc Puskás (Hungary)
* Tihomir Ognjanov (Yugoslavia)

3 goals

* Aredio Gimona (Italy)
* Joseph Roller (Luxembourg)
* Yngve Brodd (Sweden)
* Ingvar Rydell (Sweden)
* Stjepan Bobek (Yugoslavia)
* Zlatko Čajkovski (Yugoslavia)
* Bernard Vukas (Yugoslavia)

2 goals

* Otto Gollnhuber (Austria)
* Herbert Grohs (Austria)
* Humberto Tozzi (Brazil)
* Irenio Jara (Chile)
* Julio Vial (Chile)
* Poul Erik Petersen (Denmark)
* Holger Seebach (Denmark)
* Olof Stolpe (Finland)
* Karl Klug (Germany)
* Zoltán Czibor (Hungary)
* Egisto Pandolfini (Italy)
* Julien Gales (Luxembourg)
* Vasili Trofimov (Soviet Union)

1 goal

* Erich Stumpf (Austria)
* Jansen (Brazil)
* Vavá (Brazil)
* Zózimo (Brazil)
* Ivan Petkov Kolev (Bulgaria)
* Jens Peter Hansen (Denmark)
* Knud Lundberg (Denmark)
* Svend Nielsen (Denmark)
* Khamal Ahmed Elfar (Egypt)
* Mechaury (Egypt)
* Aulis Rytkönen (Finland)
* Michel Leblond (France)
* Georg Stollenwerk (Germany)
* Johann Zeitler (Germany)
* Jim Lewis (Great Britain)
* George Robb (Great Britain)
* Bill Slater (Great Britain)
* Pavlos Emmanouilidis (Greece)
* József Bozsik (Hungary)
* Nándor Hidegkuti (Hungary)
* Mihály Lantos (Hungary)
* Ahmed Mohammed Khan (India)
* Alberto Fontanesi (Italy)
* Amos Mariani (Italy)
* Arcadio Venturi (Italy)
* Léon Letsch (Luxembourg)
* Joannes van Roesell (Netherlands)
* Jan Briezen (Netherlands Antilles)
* Odd Wang Sørensen (Norway)
* Jerzy Krasówka (Poland)
* Kazimierz Trampisz (Poland)
* Ion Suru (Romania)
* Aleksandr Petrov (Soviet Union)
* Sylve Bengtsson (Sweden)
* Gösta Löfgren (Sweden)
* Gösta Sandberg (Sweden)
* Tekin Bilge (Turkey)
* Ercument Guder (Turkey)
* Muzaffer Tokaç (Turkey)

Own goal

* Gösta Lindh (Sweden, against Hungary)

## Soviet Union vs Yugoslavia

[edit]

The first meeting between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia is still the most famous one. On the political level, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito split in 1948, which resulted in Yugoslavia being excluded from the Communist Information Bureau. The origin of the conflict was Tito's refusal to submit to Stalin's interpretations and visions of politics and in process becoming a Soviet satellite state. Before the match, both Tito and Stalin sent telegrams to their national teams, which showed just how important it was for the two head of states. Yugoslavia led 5–1, but a Soviet comeback in the last 15 minutes resulted in a 5–5 draw. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3–1. The defeat to their archrivals hit Soviet football hard, and after just three games played in the season, CDKA Moscow, who had made up most of the USSR squad, was forced to withdraw from the league and later disbanded. Furthermore, Boris Arkadiev, who coached both USSR and CDKA, was stripped of his Merited Master of Sports of the USSR title.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Football at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
2. ^ "Puskas on life and football". The Guardian. 19 November 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
3. ^ Football at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games Archived 14 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
4. ^ "USSR – Yugoslavia, the Story of Two Different Football Conceptions". russianfootballnews.com. Retrieved 27 November 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Association football at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

* Olympic Football Tournament Helsinki 1952, FIFA.com
* RSSSF Archive

* v
* t
* e

Summer Olympics men's football tournament winners

List of Olympic medalists

Unofficial|

* 1896:  Denmark XI (DEN)
* 1906:  Copenhagen XI (DEN)

Official|

* 1900:  Upton Park FC (GBR)
* 1904:  Galt FC (CAN)
* 1908:  Great Britain (GBR)
* 1912:  Great Britain (GBR)
* 1920:  Belgium (BEL)
* 1924:  Uruguay (URU)
* 1928:  Uruguay (URU)
* 1932: Not included in the Olympics
* 1936:  Italy (ITA)
* 1948:  Sweden (SWE)
* 1952:  Hungary (HUN)
* 1956:  Soviet Union (URS)
* 1960:  Yugoslavia (YUG)
* 1964:  Hungary (HUN)
* 1968:  Hungary (HUN)
* 1972:  Poland (POL)
* 1976:  East Germany (GDR)
* 1980:  Czechoslovakia (TCH)
* 1984:  France (FRA)
* 1988:  Soviet Union (URS)
* 1992:  Spain (ESP)
* 1996:  Nigeria (NGR)
* 2000:  Cameroon (CMR)
* 2004:  Argentina (ARG)
* 2008:  Argentina (ARG)
* 2012:  Mexico (MEX)
* 2016:  Brazil (BRA)
* 2020:  Brazil (BRA)
* 2024:  Spain (ESP)

* v
* t
* e

Football at the Summer Olympics

General|

* 1896 (unofficial)
* 1900
* 1904
* 1906 (unofficial)
* 1908
* 1912
* consolation
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Tournaments|

| Men|

* 1896 (unofficial)
* 1900
* 1904
* 1906 (unofficial)
* 1908
* 1912
* consolation
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Women|

* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Qualifications|

| Men|

* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Women|

* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Finals|

| Men|

* 1920
* 1960
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Women|

* 2020
* 2024

Squads|

| Men|

* 1900
* 1904
* 1906 (unofficial)
* 1908
* 1912
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1936
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024
* Overage players

|

Women|

* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Related topics|

* List of medalists
* Records
* men
* women
* List of venues
* List of official match balls

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Hungary national football team matches

FIFA World Cup|

| Finals|

* 1938
* 1954

|

Group stage|

* Hungary 4–2 Brazil (1954)
* Hungary 10–1 El Salvador (1982)

Qualification|

* Hungary v Bolivia playoff (1978)

Summer Olympics|

| Finals|

* 1952
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972

|

Other|

* 1912 Consolation tournament final

Other matches|

* Austria 5–0 Hungary (1902)
* Hungary 1–0 Poland (1921)
* Poland 4–2 Hungary (1939)
* England 3–6 Hungary (1953)
* Hungary 7–1 England (1954)
* Ukraine 1–3 Hungary (1992)

* v
* t
* e

Yugoslavia national football team matches

UEFA European Championship Finals|

* 1960
* 1968

Summer Olympics Finals|

* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960

FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs|

* 1962

Other matches|

* Yugoslavia 1–2 Romania (1922)
* Yugoslavia 0–2 Netherlands (1990)

* v
* t
* e

Events at the 1952 Summer Olympics (Helsinki)

* Athletics
* Basketball
* Boxing
* Canoeing
* Cycling
* Diving
* Equestrian
* Fencing
* Field hockey
* Football
* Gymnastics
* Handball (demonstration)
* Modern pentathlon
* Pesäpallo (demonstration)
* Rowing
* Sailing
* Shooting
* Swimming
* Water polo
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template