A dozen goals, two hat-tricks, a stunning comeback and soaring temperatures hitting the 40°C mark: the 1954 FIFA World Cup™ quarter-final between Austria and hosts Switzerland had it all and occupies a special place in the history books. In a pulsating fixture in Lausanne, Austria recovered from a 3-0 deficit to triumph 7-5 in what is still the highest-scoring match in the competition’s history.
Thirty-five-thousand fans packed out the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, and the action did not leave them cold. Switzerland came flying out of the traps and duly raced into a 3-0 lead within 20 minutes, with Robert Ballaman opening the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark and Josef Hugi adding a quick-fire double. Amazingly, these were the first goals that Austria had conceded all tournament. They roared back with their own flurry of first-half strikes – no fewer than five in the space of nine minutes – drawing level and then moving ahead courtesy of braces from Theodor Wagner and Alfred Korner and an effort from skipper Ernst Ocwirk.
Ballaman notched again six minutes shy of half-time to keep Switzerland within touching distance, and there was still time before the break for Robert Korner – Alfred’s older brother – to spurn a golden opportunity to make it 6-4, dragging his penalty wide. The fact that even this only temporarily stemmed the flow of goals speaks volumes about what a wide-open game it was, and the tally of nine goals in a single half remains a remarkable World Cup record in its own right.
By the sensational standards of the opening period, the encounter was a somewhat more sedate affair after the interval. Nevertheless, the second half was not devoid of intrigue and storylines: Austria’s Wagner completed his hat-trick in the 53rd minute before Switzerland’s Hugi followed suit seven minutes later to once again reduce the arrears, with Erich Probst eventually sealing victory for Austria after 76 minutes.
Besides the goalscorers, one figure who will always be associated with the game – and for unfortunate reasons – is Kurt Schmied. The heat got the better of the Vienna-born goalkeeper, who was badly afflicted by sunstroke, which rendered him a virtual spectator for Switzerland’s three early goals. With substitutions not allowed at the World Cup at that time, the dazed Schmied bravely soldiered on, assisted by Austrian masseur Josef Ulrich. The images of Ulrich – stationed by the goal – guiding Schmied’s movements and plying him with cold water whenever possible have become iconic. Schmied was in such a bad way that he had no memory of the match in the aftermath.
This red-hot clash was just one of many goal-fests in a tournament that was full of milestones. Losing finalists Hungary scored 27 times across their five matches, giving them a sensational strike rate of 5.4 goals per game, another enduring World Cup record. The Mighty Magyars also made history with their 9-0 group-stage thrashing of Korea Republic, then the tournament’s bigger win ever – and now second only to Hungary’s own 10-1 rout of El Salvador in 1982 – while England and Belgium played out the highest-scoring draw. It is small wonder that Switzerland 1954 continues to be the most prolific edition of the competition ever, with an average of 5.38 goals per game.
As for Austria, they suffered a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of eventual world champions West Germany in the semi-finals before bouncing back to beat Uruguay 3-1 for bronze. It remains the Austrians’ best-ever showing at the World Cup. The same is true for Switzerland, who have failed to reach the quarter-finals of the competition since.
This titanic tussle combined all the ingredients that set the World Cup apart: emotion, fortitude, drama and goals galore – a tally that has yet to be matched on the ultimate stage.
