ITALY DEFENDS TITLE, AND WAR BREAKS OUT

For the first time the host nation and the holder qualified automatically.

In 1938, civil war raged in Spain, Germany had annexed Austria and a crisisridden Europe was preparing for hostilities when FIFA decided that the third World Cup would take place in France. To be equal to the occasion, the Stade de Colombes was enlarged while the stadiums in Bordeaux and Marseille were renovated.

And for the first time the host nation and the holder qualified automatically. Once again, however, the competition was boycotted by the South Americans, who felt that the tournament should have been held in Argentina and not in Europe again.

Happily the Brazilians did make the trip and proved to be the competition’s biggest draw playing their inimitably skilful game, getting off to a flying start and justifying their reputation by overcoming Poland after extra-time by an incredible six goals to five — Leonidas, “the black diamond,” and Willimowski scoring four goals apiece!

Sadly, the quarterfinal in Bordeaux between Brazil and Czechoslovakia ended in an all-out brawl: three players were sent off and five injured, two of whom were rushed to hospital with broken limbs.

The host nation France defeated Belgium (3-1), thanks largely to its right-winger Fred Aston, whose bursting forays were decisive. Unhappily for the 5■,455 supporters crammed into the Yves-du-manoir Stadium

in Colombes for the quarterfinal match, France went down (3-1) to Italy. Unlike Uruguay and Italy in the two previous competitions, France, the host nation, could not lift the World Cup played on its own soil.

The Italy-brazil semifinal promised to be the final before the final, until the Brazilian coach Adhemar Pimenta made a gross error of judgement and decided to leave out two key players, most notably his marksman Leonidas. “I am resting him for the final,” declared Pimenta. Far from being overawed, the Squarda Azzurra ran out victors (2-1) and earned the right to defend the title against Hungary, an easy winner over Sweden.

In the final, Meazza and Ferrari, the two Italian playmakers, called the tune and the already legendary Italian pragmatism did the rest. Italy triumphed (4-2), and with back-toback World Cup victories, entered football history as one of the all-time great national teams.

Alas, War came, putting an end to the World Cup competition for 12 years: and perhaps depriving this talented generation of Italian footballers of even greater glory. •

GETTY IMAGES Defending the title: Italian captain Giuseppe Meazza receives the trophy after his team’s 4-2 victory over Hungary in the final at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Paris.

GETTY IMAGES Action aplenty: Italy and Hungary fight it out in the final.