:1958 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC/CAF–UEFA play-off)

Wales were drawn into group 4 of the European qualifying zone for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, where they faced Czechoslovakia and East Germany.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/58q.html |title=World Cup 1958 Qualifying |last1=Stokkermans |first1 =Karel |last2 =Jarreta |first2=Sergio Henrique |website=RSSSF |access-date=17 May 2020}} Wales manager Jimmy Murphy was leading the side in World Cup qualifying for the first time and his side won their first match after defeating Czechoslovakia 1–0 in Cardiff following a goal from Roy Vernon, despite missing several players due to injury and withdrawals.{{harvnb|Stead|2013|p=161}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wal-intres.html |title=International matches of Wales|last=Nygård |first=Jostein |website=RSSSF |access-date=17 May 2020}} Wales travelled to East Germany for their next fixture, but chose to take only twelve players, eleven starters and one substitute, to save money. One of the players, Derek Tapscott, was ruled out of the tie with injury shortly beforehand and John Charles arrived late due to club commitments.{{harvnb|Stead|2013|p=162}} The match was East Germany's first competitive fixture in the nation's history and they claimed a 2–1 victory in a match attended by around 110,000.{{cite news |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=6&docId=GALE%7CCS251877556&docType=Sports+news&sort=Pub+Date+Forward+Chron&contentSegment=ZTMA-MOD1&prodId=TTDA&contentSet=GALE%7CCS251877556&searchId=R3&userGroupName=wikipedia&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=6 |url-access=subscription |title=England's Persistence Rewarded in Dublin |newspaper=The Times |page=15 |date=20 May 1957 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=The Times Digital Archive}}

Wales continued to Czechoslovakia for their next match six days later. The squad had only ten fit players following the match against East Germany and an outcry from the Welsh media prompted Ray Daniel and Des Palmer to be called up as replacements. During the game, Daniel inadvertently gave the opposition the lead after scoring an own goal following a corner kick. The Czechs added a second goal after an hour to secure a 2–0 victory.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/259690827/?terms=Wales+East+Germany+football |url-access=subscription |title=Scotland and Wales lose |newspaper=The Guardian |page=10 |date=27 May 1957 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}} Wales' hopes of qualification were ended when Czechoslovakia recorded consecutive victories over East Germany.{{harvnb|Stead|2013|p=163}} In their final group game, Wales defeated East Germany 4–1 following a hat-trick from Palmer and an own goal from the opposition goalkeeper.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/259753262/?terms=Wales+East+Germany+football |url-access=subscription |title=Wales retains ber chance in World Cup |newspaper=The Guardian |page=4 |date=26 September 1957 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}} As a result, Wales finished second in the group behind Czechoslovakia, and were therefore eliminated from the European qualification zone.

For the qualifying stages of the 1958 FIFA World Cup, Israel were regarded as an Asian team and took part in the African and Asian qualification zone.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43387549 |title=Russian spy attack: A brief history of World Cup boycotts |publisher=BBC Sport |date=13 March 2018 |access-date=17 May 2020}} A total of 11 teams were competing for one direct qualification spot to the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/fwc_prel_history_by_year_25982.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902130947/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/fwc%5Fprel%5Fhistory%5Fby%5Fyear%5F25982.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2009 |title=History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year) |publisher=FIFA |date=19 September 2007 |access-date=25 October 2017 |pages=11–12 }} Israel were drawn into group 2 of the first round against Turkey. However, their opponents refused to compete in the Asian group, claiming that they should be included in the European qualifying section.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUxWDwAAQBAJ&q=Turkey+1958+world+cup&pg=PT167 |title=Origins and Birth of the 'Europe of Football' |publisher=Routledge |last=Dietschy |first=Paul |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-138-69803-1}} The world football governing body, FIFA, subsequently allowed Israel to advance to the second round automatically where they were drawn against Indonesia. However, with ongoing political upheaval in Indonesia, the nation applied to FIFA to play against Israel on neutral ground. Their approach was rejected and Indonesia subsequently withdrew, allowing Israel to advance to the final round.{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crVZxbMijpYC&q=Indonesia+1958+world+cup&pg=PA53 |title=Motson's World Cup Extravaganza |publisher=Robson |last1=Motson |first1=John |last2=Brownlee |first2=Nick |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-86105-936-9}}

Israel were paired with Sudan in the last round, with the winner advancing to the World Cup. Sudan had also advanced from the previous round without playing a fixture after Egypt had withdrawn due to Israel's presence owing to tensions between the two nations following the Suez Crisis.{{cite news |url=https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/05/29/remembering-1958-the-only-time-all-four-home-nations-made-it-to-the-world-cup/ |title=Remembering 1958: The Only Time All Four Home Nations Made it to the World Cup |publisher=These Football Times |last=Lisi |first=Clemente |date=29 May 2018 |access-date=17 May 2020}} Sudan refused to play against Israel for political reasons, so Israel were therefore named the African and Asian qualification zone winners without playing a match. This would have granted Israel qualification to the World Cup, but FIFA decided to introduce a rule that no team would qualify without playing at least one match, except for the defending champions and the hosts. This was because many teams had qualified for previous World Cups without playing due to withdrawals of their opponents. As Israel had advanced automatically through all three rounds under these circumstances, they still had to face another team before they could qualify. Therefore, a play-off match was created by FIFA between Israel and the runner-up of a group from one of the other qualifying regions, UEFA, CONMEBOL and NAFC/CCCF, where the teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner of this play-off would then directly qualify for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Therefore, effectively, only 0.5 places were granted to Africa and Asia for the finals.

A drawing of lots took place in December 1957 to determine which team would face Israel in the play-offs. Ahead of the draw, Uruguay withdrew, while Italy and Northern Ireland had not finished their qualification group, leaving nine teams in the draw.{{harvnb|Stead|2013|p=165}}{{cite news|last1=Doyle|first1=Paul|title=The Joy of Six: international football play-offs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/13/the-joy-of-six-international-play-offs|date=13 November 2015 |access-date=13 November 2015|newspaper=The Guardian}} Belgium were selected first but rejected the opportunity so the draw was made again and Wales were selected and would therefore take part in the play-off against Israel.{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Rob |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/30101503 |title=Euro 2016: History beckons Wales again in Israel |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 November 2014 |access-date=25 October 2017}} Therefore, the play-off winners would make their World Cup finals debut, as both Israel and Wales had never previously qualified.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/worldcup.html |title=World Cup 1930–2018 |last=Stokkermans |first=Karel |website=RSSSF |access-date=17 May 2020}}

{{:1958 FIFA World Cup qualification}}

File:The Israeli team playing against Wales at the Ramat Gan stadium, 1958 D448-079.jpg catches the ball under pressure during the first leg|alt=A black and white image of a football match]]

Wales travelled to Israel with little support, although 90 Welsh servicemen did secure a flight from a military base in Cyprus to attend the match. An error in preparation meant the side arrived in Israel without a ball. As a result, the team were limited to physical training beforehand.{{cite news |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=4&docId=GALE%7CCS202463791&docType=Sports+news&sort=Pub+Date+Forward+Chron&contentSegment=ZTMA-MOD1&prodId=TTDA&contentSet=GALE%7CCS202463791&searchId=R5&userGroupName=wikipedia&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=4 |url-access=subscription |title=Heat a Handicap to Wales |newspaper=The Times |page=12 |date=15 January 1958 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=The Times Digital Archive}} Wales were heavy favourites ahead of the tie with their only other weakness believed to be the heat, with temperatures expected to be around {{convert|80|F}}. Murphy banned his players from using the hotel pool during their stay.

The match was attended by around 55,000 spectators, including the British ambassador to Israel. Wales had an early goal ruled out after Ivor Allchurch was caught offside before he found the net again after 38 minutes to open the scoring. After receiving a pass from Terry Medwin, Allchurch found space on the edge of the penalty area and scored from {{convert|20|yds}} out. Allchurch continued to cause problems for the opposition defence, shooting wide after collecting a Stuart Williams free-kick and drawing a save from Israeli goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000104/19580116/193/0010?noTouch=true |url-access=subscription |title=John Charles 'lost' at inside forward |newspaper=Western Mail |date=16 January 1958 |access-date=18 May 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}

Wales eventually scored a second through Dave Bowen midway through the second half, also from 20 yards out. Wales received a blow late in the game when John Charles went down injured. He returned to the field to finish the game but struggled for the final minutes of the game.{{cite news |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CCS67328560&docType=Sports+news&sort=Pub+Date+Forward+Chron&contentSegment=ZTMA-MOD1&prodId=TTDA&contentSet=GALE%7CCS67328560&searchId=R6&userGroupName=wikipedia&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=3 |url-access=subscription |title=Wales advance at Tel Aviv |newspaper=The Times |page=4 |date=16 January 1958 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=The Times Digital Archive}} The victory was the first time Wales had won a match outside the United Kingdom.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jul/01/wales-1958-world-cup-quarter-final-euro-2016 |title=Wales at the 1958 World Cup: a quarter-final run with a difference |newspaper=The Guardian |last=Burnton |first=Simon |date=1 July 2016 |access-date=18 May 2020}}

{{Football box

|date={{Start date|1958|1|15|df=y}}

|time=

|team1={{fb-rt|ISR}}

|score=0–2

|report=[https://www.11v11.com/matches/israel-v-wales-15-january-1958-227036/ Report]

|team2={{fb|WAL|1953}}

|goals1=

|goals2=

• I. Allchurch {{goal|38}}
• Bowen {{goal|63}}

|stadium=Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan

|attendance=55,000

|referee=Maurice Guigue (France)

}}

|valign="top" width="50%"|

|}

Wales remained heavy favourites to advance following the first leg. They made minor changes to the side, Medwin and John Charles switched positions to allow the latter to play centre-forward. The only other change saw Ron Hewitt make his international debut in place of Len Allchurch. Israel made one change to their starting eleven from the first leg, Boshos Gegosian replaced Zebaria Tetzabi. Yosef Goldstein had been a doubt with an ankle injury but recovered to play.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/259453646/?terms=Wales+Israel+football |url-access=subscription |title=Israel's Hard Task |newspaper=The Guardian |page=9 |date=5 February 1958 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Already trailing by two goals from the first leg, Israel struggled to impose themselves on the second leg as Wales again dominated the tie. Israeli goalkeeper Hodorov won plaudits for his performance in the match, making several saves to deny Wales a goal. His efforts also included using his body to stop advancing players; one collision with an opposition player left him with a broken nose and concussion but he continued playing.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/259453911/?terms=Wales+Israel+football |url-access=subscription |title=Wales Qualifies for World Cup Competition Proper |newspaper=The Guardian |page=9 |date=6 February 1958 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}} Israel adopted a more physical style of play in the second leg and were cited by the referee on several occasions for "frequent use {{nbsp}}... of the late tackle, of body checking and other obstructionist methods." Charles, who had recovered from his injury in the first leg, was the main target of these methods and they proved effective as he struggled to gain a foothold in the game. The impetus of the Welsh attack was instead provided by Cliff Jones and Medwin.

Israel struggled to create many attacking opportunities, their best chance of the game fell to Yehoshua Glazer who was denied by Wales goalkeeper Jack Kelsey, who saved with his knee. Wales were frustrated in front of goal for much of the match despite the Israeli defence being "beset by wave after wave of red shirts". Wales scored their first goal after 76 minutes through Allchurch who held off several tackles before shooting into the roof of the net from a narrow angle. Mewdin's forward play continued to excel and he created the second goal after breaking into the Israeli penalty area before pulling the ball back across the box. Charles missed the first attempt but the ball fell to Jones who added a second for Wales.

{{Football box

|date={{Start date|1958|2|5|df=y}}

|time=

|team1={{fb-rt|WAL|1953}}

|score=2–0

|report=[https://www.11v11.com/matches/wales-v-israel-05-february-1958-227038/ Report]

|team2={{fb|ISR}}

|goals1=

• I. Allchurch {{goal|76}}
• Jones {{goal|80}}

|goals2=

|stadium=Ninian Park, Cardiff

|attendance=38,000

|referee=Klaas Schipper (Netherlands)

}}

|valign="top" width="50%"|

|}

As of March 2023, Wales' victory remains the only time a team have qualified for a World Cup having been eliminated from the normal qualifying process. It also remains the only time that all four Home Nations have qualified for a World Cup. Despite the clear margin of victory, newspaper reports after the game were scathing of Wales' performance with The Times remarking that Wales would "do little more than make the journey to Scandinavia".{{cite news |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCS51075654&docType=Sports+news&sort=Pub+Date+Forward+Chron&contentSegment=ZTMA-MOD1&prodId=TTDA&contentSet=GALE%7CCS51075654&searchId=R2&userGroupName=wikipedia&inPS=true&ps=1&cp=1 |url-access=subscription |title=Wales Qualify for World Cup |newspaper=The Times |page=3 |date=6 February 1958 |access-date=17 May 2020 |via=The Times Digital Archive}} At the World Cup, Wales advanced from their group after winning a play-off match against Hungary. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Brazil after losing 1–0.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27590899 |title=World Cup 2014: Pele broke Welsh hearts in 1958 – Cliff Jones |publisher=BBC Sport |last=Westall |first=Rob |date=7 June 2014 |access-date=17 May 2020}}

Murphy's attendance at the second leg meant he was forced to miss a match in his other role as assistant manager to Matt Busby at Manchester United. The following night, United played Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup and were travelling back to Manchester via Munich when the team's airplane crashed on the runway at Munich-Riem Airport, resulting in the Munich air disaster which caused 23 fatalities.{{harvnb|Stead|2013|p=166}}{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/munich-air-disaster-plane-crash-manchester-united-a4355526.html |title=Munich Air Disaster: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff |newspaper=Evening Standard |last=Herbert |first=Tom |date=17 February 2020 |access-date=17 May 2020}}

Israel would eventually qualify for their first and only World Cup in 1970, where they were eliminated in the group stage.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/isra-intres.html |title=Israel National Team – List of Official Games |last1=Cazal |first1=Jean-Michel |last2=Bleicher |first2=Yaniv |website=RSSSF |access-date=27 May 2020}}

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

• {{citation |title=Red Dragons – The Story of Welsh Football |last1=Stead |first1=Phil |publisher=Y Lolfa |year=2013 |location=Ceredigion |isbn=978-1-84771-468-8 }}

{{1958 FIFA World Cup qualification}}

{{Israel national football team}}

{{Wales national football team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1958 Fifa World Cup qualification (Caf/Afc-Uefa play-off)}}

Play-off Caf/Afc-Uefa

1958

FIFA

FIFA

qual

Category:Israel national football team matches

Category:Wales national football team matches

Category:1950s in Cardiff

Football, 1958 World Cup qualification

Category:Football competitions in Cardiff

Category:International association football competitions hosted by Israel

Category:International association football competitions hosted by Wales

Category:1950s in Tel Aviv

FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification

Category:February 1958 sports events in the United Kingdom

Category:Association football matches in Wales

Category:Association football matches in Israel