CENTRAL EUROPE WINS BY 3-1
— Vittorio Pozzo | 21/06/1937 —

Fifty thousand spectators and over a million in proceeds — Top brand play and balanced actions — Olivieri and Piola among the best in the field — Rava replaced Schmaus.

The great event organized by the International Federation delivered what it promised in terms of interest. Fifty thousand people present, the whole European football world — including the English — mobilized, and 105,000 Dutch guilders collected, which means the tidy sum of a generous million lire.

On the field, a show full of vivacity and contrasts and also interesting, from a technical point of view, if one takes into account that a test of great cohesion and harmony was not, a priori, to be expected from such improvised and promiscuous teams.

PIOLA SOUL OF THE TEAM.

The team from central Europe won, and the victory takes on the decisive aspect of an Italian half-success, if we consider the contribution given by the Azzurri to the cause: five men on the field at the start of the match, which became six out of eleven after a little more half hour of play.

A few coefficients of great importance decided on the victory of the central players over the western players: the greater practical spirit and greater precision of the forwards, the more marked ability to fight of all the men in Central Europe and the different behavior of the two goalkeepers. The "central" forwards carried out a number of attacks much lower than those of their "Western" colleagues but they had the rare virtue of always showing themselves dangerous whenever they were fully launched.

They didn't tinker, they didn't do vain things, they didn't try to embroider: they aimed at the point. The first architect of this marked practical characteristic imprinted on the attacking work: Piota. And with him the Hungarian right wing Sas. Piola was the true soul and at the same time the true practical instrument of the attack. He opened the meeting with an individual prowess, which stunned all those present and which almost gave the central players their first success; and from then on he was a constant source of headaches for the opposing defense.

The famous German half-back rolled up his sleeves and set about guarding him; he didn't succeed. He saw it slip away almost every time. In the second half, the Italian's game became tighter and more measured and somewhat lost effectiveness, but Piola remained one of the best men on the pitch and the first two points that found an excellent performer in Sas started from two personal actions by him. The entire central team showed itself to be more combative, tougher than the opponent.

Without resorting to violence or any impropriety — that the match was masterful in terms of chivalry and conduct of the players — it was tougher in hand-to-hand combat, stronger in the execution of its intentions, more resolute in the explication of its will. Lastly, goalkeeper Jakob the German did good things, but missed the chance intervention of the first point, missed the exit in the second, touched, but not stopped, the ball in the third. Olivieri, the Italian, immediately parried two extraordinarily difficult balls from Braine at the start, stopped a cannon shot from Smit that seemed unstoppable in the second half.

A more decisive intervention would perhaps have prevented the point of the Westerners; there was a risk of breaking an arm given the situation; and certain risks, when you win by three to zero, three minutes from the end of the game, it's madness to take them.

SYSTEM CONTRAST.

It is not a sin to show restraint or intelligence in certain situations. All in all, given the remarkable parity of value of the two teams and the greater number of attacks conducted by the Westerners, the impression is not out of purpose that, by changing places to the two goalkeepers and making them behave led, the result could also have been the reverse of what it was.

It is not a sin to show restraint or intelligence in certain situations. All in all, given the remarkable parity of value of the two teams and the greater number of attacks conducted by the Westerners, the impression is not out of purpose that, by changing places to the two vortieri and making them behave led, the result could also have been the reverse of what it was.

Contrast of systems, it has been said. Many contrasts were seen in this meeting, in which men of all schools, of all styles, of all tendencies and temperaments operated.

The Westerners played — better said, they tried to play — the English way: centre-half converted into third full-back, wing-halfs moved to the centre, half-wingers back. In the disposition of the men on the field, one could see the dictates of the German Nerz, loyal to the British school. It happened that this system aroused the impression of greater order and greater method in the first half, but that in the second half it neither gave results nor aroused any impression. Of the fact that, in midfield, the wingers were always marked, the "central" took full advantage and the "western" full-backs had a bad time. The attack, for its part, was completely inaccurate in the climactic moments of the actions, the main culprits were the Dutch Bakhuys and Smit and the German Lehner, men who nevertheless regularly did excellent things in attack.

Hats off to Braine, who was possibly the best man on the pitch. The barrage of his shots, his feints, his displacements in the first half hour of the game are things that are not forgotten.

Ranking, merit in the "Western" team if we can speak of a ranking: Braine, Kitzinger, Caldenhove. Delfour ended the game well.

"Central" team: on one line, in terms of performance, Piola, Sas, Sesta, Olivieri. The start of the match by the half-back Lázár was scary, vice versa his recovery was excellent. Serantoni did not let his wing do anything.

After that, a few words on the course of the meeting, which was attended by the Prince Consort of Holland.

Piola's prowess at the start with an interception on the fly from a long center and a dry shot that Jakob miraculously saved. Long dominance of "the West" with Braine putting on a one-man show. In the 16th minute Nejedlý serves Piola who, moved towards the left, reaches almost the bottom line and then hits the ball. Sas heads back and scores, while Jakob is displaced. One to zero.

On the 37th minute Rava replaces the Austrian Schmaus who has already been limping for some time due to a fortuitous blow to his foot. Equality of play in the last ten minutes.

The game has just begun, in the second half, Piola attracts two or three opponents to himself and then serves long, forward, Sas. The Hungarian shoots away happily, and, having arrived in front of Jakob who has exited with uncertainty, sends the ball into the net, above his head. Two to zero. Prevailing attacks by the ocidentals which culminate in numerous missed shots. Spectacular save, high by Olivieri, up, one of Smit's few right shots. In the 14th minute Joachim replaces Paverick, victim of a slight sprained foot. In the 29th minute, following an attack by the centrals, Sas crosses to the opposite wing, Nejedlý shoots low and Jakob touches but does not hold the ball which ends up in the net. Three to zero.

Now Central Europe dominates and plays confidently. With three minutes left to go, Smit shoots hard and crosswise, up, to the right, Rava jumps but can't intercept with his header and Bakhuys pops up underneath him, who you'll only find in front of the goalkeeper. Olivieri comes out and dives, but the Dutchman who has the advantage of half a meter on the ball, sends into the net. Three to one.

The West persists until the end without being able to further reduce the disadvantage and a long and courteous applause greets winners and losers at the final whistle.