Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The 1948 Olympic Games title was won, impressively, by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.

ummary

Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournamentFact|date=August 2008 but there were exceptional performances put up by Korea and India.Fact|date=August 2008

quads

*Main|Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics - Men's team squads

Competition

The Netherlands and Ireland began the tournament on July 26 at Fratton Park, Portsmouth. Faas Wilkes scored two goals in a 3-1 win. In the first round, which began five days later, the Dutch played Great Britain at Highbury. The game only came alive in extra-time; 5 goals coming in the added time; Britain prevailing by the odd goal in eight, with Ronnie Simpson, who would go on to become the oldest Scottish international debutante in history and one of the Lisbon Lions, in goal.

Yugoslavia (victors over Luxembourg) and Sweden (3-0 winners against Austria) also went through. France did well to eliminate the India, most of whose players ignored the need to wear boots.Fact|date=August 2008Balaram Parab, the inside right, whose trade had been learnt in the Colaba area of South Mumbai, had done well against European touring teams; presented with a pair of boots: he stood out as one of the few that did.Fact|date=August 2008

Sweden's play at White Hart Lane attracted much attention even then. Their forward line contained three exceptional players;Specify|date=August 2008 one of them Gunnar Gren scored a brace in an easy win. There were two goals, as well, for future FIFA World Cup star Zeljko Cajkovski in Yugoslavia's 6-1 rout of Luxembourg, although they were behind at half-time. There were future World Cup stars also on parade in Korea's 5-3 defeat of Mexico and the United States's 9-0 defeat at the hands of Italy. Walter Bahr, Ed Souza, Charlie Colombo and John Souza would, later, find some sort of fame as members of the American team that would beat England at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

In the quarter-finals, Sweden flourished against the Koreans and were similarly dominant against the Danes in the semi-final. Late in the game when Denmark were chasing an equaliser with the score 3-2 to Sweden, Gunnar Nordahl, who had strayed too far forward, raced into the Danish goal when the Swedes counter-attacked their opponent's goal, catching Henry Carlsson's winning goal before it reached the net. In the second semi-final Britain played Yugoslavia at Wembley Stadium going out by 3 goals to 1.

3-1 was also the score in the final, Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Gren's goals proving too much for the Yugoslavians.

Preliminary round

footballbox
date = July 26, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|LUX
score = 6–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32353/report.html Report]
team2 =
goals1 = Gales goal goal
Schammel goal
Kettel goal
Paulus goal goal
goals2 =
stadium = Goldstone Ground, Brighton
Referee: A.C. Williams (ENG)
Attendance: ----footballbox
date = July 26, 1948
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|NED
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32409/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|IRL
goals1 = Wilkes goal|1 goal|74
Roosenburg goal|11
goals2 = O'Kelly goal|52
stadium = Fratton Park, Portsmouth
Referee: George Reader (ENG)
Attendance: 8.000

First round

footballbox
date = July 31, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|YUG
score = 6–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32355/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|LUX
goals1 = Stanković goal|57
Mihajlović goal|61
Željko Čajkovski goal|65 goal|70
Mitić goal|74
Bobek goal|87
goals2 = Schammel goal|10
stadium = Craven Cottage, Fulham
Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)
Attendance: 7.000----footballbox
date = July 31, 1948
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|DEN
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32356/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|EGY|1922
goals1 = K. Hansen goal|82 goal|95
Pløger goal|119|p.k.
goals2 = El Guindy goal|83
stadium = Selhurst Park, South Norwood
Referee: S. Boardman (ENG)
Attendance: 12.000----footballbox
date = July 31, 1948
14:00
team1 = fb-rt|GBR
score = 4–3
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32357/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|NED
goals1 = McBain goal|22
Hardisty goal|58
Kelleher goal|77
McIlvenny goal|111
goals2 = Appel goal|20 goal|63
Wilkes goal|81
stadium = Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Referee: Vald Laursen (DEN)
Attendance: 21.000----footballbox
date = July 31, 1948
15:00
team1 = fb-rt|FRA
score = 2–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32358/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|IND
goals1 = Courbin goal|30
Persillon goal|89
goals2 = Raman goal|70
stadium = Cricklefield Stadium, Ilford
Referee: Gunnar Dahlner (SWE)
Attendance: ----footballbox
date = August 2, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|TUR
score = 4–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32359/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|Republic of China
goals1 = Kılıç goal|18 goal|61
Saygun goal|72
Küçükandonyadis goal|87
goals2 =
stadium = Green Pond Road, Walthamstow
Referee: Johann Beck (AUT)
Attendance: ----footballbox
date = August 2, 1948
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|SWE
score = 3–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32360/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|AUT
goals1 = G. Nordahl goal|2 goal|10
Rosen goal|71
goals2 =
stadium = White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Referee: William Ling (ENG)
Attendance: 9.514----footballbox
date = August 2, 1948
14:00
team1 = fb-rt|KOR
score = 5–3
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32361/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|MEX
goals1 = Choi Song-Gon goal|13
Bai Chon-Go goal|30
Chung Kook-Chin goal|63 goal|66
Chung Nam-Sik goal|87
goals2 = Cárdenas goal|23
Figueroa goal|85
Ruiz goal|89
stadium = Champion Hill, Dulwich
Referee: Leo Lemesic (YUG)
Attendance: ----footballbox
date = August 2, 1948
15:00
team1 = fb-rt|ITA
score = 9–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32362/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|USA
goals1 = Pernigo goal|2 goal|57 goal|88 goal|90
Stellin goal|25|p.k.
Turconi goal|46
Cavigioli goal|72 goal|87
Caprile goal|90
goals2 =
stadium = Griffin Park, Brentford
Referee: Charles de la Salle (FRA)
Attendance: 20.000

Quarter-finals

footballbox
date = August 5, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|YUG
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32363/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|TUR
goals1 = Željko Čajkovski goal|21
Bobek goal|60
Wölfl goal|80
goals2 = Gulesin goal|33
stadium = Cricklefield Stadium, Ilford
Referee: Victor Sdez (FRA)
Attendance: 8.000----footballbox
date = August 5, 1948
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|SWE
score = 12–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32364/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|KOR
goals1 = Liedholm goal|11 goal|62
G. Nordahl goal|25 goal|40 goal|78 goal|80
Gren goal|27
Carlsson goal|61 goal|64 goal|82
Rosen goal|72 goal|85
goals2 =
stadium = Selhurst Park, South Norwood
Referee: Giuseppe Carpani (ITA)
Attendance: 7.110----footballbox
date = August 5, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|GBR
score = 1–0
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32365/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|FRA
goals1 = Hardisty goal|29
goals2 =
stadium = Craven Cottage, Fulham
Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)
Attendance: ----footballbox
date = August 5, 1948
15:00
team1 = fb-rt|DEN
score = 5–3
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32366/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|ITA
goals1 = John Hansen goal|30 goal|53 goal|74 goal|82
Pløger goal|84
goals2 = Caprile goal|50 goal|67
Pernigo goal|81
stadium = Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Referee: William Ling (ENG)
Attendance: 25.000

emi-finals

footballbox
date = August 10, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|SWE
score = 4–2
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32367/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|DEN
goals1 = Carlsson goal|18 goal|42
Rosen goal|31 goal|37
goals2 = Seebach goal|3
John Hansen goal|77
stadium = Empire Stadium, Wembley
Referee: S. Boardman (ENG)
Attendance: 20.000----footballbox
date = August 11, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|GBR
score = 1–3
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32368/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|YUG
goals1 = Donovan goal|20
goals2 = Bobek goal|19
Wölfl goal|24
Mitić goal|48
stadium = Empire Stadium, Wembley
Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)
Attendance: 40.000

Bronze medal match

footballbox
date = August 13, 1948
12:00
team1 = fb-rt|GBR
score = 3–5
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32369/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|DNK
goals1 = Aitken goal|5
Hardisty goal|33
Amor goal|63
goals2 = Præst goal|12 goal|49
John Hansen goal|16 goal|77
J. Sørensen goal|41
stadium = Empire Stadium, Wembley
Referee: Karel van der Meer (NED)
Attendance: 5.000

Final (Gold medal match)

footballbox
date = August 13, 1948
13:00
team1 = fb-rt|SWE
score = 3–1
report = [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/matches/match=32370/report.html Report]
team2 = fb|YUG
goals1 = Gren goal|24 goal|67|p.k.
G. Nordahl goal|48
goals2 = Bobek goal|42
stadium = Empire Stadium, Wembley
Referee: William Ling (ENG)
Attendance: 60.000

Medalists

References

* [http://www.rsssf.com/tableso/ol1948f.html RSSSF Archive]
* [http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197049/index.html FIFA]