1960 European Nations Cup - France

A first for Lev Yashin's USSR

Swedish forward Kurt Hamrin (R) battles for the ball with a Soviet defender in front of goalkeeper Lev Yashin (L) during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Sweden and the USSR 19 June 1958 in Stockholm. Hamrin scored one goal to help Sweden beat the USSR 2-0. AFP PHOTO/PRESSENSBILD

Portraits taken in the early 1960's of three of the players selected to participate with the USSR's national soccer team to the World Cup taking place in Chile from 30 May to 17 June 1962. (From L : Igor Netto, Slava Metreveli, Lev Yashin) AFP PHOTO

The USSR deservedly won the inaugural European nations Cup, held in France, by pipping Yugoslavia to the title 2-1 after extra time. The Soviet win, it was widely believed, was down to the team's outstanding goalkeeper Lev Yashin, aka the "black spider".

The physically-imposing figure of Yashin, dressed from head to toe in black and wearing his habitual Kabala cap, mesmerised the dispersed public (only 17,966 spectators) in Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, the theatre of what would turn out to be a memorable final.

Yashin was at his best that day, alternating between extra sweeper and defensive midfielder, going up the park himself at times and delivering inch-perfect throw-outs and goal-kicks to his front men. Unknowingly, Yashin was in the process of creating a goalkeeping role that, until then, had evolved little.

Just before half-time Yashin let his guard down, gifting the Yugoslav striker Milan Galic an opportunity to score. The USSR equalised shortly after the interval through Slava Metreveli and were forced to wait until extra time, and a decisive header by Viktor Ponedelnik, before finally winning the match in the 113th minute.

A disappointing competition

Igor Netto, the captain of a team deemed solid though not brilliant, thus stepped up to receive the first Henri-Delaunay Cup at the end of a competition that, in sporting terms and the popularity it subsequently generated, was rather disappointing.

After a first round which only assembled 17 teams - the British, West Germany, Italy, Belgium and Holland forfeited the tournament - the final stages involved only four teams. Four matches was hardly enough to seduce the French public.

Moreover, France, without the magic trio of Raymond Kopa, Roger Piantoni and Just Fontaine (all injured), were submereged in another one of their disillusionary periods.

The previous being the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (France came 3rd), when Czechoslovakia replied five times to France's four goals (5-4). To make matters worse, France then succumbed to its "bogey team", Yugoslavia, in a match to determine third place in Marseille (0-2).

Did you know ? - 1960

Portrait du secrétaire général de la Fédération française de football (FFF), Henri Delaunay, pris dans les années 20. Henri Delaunay a été notamment à l'initiative de la création du Championnat d'Europe des Nations, dont la première édition s'est déroulée en France en 1960.

WAIT: Europe would have to wait 31 years before the idea of a competition between the big European footballing nations was born. In 1927, Henri Delaunay, the general secretary of the French football federation, left a proposal for the organising of a European nations Cup on the desk of FIFA. In 1958-60, 17 countries agreed to participate, although England, Scotland, West Germany, Italy, Sweden, Holland and Belgium refused.

Brazilian forward Garrincha (C) bumps into French goalkeeper Claude Abbes (R) as defender Raymond Kaelbel (L) looks on during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Brazil and France 24 June 1958 in Stockholm. Brazil beat France 5-2 to advance to the final. AFP PHOTO

TEAM SPIRIT: The day after France's semi-final defeat against Yugoslavia (5-4), the majority of the media were quick to blame the French goalkeeper, Georges Lamia. Lamia, tired of having the finger pointed at him, was equally quick to set the record straight : "On the third goal Rodzik, Vincent and Marcel all looked at each other and hesitated, the ball followed through and the next minute I was standing alone faced with three Yugoslavs. I've got as much esteem for Herbin, but he wouldn't be angry with me if I said that, with the experience of Kaelbel or Jonquet, we would never have conceded five goals in such an important match."

TEAM SPIRIT 2: Far from being angry with the French goalkeeper, the young Robert Herbin, winning his first full cap for his country, accepted his number 1's critique : "We made him (Lamia) carry most of the burden of our defeat. It's not justified. The truth is that we all packed in," he admitted.

DUPLICITY: The brilliant forward for the Czechoslovakian team, 29-year-old Vlastimyl Bubnik, only had a handful of caps under his belt. The reason ? Along with his football career Bubnik also enjoyed major success as an ice-hockey player in the national team. Considered his country's best player, he took part in the Winter Olympic Games held in Squaw Valley in 1960.

PASTIMES: While waiting to meet the Yugoslavs in the final, players from the Soviet team found a number of hobbies to keep them occupied while staying at their residence near Chantilly. The defender Kroutikov chose to listen to Gypsy music records, while Katchaline played table tennis with Apoukhtine. Poneldelnik made the most of his spare time by studying the mechanics of French cars, while the others spent their afternoons cycling on an old bike they found in a hangar, or playing dominos.