THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY
THE CONDITIONS
Bern, 4 July 1954. Pouring rain at the Wankdorf. Hungary's Magyars, unbeaten for four years, against West Germany, with the pitch turning to mud.
THE BOOTS
Adi Dassler, who had founded Adidas in 1949, was West Germany's kit man. He had built a boot with screw-in studs: long for soft ground, short for hard. Before kickoff he went round the dressing room and fitted the long studs. Hungary wore fixed-stud boots.
THE RESULT
West Germany 3–2 Hungary: the Miracle of Bern was, in part, a pair of shoes. The full story is EP06 of The World Cup Universe.
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THE TERRACES — DISCUSSION
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