YUGOSLAVIA 5 - ENGLAND
0 England's World Cup hopes - so recently dimmed by their mediocre 2-1 victory
over Portugal - slumped even further when the national team crashed to a
shattering 5-0 defeat against Yugoslavia in Belgrade on Sunday May 11.

Clear favourites at the start of the match, the England team - who are scheduled
to play Russia in Moscow on May 18 - floundered and fumbled as the Yugoslavian
team, relishing the heat which had rocketed to 90 degrees in the shade, cut
holes in the weary England defence. It was their greatest humiliation since the
Hungarians crushed them 7-1 in 1954.

Cheered on by the 62,000 crowd that had packed into the Army Stadium, the home
side dominated the game from the start and "three or four changes" in the
England team were forecast at the end of the match. If anything, the defeat
showed the true tragedy of Munich which robbed the England team of one of it's
greatest defenders, Duncan Edwards.

For England, the first half held grim promise of the disaster to follow.

Although kept to a one goal lead scored by Milutinovic after 23 minutes, the
Slavs also had three goals disallowed for offside, hit the bar once, saw two
brilliant saves by Hopkinson, and missed three more by inches.

England's only hope of a goal came ten minutes from time when Finney chased a
long ball from Haynes and was twice clawed off the ball as he dashed into the
penalty area.

The story remained unchanged in the second half. Brilliantly led Kretic,
Yugoslavia continued to play brilliant football and it was after 56 minutes that
Petakovik finished off a three-man move to drive the second goal past Hopkinson.

For the next ten minutes the blue-shirted Slavs played pat-a-cake football that
completely baffled the England defence and had the huge crowd roaring their
approval.

Then came the goal rush that had been threatening. Between the 77th and 86th
minutes, Petakovik beat Hopkinson twice more and then Vesalinovic brought the
total to five. Commenting, England manager, Walter Winterbottom, said, "It was
the worst exhibition by an England team that I have ever seen. I only with that
the other members of the team had played with Wright's spirit".

His comment was prompted by the outstanding display by Wright against
Milutonovic - rated by many on the sportswriters to be the best centre-forward
in Europe. Only the hard tackling of the England captain kept this dangling Slav
down to a single first-half goal.

TEAMS: Yugoslavia: Bears, Sljakavic, Crakovic, Kretic, Ze???, Bonkev; Petakovic,
Veselinovic, Milutinovic, Selularac, Pasic.

England: Hopkinson, Hove, Langley, Clayton, Wright, Slater, Douglas, Charlton,
Fevan, Haynes, Finney.