Tampere Drama
On an Olympic football tournament in Helsinki in 1952, Yugoslav national team defeated India in the first match with a record 10-1. Interestingly, apart from the score, certain players of the Indian team were barefooted.
The second game against USSR was remembered in history a one of the most dramatic ever played by the Yugoslav team. On June 20th 1952 in Tampere, in front of some 17,000 spectators, Yugoslav team led by 5-1 some 15 minutes before the end, when the Soviet team managed to score a goal. The result on the display hasn't even changed, and it was 5-3!
Yugoslav players began to panic, the fanatic rivals took advantage of it and scored the forth goal, launching a real drama at the end of the match.
During several last minutes of the match, the ball hardly left the Yugoslav penalty box. Vladimir Baera magnificently turned several Soviet shots away, and, when it seamed that he would eventually ensure their victory, in the last minute the ball ended up behind his back - 5-5!
Since the match ended without a winner, they played another one. The Soviet team led by 1-0, but the Yugoslav team, although obviously depressed due to easily missed opportunity in the first match, proved to be better and won with 3-1. Yugoslav national team also defeated the German (3-1) in the semi-finals, but lost the match against Hungary (0-2), headed by Puskas and Kocis, and won a silver medal.
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