The Battle of Bordeaux (, , ) is an informal name for the 1938 FIFA World Cup quarter-final tie between Brazil and Czechoslovakia on 12 June 1938 at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux, France. The match had a series of brutal fouls by both sides due to the lax officiating of Hungarian referee Pál von Hertzka.
Match Summary
At the match, which also opened the rebuilt Stade du Parc Lescure, Brazil took the lead 1–0, with Czechoslovakia equalizing on a penalty kick for ball handling by Domingos da Guia. Zezé Procópio was sent off after fourteen minutes, while Arthur Machado and Czechoslovakia's Jan Říha were sent off just before full time.Glanville, Brian: "The History of the World Cup", Faber and Faber, London. P. 38 It was the first time that three players were sent off in a World Cup match, a record that was equalled at the Battle of Berne 1954 between Hungary and Brazil, and exceeded at the 2006 World Cup match between Portugal and Netherlands. Captain František Plánička and Oldřich Nejedlý suffered a broken right arm and right leg respectively in the mayhem, while Josef Košťálek was injured in the stomach.
The match was drawn 1–1 after 90 minutes of full-time, and a 30-minute extra time had to be played. Nejedlý had been ruled out before the end of regulation time due to his injury, but Plánička stayed at the Czechoslovak goal in pain through the rest of the second half and extra time. Three other Brazilians, including Leônidas and José Perácio, also left the pitch with injuries.
Details
GK WalterRB Domingos da GuiaLB Arthur Machado RH Zezé Procópio CH Martim (c)LH Afonsinho OR LopesIR RomeuCF LeônidasIL José PerácioOL HérculesManager:Adhemar PimentaGK František Plánička (c)RB Jaroslav Burgr LB Ferdinand DaučíkRH Josef KošťálekCH Jaroslav BoučekLH Vlastimil KopeckýOR Jan Říha IR Ladislav ŠimůnekCF Josef LudlIL Oldřich NejedlýOL Antonín PučManager:Josef Meissner
Linesmen: Giuseppe Scarpi (Italy) Charles de la Salle (France)
Aftermath
Because of the troubling effect of the first game, both teams had to make many changes to their line-ups for the replay (nine for Brazil and five for Czechoslovakia). Czechoslovakia took the lead through Vlastimil Kopecký in the 25th minute, but in the second half, stand-in captain Leônidas levelled the score for Brazil. Soon after, the referee disallowed a goal by Karel Senecký, despite the Czechoslovak players stating that it had crossed the line. The European representatives continued to attack following that moment, leaving space for the Brazilians to swiftly counter, which debutant Roberto took advantage of to score his nation's second goal. Brazil won and advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced eventual champions Italy.
See also Battle of Berne (1954 FIFA World Cup) Brazil v Poland (1938 FIFA World Cup) Brazil at the FIFA World Cup Czech Republic at the FIFA World Cup Slovakia at the FIFA World Cup
References
Match reports