Battle of Bordeaux (1938 FIFA World Cup)

The Battle of Bordeaux (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is an informal name for the World Cup football match between Brazil and Czechoslovakia on 12 June 1938 in the Parc Lescure in Bordeaux, France, one of the quarter-finals of the 1938 World Cup finals. The match had a series of brutal fouls by both sides, due to the lax officiating of Hungarian referee Pál von Hertzka.

Overview

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. The Brazilian Zezé Procópio was sent off after fourteen minutes. The Brazilian Arthur Machado and the Czechoslovak Jan Říha were sent off just before full time.<ref>Glanville, Brian: "The History of the World Cup", Faber and Faber, London. P. 38</ref> It was the first time that three players were sent off in a World Cup match, a record that was equaled 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 from Czechoslovakia suffered a broken right arm and right leg respectively in the mayhem. Their teammate Josef Košťálek was injured in the stomach.

The Czech players celebrating their goal

The match was drawn 1–1 after 90 minutes of full-time, and a 30-minute extra time had to be played. Nejedlý had abandoned the game 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 the extra time. Three other Brazilians, including Leônidas and Perácio, also left the field with injuries.<ref name="day">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="guide">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="playoff">Template:Cite web</ref>

The match eventually ended 1–1 after extra time, and had to be replayed 2 days later, with both teams having to field several reserves.<ref name=day /><ref name=guide /><ref name=playoff /> Brazil won the replay 2–1, eliminating Czechoslovakia and advancing to semi-finals, where they faced eventual champions Italy.

Match

Original match

{{#lst:1938 FIFA World Cup final tournament|QF4}} {{#lst:1938 FIFA World Cup final tournament|Lineups QF4}}

Replay

{{#lst:1938 FIFA World Cup final tournament|QF4r}}

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