The Journey of England in the World Cup Episode 2 (中文)

England had given football to the world. Now the world was coming to England. For years, England had lived with the belief that it belonged among football's greatest nations. The modern game had been shaped on English soil. Its rules had travelled around the world. Its clubs had become part of towns, cities and communities across the country. But on the greatest international stage, England had achieved very little. That was about to change. In the summer of 1966, the FIFA World Cup came to England for the first time. Sixteen nations arrived. Matches would be played across the country, from London and Liverpool to Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. But the heart of the tournament was Wembley Stadium. The old Wembley. Its famous twin towers standing above the entrance. Its terraces filled with expectation. Its pitch waiting for history. England's manager, Alf Ramsey, had already made a prediction that many considered reckless. When he took charge in 1963, he declared that England would win the World Cup. He did not say they might win it. He said they would. Ramsey was not a loud or theatrical man. He was controlled. Serious. Methodical. He believed international football was not won by reputation or individual brilliance alone. It required discipline, organisation, tactical intelligence, and players prepared to sacrifice personal glory for the team. At the centre of Ramsey's England stood Bobby Moore. Only 25 years old, Moore was already captain of his country. He was not the fastest or strongest defender. He did not rely on aggression. Instead, he seemed to read the game before everyone else. He remained calm when others panicked. His tackles were carefully timed. His passing allowed England to build from the back. And his authority did not depend on shouting. Players trusted him. Ramsey trusted him. England trusted him. Behind Moore stood Gordon Banks, one of the finest goalkeepers in world football. In midfield was Bobby Charlton, the survivor of the Munich air disaster. Now, one of England's most powerful and important players. There was Nobby Styles, relentless and fearless. Alan Ball, energetic and tireless. Martin Peters, intelligent and often unnoticed, until he appeared in exactly the right place. Up front, England possessed one of the country's greatest ever goal scorers, Jimmy Greaves. Greaves had scored goals throughout his career with an ease that made finishing look simple. He entered the tournament as England's first-choice striker. But the World Cup would not unfold as expected. England opened the tournament against Uruguay at Wembley. The nation anticipated a celebration. Instead, the match ended without a goal. England, zero. Uruguay, zero. The result was disappointing, but Ramsey did not panic. England's second match came against Mexico. Bobby Charlton opened the scoring with a magnificent long-range strike, sending the ball beyond the goalkeeper and lifting the tension around Wembley. Roger Hunt added another. England won 2-0. The final group match came against France. Roger Hunt scored twice as England recorded another 2-0 victory. England had finished top of the group. They had scored four goals. More importantly, they had not conceded any. But the victory over France came at a cost. Jimmy Greaves suffered a badly gashed leg that required stitches. He would miss the quarter-final. His replacement was Geoff Hurst. At the time, few could have imagined how important that decision would become. England's quarter-final opponents were Argentina. The match became one of the most controversial of the tournament. It was tense, physical, and angry. Argentina's captain, Antonio Rattin, was sent off during the first half. Rattin disputed the decision and initially refused to leave the pitch, leading to a long delay. The atmosphere inside Wembley became increasingly hostile. England eventually found the breakthrough. A cross reached Geoff Hurst. Hurst directed a header into the net. Englan