Switzerland 1954
Switzerland hosted the 1954 World Cup and were swept up in one of the most extraordinary matches the tournament has ever produced. In the quarter-final against Austria, played in scorching heat in Lausanne, the two sides combined for 12 goals Switzerland scoring five but conceding seven in the Hitzeschlacht von Lausanne, the highest-scoring match in World Cup history. Josef Hügi scored twice, but the Swiss defence wilted in the heat. The hosts had earlier beaten Italy 2-1 in a group-stage result that sent shockwaves through football. Switzerland's quarter-final appearance was a creditable result for the host nation, and the 1954 tournament remembered above all for the Miracle of Bern was considered a great organisational success that cemented Switzerland's reputation in world football.
