Mar 18, 2008 - 09:57

The Miracle of Bern

A football match that leads to a feature film doesn't happen often. But that is the result of the 1954 World Cup final at the Wankdorf stadium (later renamed Stade de Suisse) in Bern. While the German team was beaten in the first round by Hungary 3-8, fortunes were turned around for the final. Germany succeeded in defeating Hungary 3-2 – ending the Hungarian 13-match winning streak.

Germany thus took home the World Cup for the first time. Hero of the day was Helmut Rahn who scored two goals, including the winning one. The victory was so unexpected that it became legendary. So much so that for the 50th anniversary in 2004 a film, Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern), by Manfred Oldenburg and Sebastian Dehnhardt, was released.

swissinfo