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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales |
| Dates | 8 October 1960 – 15 April 1961 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 40 (6.67 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | (7) |
1961–62 → | |
The1960–61British Home Championship internationalfootball tournament saw a series of high scoring games, with 40 goals scored in six matches.England took the British title after a final match at Wembley in which they put nine goals pastScotland, who returned with three of their own. Teams in this period frequently fielded as many as five strikers, hoping to outscore opponents rather than rely on heavy defence. This tactic paid dividends, particularly for England, whose haul of 19 included seven forJimmy Greaves, whilst bothBobby Charlton andBobby Smith each scored in each of England's three games.
England had begun the tournament well, winning 5–2 againstIreland in Belfast, whilst theWelsh beat a tough Scottish side at home. Welsh hopes of tournament success were disabused in their second match, where England took them apart 5–1, whilst the Irish were again on the reverse of a heavy defeat, losing 5–2 in Glasgow against Scotland. In the tournament's final games, Wales beat Ireland 5–1 to claim second spot, leading to England and Scotland's dramatic finale.
Players at the tournament included a medley of stars from the 1950s, and young players who would take the 1960s by storm. This line-up includedDanny Blanchflower andPeter McParland for Ireland,Ivor Allchurch andJohn Charles for Wales,Denis Law andDave Mackay for Scotland and an England team includingBobby Charlton,Johnny Haynes,Jimmy Greaves andBobby Robson, some of whom would later win the1966 FIFA World Cup.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 0 |