On 23 May 1954, the world's top-ranked team, Olympic champion Hungary, hosted England at Budapest's Népstadion in a return fixture after their shocking 6–3 victory at Wembley the previous year. England, still clinging to their outdated "WM" formation and complacent belief in their superiority, were utterly outclassed as Hungary delivered a football masterclass, winning 7–1—a result that remains England's heaviest defeat to this day. Goals from Mihály Lantos, Ferenc Puskás (twice), Sándor Kocsis (twice), Nándor Hidegkuti, and József Tóth dismantled the visitors, with Ivor Broadis's late hooked shot providing England's only consolation. England's centre-half Syd Owen famously remarked afterward that it was "like playing people from outer space," highlighting the vast tactical and technical gap between the sides. While the 1953 loss had already sparked calls for reform from figures like Matt Busby and Don Revie, this 7–1 thrashing in Budapest proved that the earlier defeat was no aberration, forcing English football to finally confront its stagnation. The match stands as a landmark moment in football history, symbolizing Hungary's revolutionary 4–2–4 system and the end of England's assumed dominance as the game's birthplace.