Association football at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Following five withdrawals, the tournament featured three Eastern Bloc teams and four from Asia. The other sides included in the draw were the United States, the United Team of Germany (which was de facto West Germany), Great Britain and the hosts Australia, competing in their first Olympic football tournament.

The tendency of Eastern bloc countries to provide state-funding for their athletes put Western amateurs at a significant disadvantage. As a result, all Olympic football tournaments 1952 onwards were dominated by the Soviet Union and its satellites.^[4][5]

Five of the sixteen qualified teams withdrew before the final draw:   China (who boycotted the Games to protest the reception of Taiwan),   Egypt (who boycotted the Games to protest the Israeli, British and French invasion),   Turkey,   South Vietnam, and the defending Olympic champions and recent World Cup runners-up   Hungary, a nation that was cheered in other Olympic contests due to their ongoing suppression by Soviet troops.

Therefore, only three games were played in the first round: as China and Turkey had been drawn against each other, their match was scratched.

The Soviet Union defeated the United Team of Germany 2–1, Great Britain defeated Thailand 9–0, and Australia defeated Japan 2–0.

Byes: Bulgaria   (drawn against Egypt, who withdrew), India   (drawn against Hungary, who withdrew), Indonesia   (drawn against South Vietnam, who withdrew), United States   and   Yugoslavia (drawn against each other: match was postponed to the quarter-finals).

Yugoslavia defeated the United States 9–1.

Bulgaria led Great Britain 3–1 at half-time, when ratings from HMS Newcastle vaulted the fence and exhorted the team to show more grit, after which they were peacefully escorted off the field. The British team went on to lose 6–1.^[6]

The Soviet Union drew their game against Indonesia 0–0 and won 4–0 in the replay.

The Indians defeated Australia 4–2 with a hat trick by centre forward Neville D'Souza, the first by an Asian in the Olympics. Prior to the game there had been debate, once again, as to whether the Indians should be shod. Sir Stanley Rous respected their decision either way, although in the end, the Indians decided to wear boots. The Indonesian referee disallowed two first half goals. Bob Bignall the Australian captain was unable to get an intelligible reply out of him during the break.

Yugoslavia defeated India 4–1. It would be their third consecutive Olympic final, after losing both in 1948 and 1952.

The Soviets defeated Bulgaria 2–1. Normal time finished 0–0, and Bulgaria scored first in extra time before conceding two goals in the last six minutes of the game.

Bulgaria took Bronze defeating India 3–0.

Yugoslavia were playing Red Star Belgrade's Dragoslav Šekularac in this tournament; he would feature in the 1960 European Nations' Cup final again versus the USSR. They lost 1–0 to a second half Anatoli Ilyin goal, with the Soviet Union winning the title.

There were 53 goals scored in 12 matches, for an average of 4.42 goals per match.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

• Olympic Football Tournament Melbourne 1956, FIFA.com
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