(2). Sweden 1958 The qualification process for the 1958 FIFA World Cup saw FIFA split up the Home Nations for the first time, with Wales drawn into Group 4 with Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Their qualifying campaign started off well, with a goal from Roy Vernon proving the difference in a 1–0 win over Czechoslovakia in Cardiff, but a 2–1 loss to East Germany in Leipzig and a 2–0 defeat to Czechoslovakia left Wales bottom of the group going into the final match at home to East Germany on 25 September 1957. Goals from Des Palmer and Cliff Jones gave Wales a 3–0 lead going into half-time; Manfred Kaiser pulled one back for the East Germans, but it proved to be too great a margin to overcome, and Palmer completed his hat-trick to give Wales a 4–1 win and put them level on points with Czechoslovakia at the top of the group. A win for East Germany over Czechoslovakia by the right scoreline the following month would see Wales qualify as group winners for their first World Cup. In the end, Czechoslovakia beat East Germany by the same scoreline as Wales had (4–1), consigning Wales to second place in the group and ending their World Cup qualifying journey. However, elsewhere in qualifying, Israel had reached the final round of qualifying without playing a single match as a result of their opponents pulling out for various political reasons. FIFA ruled that no team other than the hosts and holders could qualify without playing any matches, so they ordered a qualification play-off against one of the second-placed European teams. Belgium were drawn first, but refused to participate; Wales were the next team drawn, and so a two-legged play-off was scheduled for early 1958. Wales won each leg 2–0, giving them a 4–0 aggregate win. Wales' manager at the time was Manchester United assistant manager Jimmy Murphy; the second leg of the Israel play-off was scheduled for the same day as Manchester United's European Cup quarter-final against Red Star Belgrade, which Murphy missed to lead his country, a decision that might have saved his life – the Manchester United plane crashed in Munich on the return journey from Belgrade in an incident that killed 23 people, including eight Manchester United players and three members of the club's staff. At the finals tournament, Wales were drawn in Group 3 along with 1954 finalists Hungary,