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The first FA Cup Final ever played marked the beginning of the world’s oldest national football competition, the FA Cup. You can also have fun with the 1xBet slots before the next decisive match from English football takes place.
The final took place on 16 March 1872 at the Kennington Oval in London, then primarily known as a cricket ground. Only around 2,000 spectators attended. This is tiny by modern standards, but the occasion was historic.
The match was contested between Wanderers F.C. and Royal Engineers A.F.C.. There are thousands of slots at 1xBet that punters can explore once a great English football match finishes.
Wanderers were one of the strongest amateur sides of the era. On the other hand, the Royal Engineers, representing the British Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers, were pioneers of a more organized, passing-based style of play. This was quite advanced for the time.
A very different way to approach the sport
Football in 1872 looked very different from today’s game. Teams often lined up in attack-heavy formations such as 2-2-6 or even 1-1-8. Dribbling runs were more common than structured passing, and tactics were still evolving under the relatively new Laws of the Game established by the The Football Association in 1863. Don’t forget to also have fun with the 1xBet casino login while waiting for a great modern football match.
The final itself was decided by a single goal. In the 15th minute, Wanderers’ Morton Betts, playing under the pseudonym “A. H. Chequer”, scored what would become the first goal in FA Cup Final history. The Royal Engineers pressed for an equalizer, reportedly hitting the crossbar, but Wanderers held firm to win 1-0. You may also want to login to the 1xBet casino to have fun before the next FA Cup final is played.
The victory established Wanderers as early powerhouses of English football. In fact, the champions of the first seven editions of the tournament looked as follows:
- Wanderers, with 5 titles in total;
- Oxford University, with 1 title;
- and the Royal Engineers, with a title of their own in the 1874-75 season.
The Royal Engineers also influenced the tactical evolution of the sport, helping shift football away from individual dribbling toward collective passing play.
Though modest in scale compared to modern Wembley finals watched by millions worldwide, the 1872 final laid the foundation for over 150 years of cup history. It introduced the concept of a national knockout competition open to clubs across England. This was an idea that would inspire similar tournaments across the globe and cement the FA Cup’s place as a cornerstone of football tradition.
