Germany's 1954 World Cup winners 'were doped'

BERLIN, Germany — Germany's legendary 1954 World Cup winning side are said to have been injected with the banned substance methamphetamine, a new university study has revealed.

Germany lifted their first World Cup title in Berne, Switzerland, when they beat Hungary 3-2 in the final and shocked the eastern European side led by the legendary Ferenc Puskas, but the study claims the winners were doped.

Despite highly-fancied Hungary taking a 2-0 lead after just eight minutes, underdogs Germany fought back at Berne's Wankdorf Stadium with winger Helmut Rahn scoring twice, including hitting the 84th-minute winner.

The study, published on Monday, says the team, dubbed 'the heroes of Bern', believed they received vitamin C injections before the final, but were actually given methamphetamine, a substance given to German troops in World War II.

The study by Leipzig University, called 'Doping in Germany' and funded by the German Olympic Committee, is due to be published in 2012 and reveals doping was first used in high-level sport in West Germany as early as 1949.

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