1974 FIFA World Cup final

1974 FIFA World Cup final
Germany's Gerd Müller (far left) watches Netherlands' Johan Cruyff (centre) playing against team-mates Berti Vogts (2nd left) and Uli Hoeneß (right)
Event1974 FIFA World Cup
Netherlands West Germany
1 2
Date7 July 1974
VenueOlympiastadion, Munich
RefereeJack Taylor (England)
Attendance78,200

The final match of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams, was played at Olympiastadion in Munich, West Germany, on 7 July 1974, and was contested by the Netherlands and West Germany. The tournament comprised host West Germany, defending champions Brazil, and 14 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organized by the six FIFA confederations. The 16 teams competed in the first group stage, from which 8 teams qualified for the second group stage. En route to the final, the Netherlands finished atop Group 3, with two wins and one draw, before defeating Argentina, East Germany, and Brazil in Group A. West Germany finished second in Group 1, after which they beat Yugoslavia, Sweden, and Poland in Group B.

The Netherlands opened the scoring via a Johan Neeskens penalty in the second minute, only for Paul Breitner to equalise with another penalty in the 25th minute before Gerd Müller scored the winning goal in the 43rd minute, claiming West Germany's second FIFA World Cup title.[1]

Five German players (Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer, Wolfgang Overath, Jürgen Grabowski and Horst–Dieter Höttges) became the first in history to have won gold, silver and bronze medals at the FIFA World Cup.

Background

The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth edition of the World Cup, FIFA's football competition for national teams, held in West Germany between 13 June and 7 July.[2][3] West Germany and Brazil qualified automatically for the finals — West Germany as hosts and Brazil as the winners of the previous World Cup. The remaining 14 spots were decided through qualifying rounds held between November 1971 and February 1974, organized by the six FIFA confederations and involving 99 teams.[4][5] In the finals, the teams were divided into four groups of four, with each team playing each other once in a round–robin format. The two top teams from each group advanced to the second group stage, from which they were divided into two groups of four. The top two teams from both groups qualified for the final, while the second–placed teams progressed to the third–place match.[5]

West Germany had won the World Cup once as hosts, defeating Hungary in the 1954 final at Wankdorf Stadium. They had also finished as runners–up, losing to England in the 1966 final, and had reached the third–place match in the previous World Cup, where they won against Uruguay in 1970.[6][7] West Germany and the Netherlands had previously met each other nineteen times; their first encounter was a friendly match in Arnhem in September 1910, which the Netherlands won 4–2. In all-time head-to-head results, West Germany had won sixteen games in contrast to the Netherlands' six, with six draws. This was the first meeting between the two sides in a main tournament stage of either a World Cup or a European Championship. The most recent meeting between the two teams before the 1974 World Cup was a friendly match at De Kuip in September 1966, in which West Germany won 4–2.[8]

The final was held at the Olympiastadion, a 80,000–capacity stadium,[9] in Munich, West Germany, including four other matches at the 1974 World Cup.[10] The match ball used for the tournament was the Adidas Telstar, which was specifically made for the World Cup.[11]

Route to the final

The Netherlands

The Netherlands were drawn into Group 3 for the World Cup, in which they were joined by Uruguay, Scotland, and Bulgaria.[5] In their first group game against Uruguay at Niedersachsenstadion in Hanover on 15 June,[12] the Netherlands won 2–0, with both goals from Johnny Rep.[13] In their next match against Sweden at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund on 19 June,[14] the game ended in a scoreless draw.[15] Their third group game was against Bulgaria in Dortmund on 23 June.[16] Johan Neeskens scored twice via penalties for the Netherlands in the first half, with Rep and Theo de Jong both scoring between the 71st and 78th minutes. Ruud Krol scored an own goal for Bulgaria, but the Netherlands held on to a 4–1 win.[17] In Group A, the Netherlands' opponents in their first match were Argentina at Parkstadion in Gelsenkirchen on 26 June.[18] The Netherlands took the lead after ten minutes when Johan Cruyff received Willem van Hanegem's pass and struck it into the Argentine goal. Krol added a second from a corner kick by Wim Jansen halfway through the first half. In the 73rd minute, Cruyff kicked the ball into the far post, where Rep met with a header to extend their lead. Cruyff scored before the end of regular time to seal a 4–0 victory for the Netherlands.[19] In their next match against East Germany in Gelsenkirchen on 30 June,[20] the Netherlands won 2–0 with goals by Neeskens and Rob Rensenbrink. Their last group game was against Brazil in Dortmund on 3 July.[21]

Netherlands Round West Germany
Opponent Result First round Opponent Result
 Uruguay 2–0 Match 1  Chile 1–0
 Sweden 0–0 Match 2  Australia 3–0
 Bulgaria 4–1 Match 3  East Germany 0–1
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 321061+55
 Sweden 312030+34
 Bulgaria 302125−32
 Uruguay 301216−51
 Final standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 East Germany 321041+35
 West Germany 320141+34
 Chile 302112−12
 Australia 301205−51
Opponent Result Second round Opponent Result
 Argentina 4–0 Match 1  Yugoslavia 2–0
 East Germany 2–0 Match 2  Sweden 4–2
 Brazil 2–0 Match 3  Poland 1–0
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 330080+86
 Brazil 32013304
 East Germany 301214−31
 Argentina 301227−51
 Final standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 West Germany 330072+56
 Poland 320132+14
 Sweden 310246−22
 Yugoslavia 300326−40

Match

Summary

Franz Beckenbauer (left) and Johan Cruyff (right), key players of Germany and the Netherlands respectively

West Germany was led by Franz Beckenbauer, while the Dutch had their star Johan Cruyff and their Total Football system, which had dazzled the competition. The start of the match was delayed as the ground staff at the stadium had removed the corner flags for the tournament's closing ceremony (which preceded the final) but then forgot to put them back. With just a minute gone, Cruyff was brought down by Uli Hoeneß in the German penalty area following a solo run, and the Dutch took the lead from the ensuing penalty by Johan Neeskens before any German player had even touched the ball. West Germany struggled to recover, but they were awarded a penalty of their own in the 25th minute after Bernd Hölzenbein was fouled within the Dutch area. Paul Breitner took responsibility for the kick and scored. These two penalties were the first to be awarded in a World Cup Final. West Germany now pushed for a winner, which eventually came in the 43rd minute through Gerd Müller.[22]

It turned out to be Müller's last goal for the West German team, as he retired from international football after the tournament. As the teams walked off the pitch at half–time, Cruyff was booked for arguing with the referee.[23]

The second half saw chances for both sides. Müller thought he had scored when he put the ball in the net, only to be denied by the linesman flagging for offside. In the 85th minute, Hölzenbein fell to ground in the Dutch penalty area again, but referee Taylor did not believe it was a foul. When the final whistle went, West Germany were crowned world champions for 1974, in addition to their European title from 1972. This was the only case of the reigning European champions winning the World Cup until Spain accomplished the feat in 2010,[24] although France have also held both trophies at the same time by winning the 1998 World Cup followed by Euro 2000.[25]

João Havelange, FIFA President from 1974 to 1998, made an unsubstantiated claim that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed so that England and West Germany would win respectively.[26]

West German defender Berti Vogts declared in 1997 that the penalty awarded to West Germany was unjustified. However, he remains the only player who wanted to comment on it.[27]

Details

Netherlands 1–2 West Germany
 [Report 1]
Attendance: 78,200
Referee: Jack Taylor (England)

Netherlands
West Germany
GK8Jan Jongbloed
RB20Wim Suurbier
CB17Wim Rijsbergendownward-facing red arrow 69'
CB2Arie Haan
LB12Ruud Krol
DM6Wim Jansen
CM13Johan NeeskensYellow card 40'
CM3Willem van HanegemYellow card 23'
RW16Johnny Rep
LW15Rob Rensenbrinkdownward-facing red arrow 46'
CF14Johan Cruyff (c)Yellow card 45'
Substitutes:
GK18Piet Schrijvers
DF5Rinus Israël
MF7Theo de Jongupward-facing green arrow 69'
MF10René van de Kerkhofupward-facing green arrow 46'
FW9Piet Keizer
Manager:
Rinus Michels
GK1Sepp Maier
SW5Franz Beckenbauer (c)
RB2Berti VogtsYellow card 4'
CB4Hans–Georg Schwarzenbeck
LB3Paul Breitner
CM16Rainer Bonhof
CM12Wolfgang Overath
AM14Uli Hoeneß
RW9Jürgen Grabowski
LW17Bernd Hölzenbein
CF13Gerd Müller
Substitutes:
GK21Norbert Nigbur
DF6Horst–Dieter Höttges
MF8Bernhard Cullmann
MF15Heinz Flohe
FW11Jupp Heynckes
Manager:
Helmut Schön

Linesmen:
Ramón Barreto (Uruguay)
Alfonso González Archundia (Mexico)

Match rules:

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra–time if necessary
  • Replay on 9 July if scores still level
  • Five substitutes named, of which two may be used

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World Cup history - West Germany 1974". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 July 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "World Cup: History & Winners". Encyclopædia Britannica. 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1974". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1974 Qualifying". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Yannis, Alex (9 June 1974). "World Cup Soccer to Start Thursday In West Germany With a New Format". The New York Times. p. 9.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Yannis, Alex (7 July 1974). "Dutch and West Germans to Settle World Cup Soccer Supremacy Today". The New York Times. p. 1.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "West Germany takes Cup". Vol. 130, no. 52. Munich: St. Joseph Gazette. Associated Press. p. 34.
  8. ↑ "Germany national football team: record v Netherlands". 11v11. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "A House For The World". Vol. 347, no. 47. Munich: Deseret News. 25 August 1972. p. 15.
  10. ↑ "Olympic Stadium | Football / FIFA World Cup 1974". olympiapark.de. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "The Footballs during the FIFA World Cup™". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Netherlands v Uruguay, 15 June 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Dutch in shutout as Europeans dominate". The Gazette. 17 June 1974. p. 28.
  14. ↑ "Netherlands v Sweden, 19 June 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Frost, Colin (20 June 1974). "Poland roars into round two, 7-0". Windsor Star. Associated Press. p. 34.
  16. ↑ "Bulgaria v Netherlands, 23 June 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Miller, Geoffrey (24 June 1974). "More Scoring Marks World Cup". No. 228. Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. p. 36.
  18. ↑ "Argentina v Netherlands, 26 June 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Dutch demoralise Argentinians". No. 130. The Herald. 27 June 1974. p. 4.
  20. ↑ "German Democratic Republic v Netherlands, 30 June 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Brazil v Netherlands, 03 July 1974". 11v11. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "The greatest World Cup tragedies: Holland 1974". The Score. 6 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "West Germans on top of the World". Glasgow Herald (Page 4). 8 July 1974. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Spain make history in Johannesburg". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 12 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  25. ↑ "France win Euro 2000". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 July 2000. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  26. ↑ "1966 & 1974 World Cups Were Fixed - Former FIFA President". Goal.com. 26 June 2008. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  27. ↑ "Strafschop voor Duits elftal in WK-finale 1974 was 'vergissing'". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 2 January 1997. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
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