WORLD CUP 1974

A record ninety-nine teams entered the tenth World Cup, to be held in West Germany in 1974. Again there would be sixteen teams, but FIFA decided to scrap the quarter-finals and semi-finals and place the last eight teams into two second round groups of four. The winners of these groups would meet in the final and the runners-up in the third place match.

Group A saw a historic match between hosts West Germany and World Cup debutants East Germany, their only ever meeting. After wins over Chile and the other newcomers Australia, West Germany were already through but East Germany needed a result to be sure, and scored a late goal to seal a famous 1-0 win. Group B came down to goal difference after Yugoslavia, Brazil and Scotland all drew with each other. All three teams beat whipping-boys Zaïre, but it was Scotland who paid the price for not scoring enough as they went out after only beating the Africans by two goals.

In their first World Cup since before the Second World War, the Netherlands were amongst the favourites with a star-studded team, and they comfortably won Group C with wins over Uruguay and Bulgaria. Only Sweden could hold them, and that result took them through in second place behind the Dutch. Surprise qualifiers Poland were extremely impressive in Group D, winning all their games against Argentina, newcomers Haiti and Italy. Argentina and Italy were very closely matched for second place and unlike in 1970, a lack of goals cost Italy as the Argentinians went through by virtue of having scored two more goals.

In the second round, Group One appeared to be the stronger of the two, with the Netherlands and reigning champions Brazil both beating Argentina and East Germany to set up a group decider. With a better goal difference, the Dutch only needed a draw to reach their first final but with Brazil a pale shadow of the 1970 team the Netherlands won comfortably 2-0. Group Two took a similar pattern with West Germany and Poland winning their first two matches against Sweden and Yugoslavia to set up a decisive match, in effect a semi-final. After a half-hour delay caused by the state of the pitch and a missed penalty by West Germany, a single goal from Gerd Müller took the hosts into the final.

After Poland beat Brazil 1-0 for third place, the Netherlands took the lead in the final after just one minute. Winning a penalty before their opponents had touched the ball, Johan Neeskens scored to put the Dutch ahead. Midway through the half West Germany won a penalty of their own, the two spot-kicks being the first two ever in a World Cup final. Paul Breitner scored to level the match at 1-1, and on the stroke of half-time Müller scored to give the hosts the lead. The Dutch piled on the pressure in the second half, but could not find a way through and West Germany had their second world title, twenty years after the first.