![]() ![]() The 1974 World Cup introduced “Total Football” to the world, a free-flowing brand of soccer that was the antithesis of Italian catenaccio.”Total Football” was a system whereby a player who moved out of his position was instantly replaced by a fellow teammate, thus retaining the team’s intended organizational structure. It was billed as a battle between Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, but it was the goal-poacher Gerd Muller who made the difference with his winning strike for the Germans. No match at the 1974 tournament came close to equalling the tension of the dramatic final between these two powerhouses. West Germany’s 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the final. Lato finished as the competition’s top scorer with seven goals and was the main reason why the Poles finished in third-place. ![]() The ace winger was the revelation of the competition, scoring at will as he led Poland to victory over teams the calibre Italy, Argentina and Brazil. Highest scoring game: Yugoslavia’s 9-0 win over Zaire on June 18Īverage attendance: 46,685 MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT Top scorer: Poland’s Grzegorz Lato (7 goals Germany eventually won and Beckenbauer, who had lost the 1966 final and a heartbreaking semifinal four years earlier against the Italians, lifted the new World Cup trophy. Its pride stung, the Netherlands came out firing in the second half, but as time passed, Cruyff became less and less of a factor, his influence stifled by Vogts, and the Dutch had no more answers for the steely German defence. Always in the right place at the right time, Gerd Muller dragged the ball back into his path and swept it past the Dutch goalkeeper. Two minutes before halftime Germany’s Rainer Bonhof sped down the right side before delivering a cross into the box. No matter, though, as Paul Breitner drilled the ball past Jan Jongbloed in the 25th minute. English referee Jack Taylor pointed to the penalty spot, but the Dutch accused the German winger of diving. Bernd Holzenbein breezed down the left wing and glided into the penalty area where he was tripped by Wim Jansen. Germany, to its credit, did not lose faith, and marshalled by Beckenbauer, it fought back and made the Netherlands pay for their indulgence. The message was clear from Cruyff and his cohorts: merely beating the Germans wasn’t enough, they wanted to humiliate them. Johan Neeskens converted the ensuing penalty kick and the Netherlands were up 1-0 after only two minutes.įor the next 20 minutes, the Dutch toyed with their opponents, mocking the Germans with their slick passes and insolent possession, making them chase the ball in vain. Cruyff left Berti Vogts for dead and the German defender brought the Dutch stylist down inside the penalty area. After an amazing first minute where the Germans didn’t even touch the ball, Cruyff began a purposeful and ambitious run deep inside Germany’s end. The Netherlands had Germany running ragged from the opening kickoff. the Netherlands was the match that everybody wanted to see, the two celebrated practitioners of “Total Football” going head-to-head. ![]() The 16-team field was still divided into four groups, but this time a second group stage replaced the knockout quarterfinal round: the top two teams in each group would then be placed into two groups of four with the winners meeting in the final. “Total Football” came to full fruition at the 1974 competition in West Germany, marking a new era in World Cup history. Featuring the likes of the incomparable Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens, the Dutch mesmerized fans and opponents alike with an attacking brand of soccer known as “Total Football.” The West Germans, guided by Franz Beckenbauer, subscribed to a more conservative yet equally effective interpretation of the revolutionary scheme. Brazil’s samba soccer and Italian catenaccio were spent forces, while a new style of play, which emphasized the inter-changeability and versatility of players, ruled the global game, as did its greatest advocates, West Germany and the Netherlands. ![]()
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