Revisiting Classics — 1974 FIFA WC Final ‘West Germany vs Netherlands’

As a football history buff, I have always been fascinated by the great teams of the past. Two such teams, West Germany and Netherlands, came face to face in 1974 at the grandest of all stages. While I was aware of the key takeaways from their meeting, it was the finer details that got me curious. Why are Cruyff and Beckenbauer considered so great? What was so unique about the Dutch? What made Muller so successful in front of goal?

In order to find some of these answers, I watched the match (that took place two and a half decades before i was born) and tried to document my observations alongside.

Back Story

West Germany was the reigning European Champion. The scoreline for the 1972 Euro final read 3–0 in favor of the West Germans, such was their dominance in the tournament. Yet somehow, even in their own backyard, they were the underdogs going into the World Cup Final. And not many could argue against it, for they were up against one of the most flamboyant and revolutionary sides modern football had ever witnessed. Led by their talismanic captain Johan Cruyff, the Dutch had moved the footballing world by storm with their Total Football in 1974.

In 1954, West Germany surprised everyone by miraculously defeating the Hungarian Golden Team in the World Cup final. Over the next two decades, they established themselves as a major footballing power. During this period, they reached three WC semi-finals and ended up losing the 1966 Final to England in extra time. Then came the 1972 Euros, where the West Germans put on a magnificent display of attacking football inspired by Gunter Netzer’s masterclass. With the 1974 World Cup being held in West Germany, hosts were under tremendous pressure to win the tournament. Heightened security alert put in place post the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack only made the matters worse for them.

Unlike West Germany, Netherlands hadn’t been a traditional superpower up until that point. Apart from the Olympics, they had failed to qualify for any major international tournament since the Second World War. They were on the brink of missing out of the 1974 World Cup too had it not been for a controversial offside decision that allowed the Dutch to qualify at the expense of an inspired Belgium side on the final day of qualification. After they had qualified, Rinus Michaels was appointed to manage the Dutch side. Michaels had introduced the concept of Total Football to the world during his time at Ajax and bringing him on board turned out to be a masterstroke.

Match Preview

Under Rinus Michaels’ management and Johan Cruyff’s leadership, the Netherlands had a dream run entering into the final. Apart from a draw against Sweden in the first round, they won all their games with a difference of at least two goals. This included a 4–0 thrashing of Argentina and a 2–0 victory over defending champions Brazil. Prior to the final, they had scored 14 goals in the tournament, letting away just one in their own net. However, it wasn’t just about the goals they scored. Total Football, at its very core, worked on the principle of manipulating space to your advantage. Maximize the space available when the ball is with you and minimize it when the opponent has the ball. This simple thought when practiced to perfection captured the imagination of football romantics across the world.

West Germany, on the other hand, suffered a major setback in the first round. They lost 1–0 to their less illustrious neighbors East Germany, who were making their World Cup debut. As group runners-up, they entered the second round of the tournament where they finally got things under control. In an all-European group, West Germany won all their matches, including a tough 1–0 victory over Poland’s golden generation.

The World Cup Final came with different sets of opportunities for both teams. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride since 1954, West Germany wanted to bury the ghosts of 66 and 70. And lifting the trophy at home would have been the perfect way to do it. For the Dutch, it was an opportunity to cement their place as one of the greatest teams in football history. At the same time, they were motivated to one-up their Western European neighbors who had bitterly humiliated them during the Second World War.

This was also going to be a battle between two golden generations that dominated club football in the early 70s, Ajax and Bayern Munich. Cruyff, Neeskens, Rep, Krol, Haan, and Suurbier were a few names from Ajax that were representing the Netherlands. Their West German counterparts from Bayern Munich included Beckenbauer, Muller, Hoenes, Breitner, Schwarzenbeck and Maier. Feyenoord (Rijsbergen, Jansen, van Hanegem) and Borussia Monchengladbach (Vogts, Bonhof) too had noteworthy representation on the pitch.

Lineup

Netherlands

GK Jan Jongbloed (8)

RB Win Suurbier (17)

CB Wim Rijsbergen (17)

CB Arie Haan (2)

LB Ruud Krol (12)

DM Win Jansen (6)

CM Johan Neeskens (13)

CM Willem van Hanegem (3)

RW Johnny Rep (16)

LW Rob Rensenbrink (15)

CF Johan Cruyff (14)

West Germany

GK Sepp Maier (1)

RB Berti Vogts (2)

CB Franz Beckenbauer (5)

CB Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck (4)

LB Paul Breitner (3)

CM Rainer Bonhof (16)

CM Wolfgang Overath (12)

AM Uli Hoenes (14)

RW Jurgen Grabowski (9)

LW Bernd Holzenbein (17)

CF Gerd Muller (13)

First Half

The match started off with a bang. After a couple of passes deep in the Dutch half, the ball was taken over by Cruyff who found himself with a lot of space around the halfway line. He slowly started making a run towards the West German defense and instantly caught pace after a few strides forward. It appeared as if the West Germans were giving too much respect to the Dutch and tried not to disorient their defensive line by going after the ball. As a result, he ran past his marker, and by the time other West Germans came close, Cruyff found his way into their penalty box. The defense was caught off guard and in a desperate attempt, Hoeness fouled Cruyff, earning the Netherlands a penalty. Neeskens calmly converted it, giving the Dutch lead within the first two minutes of the final.

West Germany 0–1 Netherlands (2nd minute)

Even after the goal, the Dutch were in complete control of the game. They looked very comfortable with the ball at their feet and kept interchanging positions constantly. With their sumptuous passing and movement, it would take them the slightest of effort to break into the West German third. During those moments, the Dutch looked more interested in demonstrating their brand of football while making a mockery of the West German effort in front of their supporters. Once in the final third, they weren’t trying hard enough to finish the attack with a goal.

Meanwhile, the West Germans caught hold of their defense after the initial shock. They narrowed down spaces and became more physical in their approach. This was evident by the yellow card Vogts received for fouling Cruyff three minutes into the match. Despite the warning, the West German right back stuck to his role of man-marking Cruyff, even if it meant moving significantly out of position. While attacking, the West Germans showed urgency in their movement, trying to quickly get the ball from defense to attack. But any visible opportunity was easily thwarted off by the Dutch.

Throughout this while, West German left-back Breitner seemed the most dynamic player on the field for the hosts. He was constantly getting involved in the build-up and trying to get the ball forward, while also fulfilling his defensive duties. Muller, meanwhile, was putting pressure on the Dutch defense. The West Germans slowly started having more and more possession with Overath gaining control of the play.

Around the 24th minute, West Germans got hold of the ball deep in their own half and started a counterattack. Overath played a lofted pass to Holzenbein on the left flank. With Breitner overlapping him, Holzenbein was able to deceive his marker and run into the Dutch penalty area. This time the visitors were caught off guard. Jansen made a sliding tackle which resulted in Holzenebin taking a fall. The referee decided to award a penalty, a decision still debated among fans regarding the plausibility of contact. Under this high-pressure situation, 23-year-old Breitner came forward and calmly converted the penalty, leveling the game for the hosts.

West Germany 1–1 Netherlands (25th minute)

Breitner’s equalizer left the Dutch in shock. For the first time in the tournament, their lead was broken. Their game started losing its appeal and players became much more physical. Cruyff had been subdued by Vogts, not allowing him any space to attack. As a result, the Dutch captain was forced to go deep in order to have any impact on the play. Full-backs Krol and Suurbier were making good use of the space they got on their respective flanks. But even the chances created were easily put off by Beckenbauer and his men. Apart from a good save against a 2 vs 1 counterattack, Maier was rarely troubled in the first half.

West Germany on the other hand got a major boost from the goal. Beckenbauer, who had been the most composed player throughout the game, was starting every attack. West German wingers were showing urgency and kept troubling the Dutch with their pace. Grabowski, especially, was very crafty with the ball.

Approaching the halftime mark, West Germany did the unthinkable. Hoeness’ through ball found Bonhof on the right flank who ran forward and passed to Muller in the center. Losing his marker, Muller reached for the ball. After his first touch, the ball seemed to have gotten away from Muller. With the goal to his back, he took his left foot forward to get near the ball and in the most unnatural manner swung his right foot (opposite to the direction his body was moving). A helpless Jongbloed saw the ball go past him in the net for the second time.

West Germany 2–1 Netherlands (43th minute)

The Dutch found themselves in uncharted territory, as for the first time they had to play catch-up. Going into the half-time break, Cruyff had an argument with the referee that got him a yellow. His frustration was indicative of the momentous task they had at hand.

Second Half

Despite the uphill task, the Netherlands started the second half in a very positive manner. PSV winger Rene van de Kerkhof was brought on to replace Rob Rensenbrink. He brought more energy to the Dutch attack, who were now moving the ball forward with purpose. Full-backs were again playing a big role.

West Germans had cooled off by now. Unlike the first half, they weren’t fighting hard for every ball now. Dutch were easily able to get the ball forward, but the defensive line maintained its compactness, with midfielders joining for support. On one occasion, Breitner had to make a goal-line save of a Dutch corner attempt. But they continued with the occasional attack, mostly led by wingers. Muller managed to find the net once again, only to be deemed off-side.

On the 69th minute, the Netherlands suffered a huge blow when center-back Rijsbergen (unable to continue) had to be substituted for midfielder Theo de Jong. This aggressive substitution was indicative of what was to come ahead. With only 20 minutes to run things around, the visitors started panicking. In a do-or-die situation, the serene and intricate passing had to make way for a flurry of long balls into the West German half. Instead of spreading across the field, they were pushing men forward in numbers. Their game had become the antithesis of Total Football and its principles.

Both the keepers were made to work hard during the last 20 minutes. Rep took the lead with some good shots towards the West German goal. Even Cruyff, who was kept quiet throughout, had a couple of chances. But most of the balls entering West German territory were just catapulted back, with Muller being the only West German chasing them. Jongbloed, towards the end, had turned into a sweeper-keeper. He too had to make some crucial saves.

After a minimal period of added time, the referee blew the final whistle. West Germany had become World Champions for the second time.

Final Score West Germany 2–1 Netherlands

Key Battle — Cruyff vs Vogts

Entering into the World Cup, Johan Cruyff was a 2-time Ballon d’Or winner (an award he would win again) and was the precipitant of a record-breaking transfer move from Ajax to Barcelona. Alongside his 3 goals, Cruyff’s most memorable moment in the World Cup was dribbling past Jan Olsson of Sweden using a maneuver we today call the ‘Cruyff Turn’. In order to win the final, West Germany had to keep Cruyff under control, and they had the perfect man to do so. Nicknamed Der Terrier, Berti Vogts was part of Borussia Monchengladbach’s golden generation that won 5 Bundesliga titles. Known for his consistency and tenacity, he held the national record for representing West Germany in 34 consecutive full games.

In the final, Cruyff had a blistering start that led to his team’s opening goal. But from there on, Vogts man-marked him throughout the game. As soon as Cruyff received the ball, Vogts was there to intervene. Within the 3rd minute itself, he received a yellow card for fouling Cruyff. But Vogts stuck to his approach. Occasionally, Cruyff would take his time and get past Vogts. However, by the time he did this, other West German players would have stepped in. As a result, Cruyff was forced to go deep in his own defense to make a contribution. To his surprise, Vogts followed him there too. Cruyff had always been the creative force driving the Netherlands. With him subdued, the visitors were unable to play their natural game.

Man of the Match — Gerd Muller

Scoring over 700 times for his club and country, Gerd Muller was a goal machine. For 32 years, he held the all-time goal-scoring record in FIFA World Cup. As confident as the Dutch were when they started the game, Muller’s reputation in front of goal couldn’t be taken for granted.

From the very beginning, Muller started pressurizing the Dutch defense. Very similar to his current Bayern namesake, he had the ability to get lost in the shadows and suddenly appear when the opposition least expected it. And this was happening in the match despite Neeskens constantly marking him. His movement forced the Dutch to push forward quickly, not allowing them to make the perfect pass.

Throughout his career, Muller was known for his goal-poaching abilities. But if the final was any indicator, there was more to his game. With the West Germans finding it difficult to breach into Dutch half initially, Muller would himself get involved in the build-up play. He would drop deep to collect the ball in the center and then send it long to either of the flanks for the wingers to make a run forward.

In his book Tor! The Story of German Football, Uli Hesse mentions how in reality the Dutch and West Germans were very much alike. He wrote —

“The only major difference was that Gerd Muller was no Johan Cruyff, just a super-reliable finisher. And that was not exactly a draw-back, as one would see.”

These words were aptly justified by the unconventional goal that Muller scored in the 43rd minute by defying laws of physics. The goal’s beauty lied in its ugliness; it was a quintessential Gerd Muller goal. It would also turn out to be his last one for Die Mannschaft, finishing with 68 international goals in just 62 appearances.

Final Thoughts

Had the final been a boxing match with four quarters equating four rounds, the Dutch would have won 3–1. Unfortunately for them, football doesn’t work that way. One moment of brilliance can decide a 90-minute game. The Netherlands had theirs very early in the match which got leveled. West Germany came up with one, courtesy of Gerd Muller, which ended up being the decider.

It was quite visible that the Netherlands weren’t at their best on the day of the final. Even then, there were instances that left you in awe of their game. The positional fluidity was best seen through Arie Haan, a center-back on paper, who was constantly making runs into the West German penalty.

The West Germany team that won the Euro 72 was very similar to this Dutch side, with Gunter Netzer as their equivalent of Cruyff. But they could have never beaten the Dutch in their own game. As a result, Wolfgang Overath was preferred over Netzer to bring in more pragmatism to the side. Substance had to make way for style.

The phrase ‘history is written by the victors’ doesn’t work best with the game of football. It’s been over 40 years since the two sides came face to face. Despite not winning the world cup, that Dutch side became an integral part of footballing folklore. Some might even say that losing the final helped in growing their legend beyond the merits of victory or defeat. While the winning West German team is remembered as one of the most successful, it pales down in comparison to the romanticism attached with Johan Cruyff and his men.