Golden Eagles. Football TL.

[Jan Olbracht]

Welcome to my second football TL!

First one is not abandoned. I've planned to start second TL after first is complete, but I couldn't wait, so I'd do the two parallelly.

I hope my second TL to be better, as I've planned it more in advance, unlike first one, which reached further into future that I've originally planned.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Logo of 1974 World Cup, hosted by West Germany

 

[Jan Olbracht]

On 5 January 1974 in Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks in Frankfurt, 11 years old Detlef Lange decided future of football. 16 teams, qualified for 10th edition of World Cup, were drawn into 4 groups. 4 of them-host nation West Germany, title holder Brazil, finalists Italy and fourth team of previous cup-Uruguay, were seeded teams. Hosts and title holders were automatically placed in Groups 1 and 2. Geographically teams were divided into 4 pots:

4 Groups, drawn by hand of Detlef Lange, were:

Group 1) West Germany, Bulgaria, Argentina, Haiti

Group 2) Brazil, Belgium [1] , Spain [2], Zaire

Group 3) Uruguay, Netherlands, Poland, Australia

Group 4) Italy, East Germany, Chile, Scotland

For the first time new format was used-group winners and runners-up would not advance to knockout stage, like at previous tournament, but would compete in second group stage.

[1] That is first change-Belgium and Sweden switch qualification groups, that allows both Belgium and Netherlands to advance, at cost of Sweden

[2] Spain won play off against Yugoslavia.

 

[QTXAdsy]

1974 Scotland was perhaps the best Scotland team there was but had the worst luck of not losing a game yet going out early. Hope things are different here.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

1974 Scotland was perhaps the best Scotland team there was but had the worst luck of not losing a game yet going out early. Hope things are different here.

Without doubt. Interesting thing is Scotland eliminated Czechoslovakia on the way to 1974 and 1978 World Cup, and in meantime Czechoslovakia won Euro 76.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Treebeard needed to remind me something-I was too hasty, of all things I should not butterfly away German-German match at 1974 World Cup.

Final version is-Belgium replaced Sweden, not East Germany, Groups 2 and 4 are edited.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Group 1 included host nation West Germany, Bulgaria, Argentina and debutants Haiti. Main favourutes to advance-West Germanyand Argentina-faced each other in first match of that group. Hosts took lead early, scoring goal in 18th minute, and had several opportunites to double the lead, but failed to convert any of them into goal. South Americans thus kept chances to equalize score and almost succeeded during dying minutes of the match, hitting bar and post. Second match of that round ended with Bulgaria's 3-0 victory against Haiti. For Bulgaria it was first victory in their 10th match at World Cup [1].

Both favourites won their next matches-Argentina defeated Bulgaria 2-1, while West Germany hammered Haiti 7-1. West Germany's impressive victory started with shocking goal for Haiti. Emmanuel Sanon scored first goal for Haiti at World Cup, giving his team 1-0 lead. Loss of goal unleashed fury of West German team. Hosts responded with 7 goals and Bayern Munch' striker Gerd Müller impressed the world, as he scored 5 of them, becoming first player, who scored 5 goals in single match at World Cup.

Gerd Müller at World Cup 1974. West German striker set new record, scoring 5 goals in single match.

Victory by margin of 6 goals practically guaranteed West Germany's advance to next round, sealed by victory over Bulgaria in last match of group stage. Argentina followed as runner-up, with two victories and one loss [2].

[1] Still better than OTL series of 17 matches at World Cup without victory.

[2] Popular theory is, that West Germany lost intentionally to East Germany to avoid Netherlands in second round. Sounds like smart move, except for the fact, that losing, of all rivals, to East Germany, caused massive outrage in West Germany. *Here* West Germany practically has no chance to not win the group after hammering Haiti 7-1. They would need to be hammered by Bulgaria themselves to avoid first place. Also, loss to East Germany, besides giving West Germany easier route to the final IOTL, helped to redefine the team.

Don't worry about Cold War classic, it would happen, just later down the line...

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Group 2 included defending champion Brazil, Belgium, Spain and African debutant Zaire.

Brazilians were not shining like 4 years earlier in Mexico, but draw with Spain and victories over Belgium and Zaire gave team first place in the group. Belgium followed as runner-up. Belgians defeated Zaire and Spain and lost only against title holders, having quite bad luck in that match, as Belgium created more scoring opportunites and besides Jairzinho's brilliant shot, that put Brazil ahead, World Champion rarely were able to break through Belgium's tight defense. Spain finished third, despite having best goal difference thanks to impressive 8-0 victory against Zaire.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Group 3, which included Uruguay-fourth team of previous World Cup, Netherlands, Poland and debutant Australia, was dominated by two European teams, which quickly became revelations of the tournament. Poland and Netherlands, teams, that narrowly missed previous tournament, advanced to the World Cup for the first time since 1938. Poland, which was not considered as football powerhouse, surprised the world eliminating England, 1966 World Cup winner. Netherlands brought to international stage philosophy of Total Football, mastered at club level by Ajax Amsterdam.

Poland and Netherlands decisively won their first two games before their encounter in last round of group stage' matches. At that point both teams secured advance to the next round and had only first place in the group to compete for. Netherlands needed only draw to win the group, but managed to defeat Poland 2-1. Cruyff put Netherlands ahead near end of first half and doubled the lead just after interval, Poland responded with goal scored by Grzegorz Lato, Poland's best scorer at the tournament. It was first goal conceded by Netherlands at that World Cup and only one conceded during first group stage, as Poland failed to find equalizer. At the same time Uruguay defeated Australia 2-1. Australians lost all 3 matches in their debut, but at least managed to score their first goal at World Cup.

Kazimierz Górski, coach of Polish national football team from 1971 to 1976. Under his leadership Polish national team advanced to the World Cup after 36 years long absence.

Johan Cruyff, key player of national team of Netherlands at 1974 World Cup and most famous exponent of Total Football philosophy.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Chile, East Germany and Scotland competed in group 4 with Italy, finalists of previous tournament.

Runners-up of previous World Cup started their campaign with 0-0 draw with Chile. South Americans were able to hold Italy, to goalless draw mostly thanks to excellent form of defender Elias Figueroa. Other match of that round ended with Scotland's 3-2 victory over East Germany after thrilling game-Scotland took lead first, then was goal down before end of first half, to eventually regain the lead before final whistle.

Elias Figueroa, man, who stopped Italy, playing for Chilean national football team.


Next round of matches brought Italy's 1-0 victory over Scotland and East Germany's 2-1 victory over Chile-it was East Germany's first victory at big tournament.

Scotland struggled to break Chilean defense in last round, but eventually won 2-0 after two late goals, securing advance to second round of the tournament. Italians needed just draw with East Germany to join Scotland, but in their last match they suffered unexpected defeat. East German midfielder Jürgen Sparwasser put his team ahead, scoring only goal of that match. Second team of 1970 World cup was eliminated from the tournament. Scotland and East Germany advanced to second round [1]

[1] Thus there are two World Cup curses broken-Scotland can advance past first round and Germans can defeat Italy (well, just if these Germans happen to be from GDR ).

 

[Jan Olbracht]

8 teams advanced to second group stage:

Group A) West Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, East Germany

Group B) Argentina, Brazil, Poland, Scotland

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Second group stage was innovation of 10th edition of FIFA World Cup. Group winners and runners-up of first round advanced to two groups. Winners of these groups advanced to the final, runners-up wuld decide third place between themselves.

Group A included winners of groups 1 and 3 ((West Germany and Netherlands) and runners-up of groups 2 and 4 (Belgium and East Germany).

Netherlands continued their victorious streak and started second round with 2-0 victory over East Germany, meanwhile West German team for the first time failed to win a match at the tournament-Belgium held hosts of the World Cup to 0-0 draw. Christian Piot, goalkeeper of Belgian team, who saved Uli Hoeneß' penalty, was hero of that match.
Failing to defeat Belgium hosts could not afford to lose match against Netherlands, most feared team in that group. But Cruyff and company once again proved to be unstopable. Netherlands took the lead after just 2 minutes, thanks to penalty converted by Neeskens. West Germans came from behind, also scoring goal from penalty converted by Breitner in 25th minute, but Cruyff [1] put his team ahead again before end of first half. Netherlands won 2-1, and needed only a draw in last match against Belgian team, which in the same round of matches defeated East Germany 2-0.

Last round of matches in group A brought two noteworthy games: Low Countries' derby and German-German match. Belgium, which needed to win against Netherlands to advance to the final, adapted counter-intuitive defensive tactic and rarely attacked, confusing opponents, who expected different kind of game. Surprisingly such tactic happened to be effective against Dutch Total Football. Belgium held Netherlands to a draw almost to the end of the game and during dying minutes of the match punched rivals with Verheyen's goal, scored in 89th minute [2]. Belgium's cantenaccio unexpectedly stopped Totall Football and gave Belgium advance to the final.

Christian Piot, goalkeeper of Belgium national team. His saves helped Belgium to reach final of 1974 World Cup.

On the same day after tense game with politics in the background West Germany defeated East Germany 2-1. Already eliminated East German team was very motivated to end tournament with victory over western neighbour and happened to be tough opponent for host nation, which lost chance to reach the final, but still had chances to advance to third place play off. Jürgen Sparwasser, whose goal eliminated Italy from the tournament in previous round, gave his team lead in 77th minute. West Germany responded with two goals scored by Gerd Müller, for whom it was 6th and 7th goal scored at the tournament. But due to result of Belgium-Netherlands match West German victory over East Germany happened to be only consolation victory for the hosts.

West Germany vs East Germany at World Cup 1974. Two German teams faced each other for the first time at senior national team level.

[1] There is no pool party before West Germany-Netherlands match. Cruyff would be in better form.

[2] It is based on OTL match between these teams in World Cup qualifications in November 1973. Difference is that goal for Belgium is not dissallowed.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Winners of groups 2 and 4 (Brazil and Scotland) and runners-up of groups 1 and 3 (Argentina and Poland) formed another group of second round. Brazil wasn't as strong as it was 4 years earlier in Mexico, but was still seen as favourite of Group B. Defending champions started second with match against Argentina and defeated South American rivals 2-1. In the same round Poland tied with Scotland 2-2. Poland took 2-0 lead after goals scored by Szarmach and Deyna, but failed to hold it until final whistle-within last 15 minutes of match Scotland came back thanks to Jordan's two goals.

After first round of matches in group B Brazil was on good way to reach final, as all other teams in that group lost points, but then came a match regarded as most important 0-0 drawin Scotland's history. Scotland held World Champion to 0-0 draw. That day Brazil lost lead in the group, as Poland defeated Argentina 3-2, taking 2-0 lead after just 8 minutes thanks to goals scored by Lato and Szarmach and thanks to poor performance of Argentina's defense. Argentina recovered after initial shock and had chance to equalize score, but Poland hold the lead until final whistle.

Grzegorz Lato scores goal against Argentina.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-N0615-0029 / CC-BY-SA 3.0


Brazil needed to defeat Poland to reach the final, as Poland has more goals scored. But it was Poland that scored only goal in second encounter between these teams at World Cup level. Goal scored by Grzegorz Lato in 76th minute happened to be victorious one. Brazil suffered first defeat at 1974 World Cup, defeat, that costed them final.

Polish players celebrating goal scored against Brazil.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-N0706-0039 / Mittelstädt, Rainer / CC-BY-SA 3.0

On 3 July it was excepted, that teams, that would advance to the final and third place play-off would be decided, but due to heavy rainfall, that changed Waldstadion in Frankfurt into swamp, match between Scotland and Argentina was moved to the next day [1]. And it happened, that it was only third place play off at stake in that game, as Poland secured first place in the group with victory over Brazil.

Waldstadion in Frankfurt, 3 July 1974. Due to heavy rainfall match between Argentina and Scotland, intended to be played at Waldstadion that day, was moved to 4 July.


Match between Argentina and Scotland, played on 4 July, ended with 1-1 draw-Larimer and Kempes scored for their teams within first 20 minutes. With such result Willie Ormond's team reached second place in group B and advanced to third place play off.

[1] In OTL there was match played on that swampy stadium between winner of group 4 and runner-up of group 1 (in OTL these were Poland and West Germany), infamous "Match on the Water". If there were other teams than Hosts involved, match would not be played likely, without pressure of West German Football Federation and media.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

So final and third place play off are:

Belgium v. Poland

Netherlands v. Scotland

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

Great TL Jan!...after all in this ATL WC 1974, argentinian performance slightly was better than the original and that's good...due in OTL march 1974 manager Enrique Omar Sivori, tired that argentinian club didn't give the players to train for the World Cup, resigned only 3 months before the cup...and in his reeplacement, a triumvirate of managers was appointed...three guys that discussed and were angry each other, contradicting each other, and even if a player received an indication from one of the managers, then another one of the managers would come, and give another indication at the back of the other managers!

The worst was that they called players that met each other in the field! even in friendlies played in one position and then in world cup were put in another place...and that happened in OTL, a disaster! total disorganization with a squad that is considered (individually) better than Argentina showed up in 1978, but amidst improvisation

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Great TL Jan!...after all in this ATL WC 1974, argentinian performance slightly was better than the original and that's good...due in OTL march 1974 manager Enrique Omar Sivori, tired that argentinian club didn't give the players to train for the World Cup, resigned only 3 months before the cup...and in his reeplacement, a triumvirate of managers was appointed...three guys that discussed and were angry each other, contradicting each other, and even if a player received an indication from one of the managers, then another one of the managers would come, and give another indication at the back of the other managers!

The worst was that they called players that met each other in the field! even in friendlies played in one position and then in world cup were put in another place...and that happened in OTL, a disaster! total disorganization with a squad that is considered (individually) better than Argentina showed up in 1978, but amidst improvisation

I've watched highlights from Poland-Argentina at '74 recently and I must say Carnevali is to be blamed for at least two goals. Quite poor performance for a guy who played more than 600 league matches. Was it just bad day or he had some crisis at the time?

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

I've watched highlights from Poland-Argentina at '74 recently and I must say Carnevali is to be blamed for at least two goals. Quite poor performance for a guy who played more than 600 league matches. Was it just bad day or he had some crisis at the time?

Carnevalli, the people who watched him play, says that he was a really good GK...his "advantage", among Independiente gk "pepe" Santoro, Hugo Gatti, or a young Ubaldo Fillol, was that he was playing abroad. Perfumo was an experienced defender, but he was almost near retirement, playing in Brazil, but no one really knew about his level, there was little info about argentinian players' level abroad, only by the prestige... and they occupied the position that local players had in team, generating anger and mistrust as well.

That's why Menotti in 1978 only called Kempes from abroad, the other one df Osvaldo Piazza from St Etienne, quit to play two months before, due a terrible car accident that almost costed the lives of his wife and his baby.

I guess Carnevalli had a bad day, and things might happened in the dressing room that put him nervous...the same as Kempes, that he missed an incredible chance against Tomaszewski, when the match was not still defined.

Carlos Babington told that in argentinian camp, aside the improvisation, there was other factors like some guys from the union trade - peronists - interrupted several times the training, to talk about the struggle between them and Montoneros leftists, a thing totally unnecesary, but they cannot do anything about.

 

[Jan Olbracht]

I guess Carnevalli had a bad day, and things might happened in the dressing room that put him nervous...the same as Kempes, that he missed an incredible chance against Tomaszewski, when the match was not still defined.

That day Carnevalli was like Loris Karius during 2018 Champions League final.



BTW looking at Argentinian players I started to wonder-were long hair required to be chosen to play in Argentinian national team?

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

That day Carnevalli was like Loris Karius during 2018 Champions League final.

Indeed! i remember watching that on TV when I was a kid - during some world cup replaying in late 80s early 90s - and saying, "he was horrible"...but my father telling me Carnevalli had a bad afternoon, that he was a good goalkeeper...

BTW looking at Argentinian players I started to wonder-were long hair required to be chosen to play in Argentinian national team?

Hahaha, it was the fashionable the long hair..., until 1970 if you were caught with long hair, you probably ended in a police station and the policemen would make to you a nice hair cut, so it was kinda rebel as well. Argentinian rock was at that time between the fine line of being massive and being watched as subversibe(local rock bands massiveness would became in early 80s onwards), and even local pop groups had long hair...if you had it short, it was kinda likely you would have made the military service some time ago...like Kempes in 1975. Of course el "ratón" Ayala put long hair in another level

 

[Jan Olbracht]

Netherlands and Scotland faced each other in third place play-off on 6 July at Olympiastadion in Munich. For Scotland advance to knockout stage was seen as big sucess. Same thing could not be said about Netherlands-Cruyff and company, who were minutes from advancing to the final. In other circumstances Netherlands would be obvious favourite to win match against Scotland, but in third place play off better motivated Scottish team prevailed, coming from behind to win 2-1. Ruud Krol opened the score just before end of first half, Joe Jordan equalized 10 minutes before final whistle and then, of dying minutes of match, Scotland's captain Billy Brenmer gave his team lead and third place at 1974 World Cup.

Billy Brenmer, captain of Scottish national team at 1974 World Cup. He lead his team to the 3rd place at the tournament and scored victorious goal in third place play-off against Netherlands.
Nationaal Archief Fotocollectie Anefo