Silver Road and Golden Stripes, Yet Another Football TL

[Wings]

With so many upsets in the first round, eyes were all on Brazil for the opening of the Quarter-Finals. However, it wouldn't be them who choked at this stage. Indeed, the Brazilians would go on to beat Colombia twice. Sweden on the other hand completely floundered against Romania, conceding two defeats in a row, shocking the world. The lower bracket was quite similar. All eyes were now on the USSR who played against a strong Yugoslavia, however, there was really no contest. Although Yugoslavia held a draw in Zagreb, the Soviets left the Yugoslavs no chance in the return leg. Spain however, who had an easier matchup against East Germany, were seen out of sorts in both games, and left the Germans to head towards their first ever semi-final.

The Soviets and Yugoslavs battle it out in Moscow as the Soviets advance to the Semi-Finals

 

[shadow]

I bet East Germans are over the moon at getting to the semifinals. However I fully expect Brazil to win the whole thing.

 

[scretchy]

while the Mannschaft drew to Romania in Leipzig

Leipzig was in East Germany.
Sad to see them going out in the first round after being so good the last years.

 

[Wings]

I bet East Germans are over the moon at getting to the semifinals. However I fully expect Brazil to win the whole thing.

They certainly are ! As for Brazil they have their work cut out for them, let's see if it works.

Leipzig was in East Germany.
Sad to see them going out in the first round after being so good the last years.

Damn, rookie mistake. I'll correct it to Stuttgart

 

[Wings]

The Semi-Finals were awaited by many, as the road had been litterred with upsets along the way. However, this stage of the competition would see none of them. Brazil would leave absolutely no chance to Romania, absolutely dismantling the eastern european squad. The Soviet-GDR confrontation was closer, much closer however. In Moscow, the Soviets could only watch as the Germans held them to a draw, and in East Berlin, the Soviets found themselves fighting an uphill battle as the germans led the dance 2-1 until 10 minutes before the end of the game. A salvation goal from Muntyan would come however, sending the Soviets to the final on away goals.

Muntyan scores an 81st minute goal to send the Soviets towards the final

 

[Wings]

With the final being in Colombia, it was a surprise to no one that the Estadio Olimpico in Cali was filled with Brazilian fans, with only a small contingent of 300 fans coming from the Soviet Union. Brazil headed into the game perfectly as they dominated the Soviet camp from the first minute of the game. It wasn't long before Pele found the back of Kavazashvili's net, scoring the first goal of the final, and the last of his international career. Brazil then went on to double their lead ten minutes later, Rivelino taking advantage of the inexperience of the Soviet defense to score another. The Soviets wouldn't go down without giving Brazil a proper fight, although they very much struggled to find a dent in the Brazilian defense. Three minutes after Rivelino's goal however, a corner kick was awarded to the Soviets, with Soviet captain Shesternyov heading in a goal for the Soviets, their only shot on target of the game. On the other hand Brazil continued to struggle to find a third goal and both teams left on a 2-1 scoreline at half-time. The second half would see Brazil utterly dominate the Soviets. Forced back onto their 30 meters, the Soviets stood no chance and conceded goal after goal as Rivelino, Pele and Tostao wreaked havoc in the soviet defense. The final whistle came as almost a blessing as the Soviets conceded a 5-1 defeat to the Selecao. This would mark an end of an era for Brazil, as Pele would retire from international play, winning Brazil's sixth Nations League trophy, the last for at least a decade.

Spoiler

Soviet defenders protest as Brazil is awarded a free kick in the first half of the game

Brazil celebrate their 4th goal of the game, speeding towards another title

Brazilian players and fans rejoice after the victory

 

[Wings]

Winners: Brazil - 6th title
Top Scorer: Pele (BRA) - 6 goals

1971-72 Participants:
Europe: West Germany (17), England (17), Poland (2), Italy (16), Hungary (17), Soviet Union (14), Yugoslavia (14), Portugal (6), Spain (16), East Germany (6), Belgium (3), Scotland (16), Czechoslovakia (14), Sweden (13)
South America: Brazil (17), Argentina (17)

Final Location: Heysel Stadium, Brussels
Bracket Order:
Poland v Portugal
Brazil v Scotland
Italy v Spain
England v East Germany
Yugoslavia v Sweden
Hungary v Czechoslovakia
Soviet Union v Argentina
West Germany v Belgium

 

[Wings]

After Uruguay's reclamation following the 1970 edition of the tournament, a meeting was called in Aigle to reform the competition. The competition already proved to be an ideal ground for replacing friendly matches between big nations, and it was decided to expand the tournament with the FIFA Cup, a competition for lower-ranked teams. As such FIFA would create a ranking, the FIFA ranking, which would decide allocated places for the Nations League (Top 16) and the FIFA Cup (an analogue to OTL's UEFA Cup, ranks 17-48).
Additionally, no restrictions would be placed between teams of the same continents, meaning the continental brackets would be abolished. This would prove to be the format the cup would stick with, although the number of teams and rounds would vary over the years.
(Note: I will not be detailing the results of the FIFA Cup until 2002 for simplicity's sake but I will give a brief overview of its results in a post after the final of each Nations League tourney)

1971-72 FIFA Cup Participants:
Europe: Austria (1), Netherlands (1), Bulgaria (1), Romania (1), France (1), Northern Ireland (1), Switzerland (1), Israel (1), Denmark (1), Wales (1), Greece (1)
South America: Paraguay (1), Uruguay (1), Chile (1), Peru (1)
North America: Mexico (1), Haiti (1), Costa Rica (1)
Africa: Egypt (1), Zaire (1), Morocco (1), Guinea (1), Tunisia (1), Ivory Coast (1), Congo (1), Ghana (1), Nigeria (1)
Asia: North Korea (1), Burma (1), China (1)
Oceania: Australia (1)

Bracket Order:
Mexico v Guinea
Israel v Zaire
Australia v Tunisia
Northern Ireland v China
Austria v Burma
Romania v Ghana
Switzerland v Greece
Chile v Ivory Coast
Peru v Costa Rica
Uruguay v Haiti
Netherlands v Congo
Egypt v Denmark
Bulgaria v Nigeria
Paraguay v Morocco
North Korea v Ivory Coast
France v Wales

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

So, two competitions, double the fun!

Any chances of increasing the number of nations playing in the League?

 

[Wings]

So, two competitions, double the fun!

Any chances of increasing the number of nations playing in the League?

It will eventually happen, but following OTL's precedents, it won't happen until 1997 where it will be expanded to 32 teams.

 

[Wings]

The first edition of the new Nations League format went underway, with South America opening the hostilities, this time against a european squad. With the loss of Pele, Brazil were still eager to prove they were top contenders despite losing Pele. However, against a weak Scottish squad, the Brazilians didn't show much of an impressive show, and qualified with bear minimums. They will have to contend with a ravenous Poland in Quarters, who brushed aside Portugal with ease. In Europe stil, Italy kept on disappointing, with yet another defeat, to Spain this time around. England on the other hand managed to squeeze in a narrow victory against the GDR.
Sweden and Hungary weren't expected to win their games, but they ended up doing so anyways. Both encounters, with Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, were close, but both teams took advantage of the home leg to secure a victory and a qualification. Finally, Argentina eliminated last year's finalists the Soviet Union by a show of force in Buenos Aires, advancing to meet West Germany in Quarters, who easily handled Belgium.

Polish players walk off the pitch happy after securing a victory against Portugal in Lisbon (3-2).

Belgian and German players in action in Brussels (1-2).

 

[Wings]

Poland kicked off these Quarter-Finals with a big statement. Brazil were clearly inferior from last year, but it was felt against Poland, as the Poles managed to grab two goals without Brazil being able to respond. Brazil would win their home leg, but only by a single goal, letting Poland through to their first ever semi-finals. There they would meet England, who managed to defeat Spain both at home and away, against most odds.
In the bottom half of the bracket, no upsets happened. Hungary did manage to hold Sweden to a draw in Stockholm and valued their chances during their own home leg, but ended up conceding the victory anyways. As for Germany, they also fell during their away leg against Argentina, but grabbed a decisive home win to force a Semi-Final against Sweden.

Lato scores Poland's first goal against Brazil during Poland's home leg against the Selecao.

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

Just a quick note - the England vs Spain aggregate score doesn't add up

 

[Wings]

Just a quick note - the England vs Spain aggregate score doesn't add up

Good catch, the return leg is 2-0 for England, overall is 3-0 England.

 

[Wings]

With Brazil out of the picture, Poland were coming up strong against a weaker England. However, Poland couldn't confirm their winning trend against the three lions at all. In Warsaw, the Poles looked way out of their depth and struggled against England, barely holding a draw. At Anfield, it was a massacre. Poland couldn't force anything anywhere and found itself down 3-0 after only 60 minutes. England were overjoyed and therefore made their first final since 1968.
West Germany on the other hand got really scared in Stockholm. Despite a dominating performance, the Swedes had a deadly efficiency in front of goal, and despite being down in possession, still grabbed a win. Germany were not so kind to let the Swedes do what they wanted in Hamburg, and swept the floor with the Swedish side, qualifying for the final of the Nations League yet again.

Poland in action against England in Anfield (1-3).

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

England-Germany... me likes it.

Go Germany, Go!

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

England-Germany... me likes it.

Go Germany, Go!

Given how poor the England team of 1972 was OTL I think you will have a pleasant outcome. Stuffed out of sight by West Germany at Wembley then deciding to play for a draw in Berlin.

 

[Wings]

For the first time since 1968, an all-European final was to be decided in Europe, and coincidentally, that was also the last time England made it to a Nations League final. The Heysel Stadium in Brussels was packed with fans from both sides, wanting to watch either side win their second ever title. West Germany were the heavy favorites, and it showed. England found themselves heavily on the back foot in the first half, with Uli Hoeness and Gerd Muller's synergy being an absolute headache for England. Still the Three Lions stood, and managed to hold our for the first half. England even managed to get the upper hand during the first part of the second half, sending their first shot on target courtesy of Francis Lee at the 58th minute, albeit it was stopped by Sepp Maier. The Mannschaft then turned it around once more, and the Englishmen never found the German box again. However, the English continued to hold despite the attempts by Muller, Hoeness and Netzer to get past the red wall, and it therefore went into overtime. It was then that England finally cracked, with Gerd Muller scoring not even two minutes past the start of overtime. The English didn't have much of a fight left, and the German striker expertly made it two five minutes later. The second half was a formality for the Mannschaft, who controlled the pace of the game and made sure England had no chance to deny them their second title.

Spoiler

Heinz Flohe's shot is parried by the English red wall as England holds during the first half of the final.

German and English players battle it out as the second half ends

Gerd Muller looks on to intercept the ball headed towards the English goal to make it 2-0 for West Germany.

 

[Wings]

Winners: West Germany - 2nd title
Top Scorer: Gerd Muller (FRG) - 5 goals

1972-73 Participants:
Europe: West Germany (18), Italy (17), England (18), Poland (3), Yugoslavia (15), East Germany (7), Hungary (18), Soviet Union (15), Spain (17), Sweden (14), Belgium (4), Portugal (7), Czechoslovakia (15), Netherlands (1)
South America: Brazil (18), Argentina (18)

Final Location: National Stadium, Bangkok
Bracket Order:
Poland v Sweden
Yugoslavia v Soviet Union
Italy v Spain
England v Czechoslovakia
West Germany v Portugal
East Germany v Netherlands
Brazil v Argentina
Hungary v Belgium

 

[Wings]

Mexico v Guinea 3-1 / 2-0
Israel v Zaire 5-0 / 3-1
Australia v Tunisia 2-0 / 4-0
Northern Ireland v China 5-0 / 2-1
Austria v Burma 6-0 / 3-0
Romania v Ghana 3-1 / 2-0
Switzerland v Greece 6-0 / 1-0
Chile v Ivory Coast 0-0 / 2-4
Peru v Costa Rica 1-1 / 0-3
Uruguay v Haiti 3-1 / 0-4
Netherlands v Congo 5-1 / 4-0
Egypt v Denmark 5-0 / 1-1
Bulgaria v Nigeria 1-1 / 0-1
Paraguay v Morocco 1-2 / 0-9
North Korea v Cameroon 3-0 / 1-8
France v Wales 2-0 / 3-1

Mexico v Israel 1-1 / 2-0
Australia v Northern Ireland 4-1 / 1-1
Austria v Romania 0-0 / 2-2
Switzerland v Ivory Coast 1-0 / 3-1
Costa Rica v Haiti 1-1 / 0-1
Netherlands v Egypt 1-0 / 1-1 aet
Nigeria v Morocco 3-0 / 0-1
Cameroon v France 2-0 / 2-5

Mexico v Australia 1-1 / 1-3
Austria v Switzerland 0-2 / 1-5
Haiti v Netherlands 0-3 / 0-3
Nigeria v France 0-2 / 1-2

Australia v Switzerland 1-1 / 1-1 / 1-2
Netherlands v France 1-2 / 2-3

Switzerland v France 2-1 / 2-5
Winners: France - 1st title

1972-73 Participants:
Europe: Bulgaria (2), Romania (2), Austria (2), Scotland (1), Northern Ireland (2), France (2), Israel (2), Switzerland (2), Turkey (1), Denmark (2), Wales (2), Ireland (1)
South America: Chile (2), Paraguay (2), Uruguay (2), Peru (2)
North America: Mexico (2), Haiti (2)
Africa: Zaire (2), Tunisia (2), Ivory Coast (2), Guinea (2), Morocco (2), Nigeria (2), Egypt (2), Cameroon (2), Algeria (1)
Asia: China (2), South Korea (1), North Korea (2), Iran (1)
Oceania: Australia (2)

Bracket Order:
Uruguay v Turkey
Romania v Wales
Tunisia v Algeria
Australia v Guinea
Austria v Haiti
Mexico v North Korea
Bulgaria v Denmark
Scotland v South Korea
Northern Ireland v Ireland
Zaire v Egypt
France v Cameroon
Chile v Morocco
Israel v China
Switzerland v Nigeria
Paraguay v Iran
Ivory Coast v Peru