The 1974 World Cup – Total Football
Total Football meets its match in Munich.
The 1974 FIFA World Cup final was played at Olympiastadion in Munich, West Germany, on 7 July 1974, contested by the Netherlands and West Germany. The Netherlands opened the scoring via a Johan Neeskens penalty in the second minute, only for Paul Breitner to equalise with another penalty in the 25th minute before Gerd Müller scored the winning goal in the 43rd minute, claiming West Germany's second FIFA World Cup title.
Quick Facts
- Second group stage
- Defeated Brazil 2-0 in Group Two; beat East Germany 2-0
Lore & Background
The Netherlands finished atop Group 3 in the first group stage, with two wins and one draw, before defeating Argentina, East Germany, and Brazil in Group A of the second group stage. West Germany finished second in Group 1, after which they beat Yugoslavia, Sweden, and Poland in Group B. Five German players (Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer, Wolfgang Overath, Jürgen Grabowski and Horst-Dieter Höttges) became the first in history to have won gold, silver and bronze medals at the FIFA World Cup.
Reader's Guide
The STATS section should list the second group stage as Group A (not Group Two or Group Three). The 4–0 win over Argentina in the second group stage must be included. The Netherlands' second group stage results: vs Argentina 4–0, vs East Germany 2–0, vs Brazil 2–0.
More in Team History & Eras
Elsewhere in Netherlands National Team
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