Flying Down to Rio - Flight Thirteen

The 1974 Finals in West Germany were graced by Holland and their ‘Total Football’ style of play. Not as beautiful as the Brazilians of four years earlier but still delightful to watch. The Final could not of started in a more dramatic form. Holland took the lead without a German player touching the ball. With a just over one minute played the Germans conceded a penalty. Given by the English referee it was the first in a Final game and Neeskens made it 1-0.

Holland were the better team and favorites but maybe they eased up and allowed West Germany back in to the contest then with a repeat from 20 years earlier fight back and win the game.

---

Scotland reached the Finals in Germany, but had no Tottenham players in the squad  and fell in the first round group stage. They did however have Joe Jordan in their side who would later join Spurs as a coach under Harry Redknapp and he scored twice in the tournament. There was another change to the format of the Finals. A second stage comprising of two groups of four replacing the traditional knockout route of quarter-finals and semi-finals. The two group winners moving on to the Final.

FIFA had a new President, a Brazilian, João Havelange and a new trophy after Brazil retained the old one in Mexico. England had failed to qualify for the first time having been beaten by Poland who finished third. While Russia withdrew when they were due to play Chile in a play-off and refused to meet them on political grounds.

Poland V Argentina

One of the most memorable moments of the competition would arrive during the Brazil V Zaire group game. Brazil won a free kick and when the referee blew a defender ran out of the wall and kicked the ball away.  Don't expect to see a free kick like this again soon.

Also in the group stage East Germany defeated West Germany 1-0. Haiti, who qualified after being the hosts of the final qualifying stage for the Americas took a lead over Italy. If the Italians suffered DeJa Vu  after their defeat by North Korea in 1966 they overcome it and won the game.

The world watches as Johan Cruyff  for Holland stuns the world in the game with Sweden leaving  the defender, Jan Olsson, looking lost when he performs what will become known as the “Cruyff Turn,” he drags the back through his own legs. The move did not result in anything but a whole generation would spend hours trying to replicate the move.  Speaking in 2010 Olsson said “ I've got to be honest, I didn't understand what happened next. I thought I had the ball, then the next moment realised I didn't. I'd never seen anything like it. People in the crowd, my team-mates they were all laughing at what they had seen. After the game, it's all anyone wanted to talk about and it's been that way ever since. I never get tired of seeing it, no way. I'm proud of my career, but what Cruyff did was beyond my capacity. He could have done it to anyone and I feel lucky it was me that day, lucky that I got to meet and play against the great Johan Cruyff.”

Watch the turn that stunned the footballing world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD91OHNLM_0

Poland described themselves as Cinderella when they reached the Finals. Their striker Lato won the Golden boot. They lost to West Germany on a dreadfully wet and poor pitch and Lato recalled that day later  “Who knows what would have happened without all that rain and a wet field? It wasn't a football game, it was water polo. Today a match in such conditions simply would not happen. I hold a grudge because it should have been delayed until the next day. In such conditions, it was not sport.’

Meanwhile in  N17 - Tottenham finished 11th in the League and were runners up in the UEFA Cup Final.

Top Image  - Scotland V Zaire,
Images - Top -&M Sport  1- FIFA, Thanks also to - BBC, Daily Mail, The Times, EnglandonLine, ESPN, PlanetWorldCup, Football Facts, WorldCupHistory,

Keith Harrison, 151
Nilgiris, TN
View Full Bio