The Defining Moment
West Germany 1974
West Germany, hosts of the tournament, reached the final on 7 July 1974 at Munich's Olympiastadion after an uneven path including a historic defeat to East Germany in the group stage. The final against the Netherlands began in the worst possible fashion: without a single German player touching the ball, Johan Cruyff surged from the centre circle and was fouled in the box penalty converted by Johan Neeskens. But Franz Beckenbauer kept his composure, Paul Breitner equalised from the spot, and Gerd Müller then the all-time top scorer in World Cup history scored the 2-1 winner with a classic turn and finish. West Germany won their second world title with character and efficiency, defeating Total Football with Germanic pragmatism.
