1970 AND 1974 REVIEW

MEXICO 1970

The 1970 World Cup moved outside of Europe and South America for the first time, albeit it only to Latin America. It also saw Brazil reassert themselves as the dominant team in world football. And how, with perhaps the greatest team that ever took to a football pitch. Pele was probably at the peak of his game, but add in Gerson, Tostao, Rivelino, Clodoaldo, Carlos Alberto, and Jairzinho, who scored in every game on Brazil's way to the title. Only reigning world champions England remotely challenged the awesome Brazilians, narrowly losing 1-0 in their group game. This also saw the wonder save by Gordon Banks from Pele, as well as the brilliant match-up between Pele and Bobby Moore. Moore's tournament had got off to a disastrous start, in a Colombian police cell before a ball had even been kicked. But more on that later. There was an all-round return to free-flowing, attacking football. The finals took on practically the same format as in England in 1966, but there no seeds. Instead, the teams were drawn from gerographical pots. But, for the last time, there were 16 teams split into four groups of four. The number of teams entering qualifying was rising all the time, which certainly caused some shocks in qualification - teams who failed to qualify included France, 1966 semi-finalists Portugal, 1954 finalists Hungary, Spain and Argentina, while Morocco became the first African qualifier. Mexico proved worthy hosts with their performances in Group 1. They qualified courtesy of wins over Belgium and whipping boys El Salvador, and the Soviet Union just pipped them to top spot thanks to a superior goals for record. Yes, football was moving forward! Group 2 was much tighter, with just six goals in the six games. Giants Italy put their English nightmare behind them by beating Sweden 1-0, and followed that with goalless draws against Uruguay and Israel. Uruguay just finished second ahead of Sweden thanks to a goal difference of just one, despite the Scandinavians beating the twice world champions 1-0 in the final group game. The next group featured two of the best teams in the tournament - Brazil and England. Brazil shared eight goals between three players - Jairzinho, Rivelino and Pele. They scraped past England 1-0 to top the group, while England were as stoic as ever - Geoff Hurst and Allan Clarke goals defeating Romania and Czechoslovakia respectively. Some thought the Brazil vs England game should have been the final, but it wasn't to be. In Group 4, we saw the introduction onto the world stage of one of the best goalscorers the world has ever seen - Gerd Muller. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. The winner against Morocco in West Germany's opening game was followed by hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru - quite extraordinary. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Peru were one of the revelations of Mexico in 1970, largely thanks to the talented striker Teofilo Cubillas. His four goals in the group comfortably saw the Peruvians reach the quarter-finals on their World Cup debut. Just 20, a surprising star was born. It is even more surprising that he only went on to play in Europe for two years, at Porto. In the quarter-finals, the action really started to heat up. Italy discovered that it was possible to play attacking football, but it took them going a goal down to realise this. An own goals got them on their way, until Italian legends came to the fore - Luigi Riva and Gianni Rivera scoring thhree second half goals between them. Brazil were their usually expansive self in beating Peru 4-2, but their South American neighbours ran them close, Cubillas scoring to make it 3-2 with just 20 minutes to go, before Rivelino finsihed them off for good. The only quarter-final lacking this out-and-out attacking football was Uruguay-Soviet Union, which the South Americans won 1-0 with a goal five minutes from the end of extra-time. The last quarter, in a repeat of the 1966 World Cup final between old foes England and West Germany is regarded as one of the greatest games in World Cup history. There was drama before the game kicked off, with England's keeper Banks taking ill with food poisoning, and the inexperienced (at least in international terms) Peter Bonetti stepped into the breach. Goals either side of half-time from Alan Mullery and Martin Peters looked to have sent England towards a semi with Italy. 'Der Kaiser', Franz Beckenbauer, pulled one back, meaning a tight finish was a guarantee. Then, Ramsay made a colossal error - he withdrew the supposedly tiring Bobby Charlton, and England lost any rhythm they had. Uwe Seeler headed an equaliser to take the game into extra-time, before Muller showed his predatory instincts to capitalise on Bonetti's error to take revenge for 1966. And so the greatest generation of English players ever was effectively bought to an end - England would not pitch up at another World Cup tournament until Spain in 1982. In the semis, Brazil actually went behind for the first time in the tournament against South American rivals Uruguay. Indeed, it was 1-1 going into the last 15 minutes, until goals from Jairzinho and Rivelino clinched the final place they deserved. The other last four contest, however, is widely regarded as one of the greatest game's in World Cup history (yes, another one from Mexico 1970!) This hadn't seemed the case when Roberto Boninsenga's eight minute goal looked like it would be enough to send Italy to their first World Cup final since 1938. However, in the 90th minute, AC Milan's Karl-Heinz Schnellinger popped up to send the game into extra-time. Four minutes in, Muller scored his customary goal, before Italian defender Tarcisio Burgnich headed in to make it 2-2. Then Riva put Italy back in front before Muller scored yet another goal. But seconds after Muller had made it 3-3, Rivera volleyed a tremendous winner past Sepp Maier to make it Italy 4-3 Germany. Phew, six goals in 21 minutes - and who said the Italians were boring! But Italy were no match for Brazil in the final. After Pele headed Brazil in front in his final World Cup match, Boninsenga equalised, but Italy were blown away in the second half. Gerson and Jairzinho clinched Brazil their third World Cup (therefore keeping the trophy) but it was the astounding fourth goal, an amazing team goal finished by Carlos Alberto, that really caught the eye. Flair won over pragmatism, and four years later, in West Germany, Total Football would be born to continue this trend.

MOMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT

Not a goal, but an almost goal. It may seem odd to give this moment to an open goal miss, but the skill which preceded the miss sums up what Pele is all about. A hopeful ball was heading towards the Uruguayan keeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, in the semi-final, but Pele's pace put him off. The ball went to the keeper's left, Pele went to his right, in an astonishing bit of skill. Unfortunately, as he was turning back towards goal, Pele but the ball the wrong side of the goal. But what a bit of skill. He also almost lobbed the Czech keeper from the halfway!

CONTROVERSY OF THE TOURNAMENT

This award didn't happen on the pitch, but off the pitch, and indeed before the tournament even started. And it wasn't even in Mexico. England were in Bogota, in Colombia, for a pre-tournament friendly. A jeweler claimed Bobby Moore had walked out with a bracelet without paying for it, and he was thrown in a Colombian jail. The allegation was never proved, Moore was bailed and allowed to appear in the tournament, and the charges were quietly dropped. But there is no doubt this affected England's preparations, even though Moore was his usual imperious self.

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT - JAIRZINHO

Although Pele cemented his place as the greatest player in football history, this award goes to Jairzinho, simply because he accomplished something which had never been done before, or since - scored in every game in a World Cup tournament, up to the final. He wasn't even a srtiker, but his explosive pace, attacking instinct and finsihing ability proved crucial in Brazil winning their third World Cup in four tournaments.

GAFFE OF THE TOURNAMENT

Sir Alf Ramsey blemished his reputation with the decision which may have ended England's defence of the trophy. An outstanding manager, he is still the only English manager to win the World Cup. However, with his team holding a narrow lead over Germany, he took off the star player Bobby Charlton, who he claimed had been sapped by the Mexican heat. That as the case may be, England lost their shape and fluency, and capitulated. And so began 12 years in international exile.

GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT

The final nail in the coffin for Italy in the final, and regarded as one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. There were quite a few stonkers in 1970, but Carlos Alberto's takes the biscuit. A total of eight Brazilian players were involved. It really was the beautiful game. Tostao started the move outside his own area, then laid it off for Clodoaldo. The full-back beat four Italians in his own half, before passing to Rivelino, who instantly struck a perfect pass down the left for Jairzinho. The winger cut inside and found Pele, who almost ground to a halt. This shocked the Italians, but there was method to his supposed madness. Showing superb composure, he was waiting for right-back Carlos Alberto to come steaming up outside him. When he arrived, Pele, in one of his last actions in his last World Cup, laid off a perfect pass, which Alberto hammered first time past the Italian keeper. Poetry in motion, that is how the game of football should be played.

MASCOT - JUANITO

A Mexican boy, wearing a Mexico kit and a sombrero, kicking a football. Add in a shot of tequila, and you have the perfect stereotype!


WEST GERMANY 1974

The tournament moved back to Europe in 1974, and perhaps one of the greatest teams in history failed in win the World Cup. And certainly one of the greatest players in Johann Cruyff. There's just no justice in the world! The number of teams who entered qualifying totaled 98, and, as usual, there were some high profile casualties. France, Spain and Hungary all missed out, while England were undone by a superb goalkeeper performance for Jan 'The Clown' Tomaszewski in the deciding qualifier at Wembley. We can thank Brian Clough for that moniker. East Germany, Haiti, Australia and Zaire all qualified for the first time, emphasising the fact that it truly was a global game! The format also changed, with a second group phase following the first group phase replacing the knock-out stages. And red cards were introduced to signify a sending-off for the first time! In group 1, there was possibly one of the most important political meetings on a football pitch of all time - rivalling USA vs Iran in 1998 - when East Germany met West Germany in their final group match. Both had already qualified by then following good results against Chile and debutants Australia, but there was still plenty of pride at stake. At a time when the East were suffering due to draconian Communist rule, and could only peer enviously at the austerity enjoyed by the western world, Jurgen Sparwasser wrote his name into World Cup folklore with the East Germans winner. A truly momentous occasion. Group 2, on the other hand, was incredibly close, and started a long tale of World Cup heartache for the Scots. They played Zaire first, only winning 2-0, and this was to prove costly. Yugoslavia beat the Africans 9-0, meaning they were group favourites. Scotland had achieved a creditable draw with world champions Brazil, meaning it all went down to the final game. Scotland would have gone through with a win, but could only draw 1-1 with Yugoslavia. A 79th minute Valdomiro goal put Brazil 3-0 up against Zaire, and this was enough for Soctland to miss out by a single goal - heartbreaking! In group 3, Total Football was born. As was the Cruyff turn, as performed in the goalless draw with Sweden. As well as Cruyff, the Dutch had the likes of Johan Neeskens, Rob Rensenbrink, Arie Hann and Johnny Rep, A formidable line-up, they were joined in the second group phase by the Swedes. Group 4 probably saw the biggest shock - the much fancied Italy and Argentina were put to the sword by underdogs Poland, mainly thanks to the goals of Grzegorz Lato, while Kazimierz Deyna and Andrzej Szarmach also impressed. After Argentina and Italy drew 1-1, it meant it would all come down to how many goals each beat Haiti by. Argentina won 4-1 as opposed to Italy's 3-1, so disaster struck whe Poland beat Italy, despite having already qualified. A goal from Fabio Capello was not enough to save the Azzurri. An so onto the experimental second group phase. As it turned out, as with the World Cup in 1950, the final games in two of the groups were practically semi-finals. Holland and Brazil both beat Argentina and East Germany, and goals from Neeskens and Cruyff secured the Dutch their deserved place in the final. In the second group, Poland continued their remarkable success story, with Lato scoring winners against Yugoslavia and Sweden. However, West Germany proved slighly too strong, with Gerd Muller continuing his love affair with the World Cup, scoring the winner in the 76th minute. So, in the final, Holland were the favourites with both the pundits and the neutrals, despite West Germany being the hosts and having the World Cup pedigree. And that is how the game started, with a first minute notable for a number of reasons. With less than a minute gone, Cruyff dribbled into the penalty area without a single German player having touched the ball. He was brought down by Uli Hoeness, for the first penalty in a World Cup final, and also the fastest goal in World Cup history, as Neeskens put the spit-kick away. But from here, the Dutch may have got complacent, and this was as good as it got. In the 26th minute, the Germans were awarded a penalty of their own, which Paul Breitner dispatched. Just before half-time, Muller displayed his predatory instincts once more to poke home the winner in his final international. Holland were shell-shocked and never looked like recovering. Cruyff would never play another World Cup match, and the football world was a poorer place for it. And Holland were to fall into the same box as Hungary in 1954 and Brazil in 1982. Great teams who didn't win the biggest prize when it seemed to be there for them to take. It just shows talent isn't everything.

GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT - JURGEN SPARSWASSER

Maybe not the best goal technically, but it had a serious political resonance. In the only ever meeting of West and East Germany ever, the East were defnitely the underdogs. Although both teams qualified, the goal was important for its prestige alone, and it was exploited politically by the Communists. Sparwasser himself, played his entire career in East Germany, as moving to a Western club would have been 'defection', and he did not profit personally from the goal.

SKILL OF THE TOURNAMENT - JOHANN CRUYFF

The greatest player in the world at the time was so good he invented a skill which was named after him. And the 1974 tournament was the stage where the Cruyff turn got its premiere. In Holland's 0-0 draw with Sweden, he faced up the bewildered full-back Jan Olsson. He looked like he was going to cross, but instead, he dragged the ball behind his planted foot with the inside of his other foot, turned through under 180 degrees and was gone. Olsson was bemused to say the least - one minute he was there, the next he was gone, and a star was born!

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT

In the only chance he got to perform on the world stage, due to a personality clashes in the Dutch camp. He was the spark which made the team so potent, and the inventor of Total Football, Rinus Michels, did it with Cruyff very much in mind. He scored three goals as well as creating countless others, and his ingenuity lit up Germany. However, he couldn't crown the tournament with the trophy. Having won the penalty in the final, slowly but surely the German defence got to grips wiht him, and his influence was lessened. It is perhaps no coincidence that the Dutch surrenedered their lead to lose 2-1. He retired from international football having helped Holland qualify for the 1978 World Cup. He said at the time it was due to the precarious military situation in Argentina, but he admitted recently that it was because he and his family had been the subject of a kidnap attempt in Barcelona. Whatever the reason, he was badly missed from the international stage.


GAFFE OF THE TOURNAMENT

An honourary mention has to go to Zaire defender Mwepu Ilunga. Having lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia and proving themselves woefully inadequate at the highest level, Zaire damaged African football, and held up the commonly held perception of the continent as naive and lacking discipline. The referee awarded a free-kick to Brazil 25 yards from goal. On hearing the referees whistle, Ilunga raced from the Zaire wall, and booted the ball up the pitch. No one quite believed what they had seen, and it took a moment for the referee to produce the yellow card.


CONTROVERSY

In a tournament surprisingly devoid of controversy, despite a somewhat intense political situation in Europe and worldwide, the biggest controversy came when the highly fancied Soviet Union withdrew from their play-off with Chile because of the recent coup in the South American country. This was not the first time that politics spilt onto the football pitch, and would not be the last. In the qualifying tournament for Mexico in 1970, a war started over a qualifier between El Salvador and Honduras. And the 1998 meeting between USA and Iran has been described as doing more for relations between the two nations than 20 years of diplomacy! Giving how Russia had ruled for the past half century and more, this may have been seen as slightly rich. But withdraw they did, and just when we thought walkover's were gone from the great tournament on earth!

MASCOT - TIP AND TAP

Tip and Tap were two German boys wearing Germany kits, with the letters WM (standing for Weltmeisterschaft, meaning World Cup). Typically German and understated.