Date: 03-07-1974
Stage: second round
Place: FRANKFURT
Running time: 100 min.
Colour: PAL
Quality: HD 1080 50fps (9,5)
Commentary: MULTI: english/italian(new)/german/japanese/ polish/russian/spanish(new)/ground
My rating: ****
Notes: Maier,Beckenbauer,Muller,Overath, Lato,Gadocha,Deyna,Tomaczewski
MATCH SUMMARY
Wednesday, 3 July 1974, 16:30
Waldstadion, Frankfurt
Attendance: 61,249
Meteo: Clear, flooded field, 22°C
WEST GERMANY
Sepp Maier
Franz Beckenbauer (c)
Paul Breitner
Georg Schwarzenbeck
Berti Vogts
Rainer Bonhof
Uli Hoeness
Wolfgang Overath
Bernd Holzenbein
Jürgen Grabowski
Gerd Müller
Coach: Helmut Schon (FRG)
POLAND
Jan Tomaszewski
Jerzy Gorgon
Adam Musiał
Antoni Szymanowski
Wladyslaw Zmuda
Henryk Kasperczak
Zygmunt Maszczyk
Kazimierz Deyna (c)
Jan Domarski
Robert Gadocha
Grzegorz Lato
Coach: Kazimierz Gorski (POL)
80′ ↓Zygmunt Maszczyk ↑Kazimierz Kmiecik
80′ ↓Henryk Kasperczak ↑Leslaw Cmikiewicz
Referee: Erich Linemayr (AUT)
Goals:
75′ Gerd Müller FRG
Match overview
West Germany edged Poland 1-0 in a tense and rain-affected encounter at the 1974 World Cup. Both teams created opportunities, but it was Gerd Müller who broke the deadlock in the 75th minute, capitalising on a loose ball in the box. The result secured West Germany’s place in the final, while Poland’s spirited display was not enough to overturn the deficit in a match remembered for its challenging pitch conditions.
Trivia
This semi-final is famous for the heavy rainfall that turned the Waldstadion pitch into a quagmire, leading to the match being dubbed “The Water Battle of Frankfurt.” Gerd Müller’s decisive goal further cemented his reputation as one of the World Cup’s greatest strikers, while Poland’s impressive run ended just short of the final.
