User:Lord Cornwallis/West Germany V East Germany (1974)

West Germany V East Germany (1974)

Background
East Germany was only to qualify for the World Cup, that they did so in 1974 when it was being hosted in their Western neighbours and that the two sides found themselves drawn in the same First Round Group the game to be played in - Stadium in ---.

The game was especially (emotionally) charged for the West German coach Helmut who had been born in Dresden, now in East Germany, but had fled to the West after the Second World War.

Although it might have been expected that the fact both sides had already secured their qualifaction in the next round would have taken some of the tension/pressure/emphasis off the match it Hesse-Lichtenberger p.192

The two sides were vying for top spot in the group.

The East Germans

Aftermath
Having topped the group, the East Germans were rewarded with a much tougher passage in the

This led to suggestions that the West Germans had taken it easy, knowing that finishing second would hand them an easier passage to the Semi Finals, but this is considered highly unlikely given how much the match against the East Germans meant to Schon and his players.

In the event East Germany finished in their group and were elimated while the West Germans topped Group (A?) and went on to win the tournament in Munich by meeting

despite repeated West German appeals for a friendly rematch the East Germans refused to play them again. The victory remained the sole meeting between the two sides, and in 1990 following German reunification the two sides were merged to form a single Germany national football team.