Exactly 50 years ago, Germany won the World Cup for the second time in its history

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 World Cup final. On July 7, 1974, the Olympic Stadium in Munich hosted the decisive match between the tournament hosts, West Germany, and the Netherlands.

This iconic match featured legendary players such as Johan Cruyff for the Netherlands and Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller for Germany. At that time, there were no penalty shootouts, so in the event of a tie after regular and extra time, a replay was scheduled for July 9. However, this was not needed.

The Netherlands took an early lead in the second minute with a penalty goal from Johan Neeskens. After this World Cup, the Dutch midfielder would transfer to Barcelona, where he spent five seasons and later coached the Catalan team from 2006 to 2008.

The Dutch joy was short-lived, as Paul Breitner equalized for Germany with a penalty in the 25th minute. Notably, after this tournament, the German player would also move to Spain, joining Barcelona's arch-rivals, Real Madrid.

The Germans sealed the match before halftime, thanks to the legendary Gerd Müller. In the 43rd minute, he scored the winning goal against the Netherlands.

West Germany's victory in the 1974 World Cup was their second in history. They would go on to secure two more triumphs in the world’s premier tournament, earning them four stars above their national emblem.

It is also noteworthy that the Netherlands reached the final of a major tournament for the first time in 1974. They would face a similar fate in the next World Cup and again in 2010, but they have yet to secure the coveted trophy.

Germany is one of six national teams to have won the World Cup on home soil. Before them, Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), and England (1966) achieved this feat, and afterward, Argentina (1978) and France (1998) followed suit.