Silver Road and Golden Stripes, Yet Another Football TL

[Wings]

This edition of the Nations League would come up with some interesting brackets, notably with a possbile Poland v Soviet Union and a possible West v East Germany in the Quarters. The first matchup would indeed occur, as Poland would thrash Sweden in Warsawy before butting heads in an incredible striker fiesta in Gothenburg, while the Soviets easily handed Yugoslavia another Round of 16 exit. Italy on the other hand wouldn't be able to exit the Round of 16. Once more, they came up to Spain, and once more they were outmatched and had to let the Spanish cruise to another Quarter-Final, where they would meet England, who easily handled Czechoslovakia.
On the other side of the bracket, West Germany put on two good performances against Portugal, swayed by their desire to face their Eastern neighbours in the Quarters. This wouldn't come to pass however, as the Netherlands, who replaced Scotland in the competition, handled the GDR two big losses, despite the GDR not going down without a fight. The two only south american countries would have the misfortune to face each other as soon as the Round of 16, and the least we could say is that it was very close. Both teams locked a 1-1 draw in both games, leading to the first ever penalty shoot-out in a Nations League game, which Argentina won 6-5 after 8 shots each. They would advance to meet Belgium, who finally managed to push through the Round of 16 by defeating Hungary.

Jan Tomaszewski, Poland's goalkeeper, celebrates his team qualifying for the Quarter-Finals after their match against Sweden (4-5).

The Netherlands in action against East Germany in Leipzig (4-2).

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

That Poland team was very underestimated but proved their worth.

 

[Wings]

The big game of the upper bracket was of course the confrontation between Poland and the Soviet Union. If the Soviets were expecting an easy victory, they would be sorely disappointed. Despite showing flaws against Sweden, the Polish offense completely devastated the Soviet defense, with Lato scoring a hat-trick to ensure Poland's passage to the Semi-Finals. The Soviets wouldn't be able to pull it back in Kiev, as they fall 1-0 to the Poles there. England would once more take down Spain, although this time England would be much more on the offensive than last year. Spain had beaten Italy but were still on a steady decline and had to concede the away leg, letting England move on to the Semis.
The closest confrontation of the bunch was certainly West Germany vs the Netherlands. The titleholders were still favorites, but the Dutch turned the tables on them in Munich, managing to hold a draw against a frustrated Mannschaft. From then, in front of 70,000 fans at De Kuip, the Dutch led by Johann Cruyff were able thanks to goals by Rep and Neesekens to beat the Germans and head to the Semi-Finals, where they would face their neighbours Belgium, who beat Argentina in Brussels to secure their own spot.

Neeskens beats Maier and sets his team in the lead in Rotterdam (2-1)

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

OK - England to lose to Poland. I was a youngster abroad when Wembley '73 occurred. No TV coverage. A British newspaper a few days later was greeted with disbelief. After all, we were the greatest national team in the World - well, perhaps those Brazilians could give us a game on their day - how can you hold a World Cup without England - that's just unnatural!

So, little did I know that: -
1. England have won the Word Cup in my lifetime (OK - I was 3 in '66) but hope is nearly always dashed by the first decent team we meet (Euros as well, those giants from Iceland...)
2. Wembley '73 has pretty much cursed Poland whenever they met England from that point on.

Good to see that wonderful Dutch team beat West Germany. Although the latter were a superb side, Cruyff & go were mouth-watering brilliance.

 

[Wings]

Once more the semi-finals of the Nations League would be 100% european. Poland were the first to welcome a semi-final match, against England, in Warsaw. There they proved that the return leg against Sweden was just a fluke, with Lato putting on a huge performance allowing his team to take it 2-0. England wouldn't be able to react in Old Trafford, as like last year, their defensive playstyle would be their doom, with a 0-0 draw knocking them out.
The neighbours match between the Dutch and the Belgians would prove to be even closer. At home, Cruyff's squad wouldn't be able to break the Belgian defense. The Red Devils held on to a 0-0 draw, and came back to Brussels happy. The Dutch came to Brussels with more passion, and this time scored early on. However, the Belgians didn't let them past their defense from that point on, and even worried the Dutch by scoring just ten minutes after half-time. This wouldn't be enough to save Belgium though, as they exit the tournament on away goals.

Cruyff in action against Belgium

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Go, Johan, Go!

 

[BlazedSoulofHate]

@Wings how do you make the wikiboxes for each match/round? Thinking of making a version of my own

 

[Wings]

@Wings how do you make the wikiboxes for each match/round? Thinking of making a version of my own

Copying Wiki template onto my Notepad, and plugging in the result into Wikipedia Preview then just screenshot.

 

[Wings]

The finals of the Nations League came to Asia for the first time, with a final in Bangkok's National Stadium. It would be the second lowest attended ever recorded for a Nations League final, with only 484 more attendees than the 1965 final in Tunis. Poland and the Netherlands both headed in to their first ever final, and so pressure was on both teams to deliver. The total football style of the Dutch team would prevail early on, with the Netherlands midfield completely choking out the Polish attack and the Polish defense alike. It would take a long time for the Dutch to find an opening though, with Rep, Neeskens and Cruyff failing to score against Tomaszewski. Cryuff would finally find an opening right before half-time, with a foul onto Neeskens delivering a free kick which Cruyff masterfully converted into a goal. This would enable Poland to show more aggresiveness in the second half with Lato going from 0 to 6 shots in the second half. However, the Dutch wouldn't let the pressure off, having several opportunities of their own. But Poland would eventually find a way into the Dutch defense. A good ball by Lato finds Deyna who controls before landing the equalizer. By then, the Dutch had taken back control of the game, and Poland was once more relegated to playing defense. This worked out for them though, as they pushed the Dutch into overtime, then onto the penalty shoot-out, the first ever of a Nations League final. It was there that Poland finally met their demise. The Dutch didn't miss a single shot, while Lato hit the bar and Zmuda saw his shot parried by Jongbloed. After a year in the FIFA Cup, the Dutch didn't take long to conquer the world and get their first ever Nations League title.

Spoiler

Polish players look on as Cruyff scores the first goal of the final

Deyna equalizes as Poland push the Netherlands into overtime

Johan Cruyff recieves the trophy as he and the Dutch squad win their first ever Nations League title

 

[Wings]

Winners: Netherlands - 1st title
Top Scorer: Johan Cruyff (NED) - 9 goals

1973-74 Participants:
Europe: West Germany (19), Netherlands (2), Poland (4), England (19), Italy (18), Spain (18), Yugoslavia (16), Belgium (5), East Germany (8), Scotland (17), Czechoslovakia (16), Hungary (19), Portugal (8), Austria (8)
South America: Brazil (19), Argentina (19)

Final Location: Olympiastadion, Munich
Bracket Order:
England v Austria
Brazil v Belgium
Italy v Czechoslovakia
Spain v Argentina
West Germany v Scotland
Yugoslavia v East Germany
Netherlands v Portugal
Poland v Hungary

 

[Wings]

Uruguay v Turkey 3-1 / 2-0
Romania v Wales 0-0 / 0-2
Tunisia v Algeria 2-3 / 0-1
Australia v Guinea 4-0 / 6-0
Austria v Haiti 2-0 / 2-2
Mexico v North Korea 4-2 / 4-1
Bulgaria v Denmark 4-1 / 0-3
Scotland v South Korea 0-1 / 1-3
Northern Ireland v Ireland 4-3 / 1-1
Zaire v Egypt 1-3 / 0-1
France v Cameroon 5-0 / 2-1
Chile v Morocco 1-1 / 0-0
Israel v China 3-1 / 3-0
Switzerland v Nigeria 2-1 / 0-3
Paraguay v Iran 1-1 / 2-2
Ivory Coast v Peru 3-1 / 1-1

Uruguay v Wales 1-0 / 0-2
Algeria v Australia 1-1 / 0-5
Austria v Mexico 2-1 / 3-2
Denmark v South Korea 2-1 / 0-2
Northern Ireland v Egypt 1-0 / 2-2
France v Morocco 4-1 / 0-0
Israel v Nigeria 2-2 / 2-1
Paraguay v Ivory Coast 5-2 / 1-0

Wales v Australia 3-1 / 2-1
Austria v South Korea 4-1 / 0-0
Northern Ireland v France 3-1 / 1-5
Israel v Paraguay 2-1 / 0-3

Wales v Austria 4-0 / 1-2
France v Paraguay 2-0 / 1-2

Wales v France 0-0 / 0-2
Winners: France - 2nd title

1973-74 Participants:
Europe: USSR (1), Sweden (1), Romania (3), Northern Ireland (3), France (3), Bulgaria (3), Israel (3), Switzerland (3), Wales (3), Ireland (2), Turkey (2), Greece (2), Denmark (3)
South America: Chile (3), Paraguay (3), Uruguay (3), Peru (3)
North America: Mexico (3), Costa Rica (2)
Africa: Morocco (3), Zaire (3), Egypt (3), Tunisia (3), Guinea (3), Ghana (2), Nigeria (3), Cameroon (3), Zambia (1)
Asia: Iran (2), North Korea (3), China (3)
Oceania: Australia (3)

Bracket Order:
Wales v Denmark
Morocco v Iran
France v Nigeria
Mexico v Tunisia
Israel v Guinea
Switzerland v Greece
Northern Ireland v Ghana
Paraguay v Zambia
Zaire v Costa Rica
Romania v Peru
Bulgaria v Egypt
Sweden v China
Chile v Cameroon
Uruguay v Ireland
Australia v Turkey
Soviet Union v North Korea

 

[Gust]

Why is France stuck in second tier?

 

[Wings]

Why is France stuck in second tier?

Not good enough in actual competitions (never qualified for Euro '72 or World Cup '74 or Euro '76) despite having a good record against bottom teams, they never beat higher ranked teams (unlike Scotland, the USSR, Sweden or Austria), which is why they won't make first tier until 1977.

 

[Wings]

Not many upsets happened during the first round of this World Cup year Nations League. England easily handled Austria, while Brazil would have a fright while facing Belgium. After winning the first round match easily, the Belgians bit back hard by thrashing Brazil, who went on to face England only thanks to a single goal scored. West Germany and Yugoslavia would both pass on to the Quarter-Finals thanks to their good performances at home, all the while holding a goaless draw away. The Netherlands and Poland would meet to make the rematch of the final of last year as soon as the Quarters as they both beat their counterparts, and Spain had no problem beating Argentina. The only top team that would drop would be without much of a surprise, Italy, who now hold a curse of being unable to make it past the Round of 16.

English players line up before their opener against Austria

Polish goalkeeper Tomaszewski comes up with another save as Poland beat Hungary in Krakow.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

England may do something good, even if Brazil is waiting for them.

Poland vs Germany W in the semi-finals....

 

[Wings]

England would put up a good run against Brazil, managing to hold the Selecao to a draw at Wembley. However, despite a very good performance in Rio, the Selecao was not the same as the one of the past year, putting up much more of a fight and beating England 3-2. For Spain, things wouldn't go as planned, as after a draw in Prague, the Spaniards would lose their tempers in Gijon, which would result in two red cards and a Quarter Final exit. A fate they would share with Yugoslavia, who didn't stand a chance against the Mannschaft. However, all eyes were on the Poland v Netherlands rematch, and although the first leg in Amsterdam was close, with both teams seemingly on the same level, the return in Warsaw saw the Dutch completely outclass Poland in a 3-0 sweep of the Poles.

Gerd Muller scores his second against Yugoslavia

 

[Coulsdon Eagle]

Gerd Muller... a most unlikely goalscorer. Built like an overflowing beer barrel, short stumpy legs. But he managed somehow to be in the right place at the right time, while the ball would go in off his knee or his arse. Levandowski might threaten his 40-goal season if we ever restart (25 in 23 so far?) and looks a far more accomplished footballer than Der Bomber, but I'd still go for the latter. What would he be worth now if he was at his peak?

 

[Wings]

Brazil were expected to beat complete outsiders Czechoslovakia in the first semi-final of the 1974 Nations League. And if they started off well, easily beating the Czechs 3-0 in Sao Paulo, the return leg in Prague was a different affair. Although the Brazilians had gotten back some prestige, they were still being dominated by the Czechs in the away leg, and had to concede a 2-1 defeat, their second of the tournament, but advanced to the final anyways. In comparaison, the Germany v Netherlands match was much closer, however the Mannschaft prevailed over the defending champions, beating the Dutch in Munich while managing to hold a draw during an intense game at De Kuip.

Gerd Muller in action against the Netherlands in Germany's home leg versus the Oranje in Munich (1-0).

 

[Wings]

Eyes were on Munich for the final of the 73-74 edition of the Nations League. Brazil had made their grand return in the final of the competition after a three-year long absence while West Germany were on a roll and eager to not disappoint fans as they were playing at home. This wasn't necessarily an advantage here, as in four home teams, only one had managed to take the trophy in front of the home crowd, that being Spain ten years earlier. And Brazil certainly started to make the Germans doubt, with a solid defense stopping any attempts by Gerd "Der Bomber" Muller to hammer one through, and using veteran Jairzinho and forward Dirceu to make Germany's defense wobble during the first half, with Sepp Maier having to go with three decisive saves against Leao's lone save against Hoeness. The Mannschaft did react in the second half though, as Muller was locked down, the balls Bonhof, Overath and Hoeness sent forward went instead to Grabowski and Holzenbein. This tactic would bear fruit after a long ball by Overath finds Grabowski, who sends the ball into the back of the net on his third attempt. The Mannschaft would not let down the pressure after this first goal, stopping Brazil from reacting. They wouldn't be able to score though, and Sepp Maier would once more have to save the day by saving a last minute shot from Rivelino, giving West Germany their third title at home.

Spoiler

Rivelino wreaks havoc in the German defense

Gerd Muller, Jurgen Grabowski and Wolfgang Overath celebrate West Germany's opener

Franz Beckenbauer with the trophy in Munich a day after Germany's win in the final

 

[Unknown]

Brazil will be the New York Yankees of the Nations League, methinks...