The 1974 World Cup Final

22 June 2010 - The Dutch are still traumatized by the World Cup Final of 1974, when the country was beaten with 2 -1 by the (West) Germans. Most Dutch of certain age will be able to tell you exactly what they did on the day of The Final, how they felt and what it meant to them. It is not a happy story. The Germans were led by master libero Franz Beckenbauer, but we had the magical wizzard Johan Cruijff, one of the best football players ever. It was also the first time the Dutch played their dazzling Total Football - invented by coach Rinus Michels - , while the Germans had struggled from match to match. It was not meant to be: Total Football lost from Total Dedication, and the Dutch will be forever haunted by the thought that they had one of the best teams ever, but still did not win the Cup. It is the ultimate lost opportunity. But it seemed the Dutch have learned something, because so far they have not dazzled the spectators during the South African World Cup, but they did win both their matches. Efficiency rules - the Dutch are becoming like Germans?