23 June
Group Three: Holland 4 Bulgaria 1, Dortmund
Group Three: Sweden 3 Uruguay 0, Dusseldorf
Group Four: Argentina 4 Haiti 1, Munich
Group Four: Poland 2 Italy 1, Stuttgart
This was the day when Holland became potential world champions and Italy suffered another World Cup disaster.
Bulgaria didn't know what hit them as they were overrun, conceding two first-half penalties - one early, one late, both converted by Johan Neeskens. Johnny Rep struck a great volley, Theo de Jong headed in a Johan Cruyff cross, and even the Bulgarian goal (which made it 3-1) came from Rudi Krol, turning a cross past his own keeper.
The Dutch had never won a match in the World Cup before this tournament; their highlight had been taking Czechoslovakia to extra time before losing 3-0 in 1938. Now they looked like they were capable not just of winning this tournament but of doing so in a completely new way. Brazil had been brilliant in 1970; Total Football was just as stunning in its way. Now the two styles, or at least Dutch and the successors to the 1970 winners, would meet in the second group stage.
They would be joined by Sweden, runners-up to Holland in Group Three, who sunk a dire Uruguay side 3-0. It's one of the oddities that the first team to win the World Cup, who won it again the second time they took part, have offered so little on most other occasions. In 1970 they had played their part, with some skill to match the usual crudity, but Uruguay were a bad side who were roundly criticised yet deserved worse.
Italy needed just a draw to be runners-up in Group Four, but were facing a rampant Poland side who wanted to win their group in style. Neither side got what they wanted, exactly, but Italy were by far the unhappier.
The 1970 finalists had not impressed thus far - they were ageing and only Dino Zoff and two outfielders from this game would feature in Italy's next finals match, in 1978, a high turnover rate. Four players - Gigi Riva, Gianni Rivera, Sandro Mazzola and Tarcisio Burgnich - were playing their last matches for Italy.
This proved the case thanks in part to bad luck - after a blunder by Jan Tomszewski, it took a blatant foul to prevent Pietro Anastasi scoring at 0-0. No penalty from the West German referee.
Instead, Andrzej Szarmach and Kazimierz Deyna, later of Manchester City, scored twice in six minutes just before half-time. The first was Szarmach's fifth of the tournament, taking him ahead of team-mate Grzegorz Lato as top scorer at the end of the group stages.
It is claimed that some Italians offered bribes to their opponents, but the Communists proved incorruptible. The only change the Italians got from them was a goal five minutes from time from Fabio Capello. With Argentina completing the expected victory against Haiti by sufficient margin to come second, Italy's World Cup was over. And so were the first group stages of the 1974 World Cup. Two days of the beckoned before the following groups would renew battle:
Group A: Brazil, East Germany, Holland, Argentina
Group B: Poland, Sweden, West Germany, Yugoslavia
