East Germany or DDR, the ‘absolute beginnres’ never played World Cup finals before. They never reached World Cup finals again, so 1974 is the highest peak of East German football. Ideology aside (which is disturbing as well as motivating – more likely DDR oficials were not happy to be in one group with clearly supreme ‘class enemy’, but a draw is a draw), they had a chance even to advance since they were in the weakest round robin group. As for their selection – it was perhaps the stronger and best balanced ever, combining aging stars with younger talent. Good motivation – the veterans had finally a chance to play at the highest level, supported by eager youngsters. DDR featured the youngest player at the finals: Martin Hoffmann. The recent won of Cup Winners Cup by 1.FC Magdeburg boosted moral as well. A really great team… in terms of East German football. On a larger scale it did not ammount to much: there were no stars of European calibre. The team was disciplined and surely fit, and running a lot, but had no spark, lacking imagination, spontaneity, and improvisation. Internationally, DDR ranked low and rightly so. Nobody imagined them achieving anything – at the most, they had a chance to reach the second stage of tournament. Most likely they were to sneak back behind the Wall after three games… That was the reality and the possibilities, but the East Germans were not given to pessimism and prepared the best they were able to.
Head coach: Georg Buschner
No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Jürgen Croy 19 October 1946 (aged 27) 43 Sachsenring Zwickau
2 DF Lothar Kurbjuweit 6 November 1950 (aged 23) 30 Carl Zeiss Jena
3 DF Bernd Bransch 24 September 1944 (aged 29) 52 Carl Zeiss Jena
4 DF Konrad Weise 17 August 1951 (aged 22) 23 Carl Zeiss Jena
5 DF Joachim Fritsche 28 October 1951 (aged 22) 7 Lokomotiv Leipzig
6 MF Rüdiger Schnuphase 23 January 1954 (aged 20) 4 Rot-Weiss Erfurt
7 MF Jürgen Pommerenke 22 January 1953 (aged 21) 10 FC Magdeburg
8 FW Wolfram Löwe 14 May 1945 (aged 29) 33 Lokomotiv Leipzig
9 FW Peter Ducke 14 October 1941 (aged 32) 57 Carl Zeiss Jena
10 MF Hans-Jürgen Kreische 19 July 1947 (aged 26) 36 Dynamo Dresden
11 FW Joachim Streich 13 April 1951 (aged 23) 26 Hansa Rostock
12 DF Siegmar Wätzlich 16 November 1947 (aged 26) 9 Dynamo Dresden
13 MF Reinhard Lauck 16 September 1946 (aged 27) 14 Dynamo Berlin
14 FW Jürgen Sparwasser 4 June 1948 (aged 26) 28 FC Magdeburg
15 FW Eberhard Vogel 8 April 1943 (aged 31) 53 Carl Zeiss Jena
16 MF Harald Irmscher 12 February 1946 (aged 28) 29 Carl Zeiss Jena
17 MF Erich Hamann 27 November 1944 (aged 29) 1 FC Vorwärts Frankfurt/Oder
18 DF Gerd Kische 23 October 1951 (aged 22) 13 Hansa Rostock
19 MF Wolfgang Seguin 14 September 1945 (aged 28) 13 FC Magdeburg
20 FW Martin Hoffmann 22 March 1955 (aged 19) 3 FC Magdeburg
21 GK Wolfgang Blochwitz 8 February 1941 (aged 33) 17 Carl Zeiss Jena
22 GK Werner Friese 30 March 1946 (aged 28) 0 Lokomotiv Leipzig