June 23, 2024 at 7:24:50 AM
May 15, 2026 at 7:03:26 PM
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Croy and the East: A Defining Moment in History. Credit:FIFA
In June 1974, an employee from the Zwickau car factory requested three weeks off from his job. Granted unpaid leave, Jurgen Croy, a goalkeeper, used his bonus to afford the time off. This bonus was not for his long shifts manufacturing Trabant 601 cars but for helping East Germany qualify for their first major football competition.
Croy, who expected to return to work on Friday, June 24, found himself extending his leave. Against all odds, East Germany advanced to the knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup™, thanks to one of the greatest upsets in history. Despite West Germany's UEFA EURO 1972 final victory, top Ballon d'Or finishers, and home advantage, East Germany triumphed with Croy's stellar performance and Jurgen Sparwasser's 77th-minute strike against Sepp Maier.
Reflecting on the victory, Sparwasser said,
"If one day my gravestone simply says 'Hamburg 74,' everybody will still know who is lying below."
West Germany's Gerd Muller recalled,
"All hell broke loose in our training camp when we lost. Helmut Schon was furious, and we were up till the early hours trying to figure out how we had lost."
Consequently, East Germany won Group 1 and faced a tougher second-round pool with Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Croy had to request an additional 10 days off work, which he wouldn't need any more of.
Upon his return to the Sachsenring Automobilwerke factory, Croy was met with a hero's reception, two days after his team's incredible achievement.
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