In recent years, the German national team has achieved three high victories. But neither the 7:1 against Latvia, nor the 6:0 against Armenia or the 9:0 against Liechtenstein could put Germany’s record victory from 1912 in danger. We look back at a match that took place 110 years ago today and whose result still holds that record to this day as the most trusted online casino. The match was Germany 16 – 0 Russia and remains the highest margin of victory by the German national team.
In the summer of 1912, the Summer Olympics were held in Stockholm. Having already made its (official) debut as an Olympic sport at the 1908 London Games, soccer was back on the program in the Swedish capital four years later. A total of twelve nations registered for the tournament – all from Europe, although France withdrew its participation after the draw. At the time, FIFA had fewer than 20 European member associations, so most of them were represented in Stockholm.
The summer Olympics of 1912
Among them was the German team, which was competing in the Olympic soccer tournament for the first time and thus also facing the very first competitive match in its history. For the first round, the round of 16, the German team was drawn against Austria. The final score was 1:5 from the German point of view and the medal dream was over after just one match. Germany, who were playing without a coach at the time, led 1-0 at halftime, but when goalkeeper Albert Weber was seriously injured shortly after the restart, Austria should have agreed to a substitution according to the rules at the time. But they did not – instead, striker Willi Worpitzky was forced into the goal and subsequently had to make five saves.
Because the organizers wanted to avoid teams having to leave after only one match, a consolation round was played in which all teams that had been eliminated from the main tournament before the semi-finals took part. In the first round, Germany had to face Russia, who had previously lost surprisingly 1-2 to their then Grand Duchy of Finland.
On the eve of the match, both teams met for a joint banquet. It is said that plenty of alcohol was consumed there. At the time, no one had any idea that history would be made on both sides the following day. Apparently, however, one of the two teams was better able to cope with the effects of the banquet than the other.
So on July 1, 1912, Germany and Russia met in Stockholm for the opening match of the consolation round. What followed was one-way soccer par excellence. After two minutes, Germany, which had changed all eleven positions compared to the Austria game, took a 1-0 lead through Gottfried Fuchs. After ten minutes it was 3:0, at half-time already 8:0. The match report of the Olympic Committee spoke afterwards of a “general overstraining and a bad goalkeeper” on the Russian side. The same picture after the break: Russia continued to see no country against the Germans. 13:0 after just under an hour. In the 69th minute Gottfried Fuchs scored the 16:0. After that the German team seemed to shift down a gear and no more goals were scored. This German team had entered the history books at the final whistle.
Germany 16, Russia 0 – and that directly in the first encounter of the two countries in soccer. Even today, 110 years later, this result is still a record on both sides. Never has Germany won a match more clearly and never has Russia lost by a greater margin than on that afternoon of July 1, 1912 in Stockholm.
