Complex sentence: Prior to 1954, Germany's World Cup record was modest, with the third place in the 1934 World Cup being the pinnacle of their achievements as Germany had not sent a team to Uruguay in 1930 for economic reasons.
Split into simpler sentences: Prior to 1954, Germany's World Cup record was modest, a third place in the 1934 World Cup the pinnacle of their achievements. Germany was among those European nations who had not sent a team to Uruguay in 1930, citing economic reasons.