Category: 1986

Second Division. Here the aftermath of the match-fixing affair was still felt. Lazio was the prime sufferer, for they went into really dark times, but also L.R. Vicenza – they were denied promotion this year. Meantime Trieastina had 1 point deducted and Empoli benefited from all that. There was some bigger irregularity at the bottom of the table and Perugia was relegated not to Third Division, but to the 4th Division as a result. Well, it was not easy to clean Italian football.

Monza – last with 26 points and relegated.

Catanzaro – 19th with 30 points and relegated.

Perugia – 18th with 32 points. Whatever they did to elevate themselves from the the relegation zone did not work – only instead of going to 3rd Division, they were punished with relegation to 4th Division.

Pescara – 17th with 33 points and relegated.

Palermo survived – barely, but survived. 16th with 34 points. 20 of them came from ties – nobody tied more games in the division: 20 out of 38 total!

Cagliari – apart from their intriguing kit, nothing to be proud of: 15th with 35 points. This club was Italian champion full of exciting stars once – and now barely escaping relegation from Second Division.

Sambenedettese – 14th with 35 points. Good for another season in the second level – pretty much all they dreamed of.

Catania – 13th with 36 points.

Lazio – 12th with 36 points. Bad times, troubled times.

Arezzo – 11th with 36 points.

Campobasso – 10th with 37 points. Not bad, considering the names bellow them.

Cremonese – 9th with 37 points,

Cesena – 8th with 39 points.

Genoa – 7th with 40. Perhaps around that time they lost their original position as the leading club of the city.

Bologna – another team down on its luck and not doing well at all. 6th with 41 points.

Triestina – 5th with 44 points. Lost promotion because of deducted point – without that point, they dropped from 4th to 5th place.

Empoli – really lucky guys. They were 5th with their 45 points, just behind Triestina on worse goal-difference. Then L.R. Vicenza was not admitted to the top league, Triestina was punished and suddenly Empoli was 4th and promoted instead of Vicenza. Lucky, indeed.

L. R. Vicenza was trying hard to recover its position – the glorious days of the late 1970s were still fresh in memory. But also fresh was their participation in the match-fixing affair. They finished 3rd with 46 points and clinched promotional spot, but they were not permitted to join First Division, still penalized.

Brescia – 2nd with 47 points. Going up again for another try among the best. It was never ending struggle… up and down, up and down, now it was going up, so it was fine.

Ascoli had wonderful season, winning Serie B with 50 points. 17 wins, 16 ties, 5 losses, 56-33 goal-difference. They were the only team not losing home match in the league. Scored most goals by far. A somewhat lesser version of Brescia – a team meandering between first and second division – so, winning Serie B was great success.

Italy. No miracles this season – Juventus was dominant, as it should have been. At the bottom – pretty much the expected. Verona dropped too low for reigning champion.

Lecce – pretty much the outsider. Last with 16 points and out.

Bari – 15th and out with 22 points. They scored the least goals in the championship – just 18.

Pisa – the third relegated team. 14th with 23 points.

Udinese – lucky 13th with 25 points.

Avellino – 12th with 27 points.

Sampdoria – 11th with 27 points. More was expected from this team, but… that was it.

Verona, as it was commonly known back than – Hellas Verona, actually. 10th with 28 points. Unfortunately, they were not able to build upon their success – the predicament of small clubs in any country. Losing players rather than gaining more talent.

Como – 9th with 29 points. Not bad – for them.

Atalanta – 8th with 29 points.

Milan – 7th with 31 points. Rather painfully coming back, but on the road to recovery.

Inter – 6th with 32 points. Something not quite right with this team. Most likely the age of Rummenigge and Brady.

Torino – 5th with 33 points. One of the three teams not winning away, even once.

Fiorentina – 4th with 33 points. Underachievers, in a way – this squad should have been a title contender.

Napoli – 3rd with 39 points. Slowly building strength. One expect a team with Maradona to be formidable champion, but Napoli really came out of nowhere and Maradona was pretty much alone. But slowly a strong team was gathering around him – all for the future.

Roma – the closest team to the champions, but not a real threat. Second with 41 points. More or less, running on the inertia from their earlier years. Still very strong, but somewhat they missed the moment to transform themselves into truly great team and now inevitably getting older.

Juventus – simply the best. 18 wins, 9 ties, only 3 lost games, 43-17 goal-difference – best defensive record, second-best strikers, 45 points and one more title. Consistency was the key – no matter what, Juventus had strong squads for very long time and there was no stopping to that. Starting with their coach – Trapattoni – they were the best squad in Italy and practically had no real challenger. It was coming to the point of considering occasional second place a huge failure…

The UEFA Cup. Say whatever you like, but this was Spanish year – finalists in every European tournament. Winning was another matter…Barcelona failed, Atletico failed… but Real Madrid did not fail. The road to the final was not easy – at least compared to their opponents. Real faced Borussia Moenchengladbach, tough at the moment Xamax Neuchatel, and Inter Milano at the semi-final. 1. FC Koln was luckier – they met Sporting Gijon in the first round, tough, but beatable, and then the next stronger opponent was in the ¼ finals – Sporting Lisbon, a team like Gijon – tough, but beatable. Then in the semi-finals it was one thing to meet Inter and quite another to face KSW Waregem from Belgium. 1. FC Koln was perhaps a bit lucky, but the West German club football was in its twilight years – not superior at all. Werder and Hamburger SV were eliminated in the first round and by insignificant opponents at that (Chernomoretz Odessa and Sparta Rotterdam). Borussia was no longer the great team of the 1970s – true, they managed fantastic home win against Real Madrid – 5-1 – but only to lose 0-4 in Madrid. The Germans were at least shaky, so Real was seemingly the favourite at the final. They had the stronger squad too – 1.FC Koln in its current version was seemingly weaker squad than the one they had 5-6 years ago. Schumacher, Allofs, and Littbarski was all they had… Bein was still in the early years of his career, not yet a star. Against them perhaps only Real’s goalkeeper Agustin was ordinary player. The rest, if not great stars, were at least national team material, but the attack was on another level: Butragueno, Sanchez, and Valdano with Santillana ready to step in as substitute. Frankly, Koln was clearly going to depend on German character against a team without a weak line, outclassing Koln by far. Then again… the Germans never give up and could roll over anybody and Spaniards were too easily given to brutality, destroying their football. That was traditional wisdom. Which seemingly was right until the 30th minute in the opening leg in Madrid – Allofs scored and Koln was leading. Soon everything changed and in the 89th minute Santillana scored his goal to make it 5-1 Real. The final was practically over before the second leg.

 

Final 1st Leg, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, 30 Apr 1986, att 85000

 

Real Madrid (2) 5 1.FC Köln (1) 1

29′ 0-1 K: Allofs

38′ 1-1 RM: Sánchez

42′ 2-1 RM: Gordillo

51′ 3-1 RM: Valdano

84′ 4-1 RM: Valdano

89′ 5-1 RM: Santillana

 

Real Madrid: Agustín; Salguero, Solana, Camacho; Martín Vázquez (Santillana 81), Míchel, Juanito, Gordillo; Butragueño, Sánchez, Valdano

1.FC Köln: Schumacher; Geils, Gielchen, Steiner, Prestin; Geilenkirchen, Hönerbach; Bein (Hässler 70), Janssen; Littbarski (Dickel 83), Allofs

Referee: Courtney (England)

For some reason the second leg was played not in Koln, but in (West) Berlin, but the low attendance was guaranteed no matter the venue after the terrible loss in Madrid – 1. FC Koln was written off. Down, but never out… may be Real was not fully motivated by now, but 1. FC Koln went to play. And they won 2-0. They did whatever then could, may be even more than that, for frankly… it seemed impossible Gielchen, Geilenkirchen, Pisanti to overcome Camacho, Michel, Butragueno. Koln had something like 5-6 strong players when Real had no enough spots in the team for all the talent at their hands and great names had to sit at bench. That was the reality and only miracle could give Koln the cup.

Final 2nd Leg, Olympiastadion, Berlin, 6 May 1986, att 15000

 

1.FC Köln (1) 2 Real Madrid (0) 0

22′ 1-0 K: Bein

72′ 2-0 K: Geilenkirchen

Real won 5-3 on aggregate

 

1.FC Köln: Schumacher; Prestin, Gielchen, Geils (Schmitz 83); Geilenkirchen, Steiner, Bein, Hönerbach, Bein; Janssen (Pisanti 58), Littbarski, Allofs

Real Madrid: Agustín; Chendo, Maceda, Solana, Camacho; Míchel, Gallego, Valdano, Gordillo; Butragueño (Juanito 88), Sánchez (Santillana 20)

Referee: Valentine (Scotland)

Good campaign for 1. FC Koln, but they destroyed in the first leg of the final and the brave second leg was not enough. Thus. 1. FC Koln was unable to put its name along the great West German clubs and probably rightly so – as sturdy and determined the team was, it was not a great one. There were very few outstanding players – may be against another opponent the Germans could have extracted victory, but Real Madrid was too mighty at the moment.

The winners. Standing, left to right: San Jose, Agustrin, Gordillo, Camacho, Maceda, Salguero, Gallego, Valdano, Chendo. Crouching: Butragueno, Martin Vazquez, Michel, Hugo Sanchez, Solana, Luis Molovny – coach.

It was not an easy campaign, especially after Borussia Moenchengladbach won 5-1 in the first leg of the 1/8 finals, but Real came back with vengeance on every occasion, at the end eliminating every opponent on the road. This season the ‘Vulture Squadron’ – ‘La Quinta del Buitre’ -was born and even with some strained personal relations, it was formidable team with so much talent, some had to stay on the bench. Real won a second UEFA Cup in 2 years and was it another club, this team would have been instant legend – but it Real and the UEFA Cup was hardly considered great success: the measure was the European Champions Cup – not winning it meant failure… However, it was still very positive sign, for the club was winning in Europe after a very long dry years and not by accident either. It was Real Madrid, though… UEFA Cup was not enough and Molovny was replaced with Leo Beenhakker right after winning the cup. The victory was perhaps most important to aging Camacho and Santillana, whose whole careers were frustrated by lack of international success – at last they won on European stage and twice in a row, a confirmation of quality and also a justice to both great players, even if coming late.

Cup Winners Cup. Apart from Celtic, the draw was nice to all stronger teams from start to finish. Well, there were few of them… fewer every year. Up to the ¼ finals, the only really tough draw was in the first round: Atletico Madrid vs Celtic. Those reaching the quarter-finals were the better teams only in terms of this year tournament – in general, not exactly leading European teams at the moment. And the results were quite predictable, no surprises: Rapid Vienna lost to Dinamo Kiev, Dynamo Dresden lost to Bayer Leverkusen, Crvena zvezda Belgrade – to Atletico Madrid. Dukla Prague eliminated Benfica Lisbon thanks to away goal, but this was battle between equals. In the semi-final stage Dinamo Kiev was a bit lucky, drawing the weakest, Dukla Prague – and beating it accordingly. Meantime Atletico Madrid extracted 2 small victories from Bayer Leverkusen – both times by a goal difference. Thus, Atletico Madrid and Dinamo Kiev reached the final. No question about ambition – both teams craved success. Both were in good shape at this time. Was there a favourite? Dinamo was in excellent form and had at last wonderful squad. Atletico Madrid was no joke either and may be even more ambitious than Dinamo, because they had no real European success so far. As for the squad… it was already weakened a bit by the transfer of Hugo Sanchez to Real, but it was old news by now. The 1978 World champion Ubaldo Fillol replaced Sanchez – well, it is not even remotely similar to exchange a great striker for goalkeeper, but nevertheless Fillol was important acquisition, a great star on his own right. Dinamo had the best of the Soviet football, of course.

The final proved to be surprisingly entertaining and quickly Dinamo got the upper hand, scoring in the 5^th minute.

Zavarov scored the opening goal, but it was the flying winger Belanov, who captured all attention. Atletico never gave up and tried to play attacking football as well, but was outplayed most of the time.

Naturally, Blokhin got most attention, for he was famous, but it was more than that – now a veteran, he played still wonderful football, perhaps even better than 10 years ago, when he was rather simple left—winger. Now he was taking more playmaking functions and operated on wider zone. Near the end of the match he scored his customary goal and a bit later the substitute Yevtushenko completed the destruction of Atletico Madrid. Atletico played well and the result does not give them justice, but Dinamo was not only excellent, but also scored – and Atletico did not. To a point, the final repeated the one for the European Champions Cup: the winners played against hostile crowd of enemy’s supporters, having practically none of their own.

Final, Stade de Gerland, Lyon, 2 May 1986, att 39000

Dinamo Kiev (1) 3 Atlético Madrid (0) 0

5′ 1-0 DK: Zavarov

85′ 2-0 DK: Blokhin

88′ 3-0 DK: Yevtushenko

Dinamo Kiev: Chanov; Baltacha (Bal 38), Bessonov, Kuznetsov, Demianenko; Rats, Yakovenko, Yaremchuk, Zavarov (Yevtushenko 70); Belanov, Blokhin

Atlético Madrid: Fillol; Tomás, Arteche, Ruiz, Clemente; Prieto, E.Quique, Marina, Landáburu (Setién 61); Cabrera, Da Silva Referee: Wöhrer (Austria)

Captain Anatoly Demyanenko received the Cup Winners Cup.

Dinamo Kiev won the trophy for second time, but perhaps Oleg Blokhin was the happiest of all – the only survivor of the first victory, more than 10 years ago, the only Kiev player to win the Cup Winners Cup twice.

Dinamo Kiev made so dazzling performance, it is easy to dismiss Atletico – but they played well really. Unfortunately, they were not at the same level with Dinamo. Yes, this was strong period for the club, but they were still unable to succeed in Europe. Perhaps the making of the team had something to do with it – only the Argentine Ubaldo Fillol was true world star and he was getting old by now and did not play long in Madrid. Against them played a whole national team (including the substitutes) on the rise. A matter of class and Atletico was outclassed. Too bad.

Dinamo Kiev was unquestionable winner and their second victory was more convincing than the first one – 10 years ago they played against weak and somewhat transitional squad of Ferencvaros Budapest. Now they met opponent in top condition. Naturally, both winning squads were compared and it was tough call: at both occasions the whole Dinamo side were national team regulars. And there were national team players among the reserves as well. But this squad was deemed stronger – it was younger team with great talent, not even fully flourishing in the cases of some players. Back then most players, including Blokhin, were already known – no new discoveries. This time was different: the world discovered the great talent of Belanov, Yaremchuk, Yakovenko. And the noticed promising talent of Zavarov was confirmed. Blokhin was formidable – even better than before, a great case of longevity at top form. Was this vintage better than the old one? Unanswerable question, but one thing was sure – Dinamo played fantastic football and many of the team had long lasting impact, for they – unlike the first winners – eventually went to play professionally in Western Europe. Dinamo had its second great team at last – Lobanovsky did it again. As for Blokhin – may be he really convinced everybody that he was a true world-class player: Lobanovksy was merciless coach, never given to any sentimentality – aging Blokhin was not discarded as some of his former teammates, but remained and continued to be the key player. And Lobanovsky was also vindicated – often under criticism for his methods and failures, he proved his worth by making a second great team and winning again at the European stage.

The European Champions Cup. Sensational or unusual 1985-86 season for all European club tournaments. Favorites were eliminated early, that was it at a glance and it is risky to say why – looks like many clubs were out of shape, having transitional teams, getting old or too young yet. One of the most unpredictable European seasons, which at the end made it more exciting – for some. In the Champions Cup French Bordeuax was the first casualty, losing at home to Turkish Fenerbahce 2-3 and then unable to recover in Istanbul. Out in the opening round. The other surprise in the same round was the elimination of the Yugoslav champion FK Sarajevo by FC Kuusysi (Lahti), the champion of Finland. The Fins won both legs 2-1. In the second round FC Kuusysi made another surprise – they eliminated the champion of USSR Zenith (Leningrad). And they were close to make a third surprise in the ¼ finals – they managed 0-0 in Bucharest against Steaua, but lost the home leg 0-1. It was hardly a home leg… Kuusysi played it in Helsinki, most likely because their own stadium was too small. Almost made it to the semi-finals, though. Here Bayern’s run ended as well – they were eliminated by Anderlecht. Aberdeen had no luck either – IFK Goteborg eliminated them thanks to away goals (2-2 and 0-0). The draw was merciless to some strong teams from the beginning and here paired Barcelona with Juventus. Minimal home win was enough for Barcelona to win – 1-0 and 1-1. And then the drama of the semi-finals: Steaua lost the first leg in Brussels 0-1, but was perfect at home, beating Anderlecht 3-0. Meantime IFK Goteborg won their home leg 3-0, but lost in Barcelona with the same result and Barca prevailed in the penalty shoot-out 5-4.

Ups and downs all the way, but the final looked clear – Barcelona had big advantage. Not only the Romanians were almost unknown, but the final was played in Seville, practically at home for the Spanish champions – familiar venue, easy access for their own supporters, some local support as well. Steaua appeared to be an outsider in every way – including the fact that they had much easier opponents on the road to the final than Barcelona. It was practically sure think Barca will win the European Champions Cup at last. To be sure of winning often guarantees losing…

Steaua started with slow tempo and lured Barcelona in the trap. Although more active and looking more dangerous, Barcelona also slowed down, the match became messy and tempers boiled quickly.

Frustration took place – Spanish attacks were inefficient, often blocked by absolutely unknown Romanian goalkeeper.

It became routine and rather hopeless – Spanish crosses taken confidently by Ducadam.

Steaua tried its own attacks, which on occasion were more dangerous than Barcelona’s, but Urruti – or Urruticoechea – was also solid. However, there was less football than battle – both teams played ugly from start, the brutality only escalated with time and reached the point near the end of the first half when the referee called both captains to warn them to cool down their teammates, or… or what? The final to be stopped and abandoned? Since such thing never happens, the opponents continued to kick each other. Five yellow cards were shown and it was too little, frankly. Unlike yellow cards, there no goals.

No goals in the extra time either, so for the second time in the history of the tournament it came to penalty shoot-out. The real fun was there, as it happened – both goalkeepers excelled, but the Romanian unknown became the great hero of the final. True, Urruti took the laurels at first, blocking 2 penatlies in a row. Alesanko missed the net at first and then Ducadam saved the second penalty. Then Lacatus scored and Ducadam saved Pichi Alonso’s kick. Balint scored the next for Steaua and Ducadam saved Marcos’s penalty. It was over – Barcelona did not score a single penalty, Steaua was leading 2-0 and the fifth penalty was meaningless. The sure winners lost – practically to Ducadam.

Final, Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla, 7 May 1986, att 70000

Steaua Bucuresti (0) 0 FC Barcelona (0) 0 aet Steaua won 2-0 on penalties

Steaua Bucuresti (trainer Jenei) Ducadam; Iovan, Belodedici, Bumbescu, Barbulescu; Balint, Balan, (Iordanescu 72), Bölöni, Majaru; Lacatus, Piturca (Radu 111)

FC Barcelona (trainer Venables) Urruti; Gerardo, Migueli, Alesanco, Julio Alberto; Víctor, Marcos, Schuster (Moratalla 85), Pedraza; Archibald (Pichi Alonso 106), Carrasco

Referee: Vautrot (France)

Penalty shoot-out Steaua: Majaru (held), Bölöni (held), Lacatus, Balint Barcelona: Alesanco (held), Pedraza (held), Pichi Alonso (held), Marcos (held)

Barcelona worried and cold – the end was near.

A new and surprising winners of the European Champions Cup – the captain of Steaua Iovan proudly lifts the Cup.

And then the joyous run of triumph in front of stunned Spaniards at the stadium. Naturally, Ducadam keeps the cup safely in his hand – he practically won it for his club.

Losers… what was wrong? Well, the way they played. Frankly, not a great squad. Schuster and Archibald were not adding class, something did not tic. Venables was probably not the right coach either.

Considered outsiders before the final and reconsidered during the game, Steaua’s players needed quick learning – among the winning squad Ducadam became the most famous instantly. He played a strong final, but it really the penalty shoot-out earned him recognition. He contributed outside the field as well by saying that hew was the best Romanian goalkeeper. Since Romanians were not well known, his boasting only added fuel to discovery: yes, he played wonderfully, this entirely unknown keeper, and if he was truly the best in the country… well, what other secreted jewels were there? Hagi, surely. However, Ducadam disappeared as quickly as he appeared – a few months later Hagi was already on field, but not a trace of Ducadam – Stingaciu, more familiar name from the Romanian national team, was again the regular keeper and another guy was the back-up. Ducadam became an intriguing myth, fueled by rumors and speculations – even his name remains unclear: Ducadam or Duckadam? Meantime his teammates were climbing up – almost the whole team from the final were national team players, some of long standing and some new talent, but already recognized as good material at least in Romania. Hagi only made team greater, Stingaciu played hardly lower level of goalkeeping than Ducadam, recovering his regular place in the team. There was no stopping really – Jenei, also ‘discovered’ as great coach thanks to the final, moved to the helm of the Romanian national team and was replaced by Iordanescu, who played a bit against Barcelona, retired and was appointed the new coach – and the team did not suffer the change a bit. This Steaua vintage, no matter political favours, was truly amazing. The Champions Cup victory just opened the door for talent, which stayed and defined not only Romanian football almost until the end of the 1990s. Not just great players, but also great fighters – Steaua did shy away from ugly tackles and fights, proving mean character so much needed in the 1980s football. They had it all and feared nobody. Although 1986 was their best year in terms of success, they probably played their best football in the next few years. One of the most pleasant discoveries in the 1980s.

One more look at the new European champions with the trophy.

And the full squad of the great 1985-86 season. Note that Iordanescu appear to be assistant-coach here, perhaps playing assistant-coach, and another testimony to the confusion relatively unknown squad makes: both Bumbescu and Piturca are misspelled by the Hungarian magazine. Majearu will remain with uncertain spelling of his name forever, it seems, but the again, such is the case of Cruijff.

The Supercup. It was played in February 1987 – no matter what, this duel was unable to find permanent place in the European calendar. This was the first – and only – East European or Communist, if you like, contest of the Supercup. Politics can be hardly separated from the ‘innocent’ universe of sports – USSR and Romania were in the same boat and were not… twenty years earlier one could safely bet on Soviet victory, but now Romania was hardly a puppet. If one wants to play politics… then it was a clash between KGB and Ceausescu’s family. Add Ukrainian Communist Party interests, somewhat at odds with the Moscow-run Soviet interests. Add Romanian Army, led in sporting terms by Ceausescu’s son via his absolute control of Steaua vs Romanian version of the KGB, represented by Dinamo (Bucharest). All played by nationalism, so wider support for both Dinamo and Steaua was gathered together. All of that played a role, but it was football after all two currently great teams met on the pitch – in sporting terms, a contest for purely football superiority. Which was taking place not at the best time – in February neither team was at its top form, both between seasons and training for the still to come regular championship. Perhaps Dinamo was in a bit of disadvantage – their new season was yet to come, new players to be included in the playing scheme, no official games for some time. Steaua hardly had a break – they played for the Intercontinental Cup in December and had to keep their form for the Supercup in mind, so they hardly had a vacation. May be in better fighting form, but tired. Political intrigues apart, if only slightly, the Cup was contested in Monaco, in February, between East European teams, so… under 9000 viewers showed up. True, neither Soviet citizens, nor Romanians could go, and France in general, including Monaco, was hardly football-crazy, but the attendance was just one more testament to the old problem of the Supercup: in the eyes of the fans, it was not a real trophy.

The match itself was lively. Dinamo tried as much as they could, still in the great form they displayed in 1986, but so was Steaua, even a bit better. Hagi was on the field – the first big game he actually played for Steaua – and his performance was crucial at the end. Both teams had prepared themselves well – they studied their opponent carefully and Steaua went to Italy for some friendlies with this match in mind. At the end, Steaua was better prepared – since both teams practiced attacking football, neutralizing the opposition was essential. Steaua pressured Dinamo on the whole field, trying and succeeding to block and distinguish Dinamo’s early assault. With time, Steaua’s concept proved well thought of – Romanian counter-attacks were more dangerous and they defended better. Dinamo was flying when they were able to attack relentlessly on high speed. They were a bit vulnerable when defending and off-balance when the Romanians slowed down the tempo. Yet, it was fairly equal game.

Even poses suggest difference – the frantic urgency of Belanov and the rather calm approach of the Romanian defender.

Dinamo may appeared a bit stronger to some eyes – after all, it was unusual even than to see Hagi in defensive role and beaten by Yakovenko here – but Steaua was more versatile team and tactically richer. Small differences, even chance, could win the match – that became clear early.

Small differences require masters to explore and use them – a minute before the end of the first half Hagi executed precise and deadly free-kick and scored. Soviet observers pointed out that Chanov and his defenders made a small mistake when organizing their wall: left a vulnerable spot, Hagi saw it and directed the ball exactly there. That was the winning difference – no other goals were scored to the end and Steaua won 1-0.

Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, 24 Feb 1987, att 8456

Steaua Bucuresti (1) 1 Dinamo Kiev (0) 0

44′ 1-0 SB: Hagi

Steaua Bucuresti: Stîngaciu; Iovan, Bumbescu, Stoica, Barbulescu, Belodedici, Bölöni, Balan, Hagi (Balint 84), Lacatus (Majaru 89), Piturca

Dinamo Kiev: Chanov; Bal, Baltacha, Kuznetsov, Demianenko, Yevtushenko, Yakovenko, Rats, Belanov (Mikhailitchenko 50), Zavarov (Morozov 77), Blokhin

Referee: Agnolin (Italy)

Dinamo was hoping to win a second Supercup and to become the third club winning the trophy twice, but it did not happen. The squad playing in Monaco left no photo of itself, so this one, from December 1986, must do. Left to right: Demyanenko, Chanov, Baltacha, Blokhin, Yakovenko, Bessonov, Zavarov, Evtushenko, Kuznetzov, Mukhaylichenko, Evseev, Ratz, Belanov. It was still the same squad – Bessonov and Evseev did not play against Steaua, which perhaps an important absence only in the case of Bessonov. Evseev was never a regular anyway. The Cup Winners Cup squad without changes, but without improvement either – the good news was there was no drop of form; the bad news – no building upon what they had already. Tactically, it was not richer team – it was the same, professing only speedy attacking football. Perhaps the price for not becoming more tactically flexible team was paid by losing the Supercup.

Triumphal Steaua with the Supercup. Top, from left: Dumitru Stingaciu, Stefan Iovan, Victor Piturca, Antal Weisenbacher, Mihail Majearu, Gavril Balint, Adrian Bumbescu, Ioan Kramer, Blio. Bottom: Ladislau Boloni, Miodrag Belodedici, Gheorge Hagi, Tudorel Stoica, Lucian Balan, Ilie Barbulescu, Marius Lacatus. Steaua lost the Intercontinental Cup in December 1986, but won the European Supercup, proving once for all that it was not just lucky one-time wonder. Unlike Dinamo, Steaua made some changes between winning the Champions Cup in the spring of 1986 and the Supercup final in 1987: now Hagi was in line and leading, a major addition. The other one looked suspect at first, but already skeptics were silenced – the great coach Jenei moved to the national team and replaced by young and inexperienced Iordanescu. He was still a player in the spring of 1986, playing at the great European final. Always a risky option to have coach, who the players know as teammate, but it worked and Iordanescu immediately showed great coaching talent – there was no drop of form, no radical change of style, disrupting the way players were used to, no big changes in the squad, so to remove former teammates who might be undisciplined and disruptive. Under Iordanescu Steau continued to be very strong and entertaining team, equal to the best in the world and certainly going to stay strong. And with Hagi at hand… sky was the limit. Winning the Supercup just boosted moral and confidence.

Intercontinental Cup. A clash between clubs with similar ambitions – Romanian Steaua and Argentinian River Plate. Both striving to concur the world for the first time, both having great squads in top form. Fast and nervous game, often stopped by nasty fouls, committed by either side. Entertaining match, both teams trying to be creative, but facing strong and brutal opposition and too eager to win to play with cool heads.

River Plate was perhaps a bit stronger.

May be a bit stronger, but by no means Steaua was giving up and scoring chances were few, but both teams had them.

River Plate was luckier – Alzamendi broke through Romanian defense, Stingaciu saved his first strike, but the ball bounced up when the goalkeeper was dropping down and Alzamendi had a second chance. He drove the ball in the net with a header.

No other goals were scored until the final whistle, instantly making the moment ‘historic’ and Alzamendi a great hero.

The great moment was reproduced from all angles again and again – it made River Plate champions of the world.

River Plate joyously made their triumphal run with the trophy in their hands.

Tokyo. Field: National Stadium.
December 14, 1986 Att: 62.000 Ref: José Luis Martínez Bazán (URU)

River Plate (ARG) 1-0 (1-0) Steaua Bucuresti (ROM)
1-0 28' Alzamendi

River Plate: Nery Alberto Pumpido - Jorge Manuel Gordillo, Nelson Daniel Gutiérrez, Oscar Alfredo Ruggeri, Alejandro Alfredo Montenegro - Héctor Aldolfo Enrique, Américo Rubén Gallego,
               Norberto Osvaldo Alonso, Roque Raúl Alfaro (68' Daniel Adolfo Sperandío) - Antonio Alzamendi, Juan Gilberto Funes.
               Coach: Héctor Rodolfo Veira
               Unused substitutes: Sergio Javier Goycochea, Rubén Darío Gómez, Claudio Morresi, Néstor Raúl Gorosito.

Steaua: Stîngaciu - Iovan, Belodedici, Bumbescu, Weisenbacher - Barbulescu (Majearu 60), Stoica, Balan, Balint - Lacatus, Piturca
               Coach: Anghel Iordanescu
               Unused substitutes: Iordache, Cireasa, Ivan, Lotariu.

Dirty, bruised and happy celebrating in the dressing room – a classic, a cliché, a symbol of football.

One can hardly say Steaua (Bucharest) was weaker or even deserved to lose. More unlucky than anything – River scored a goal and they did not. Losing a battle of equals is no shame, but losing a coveted trophy is hardly a happy occasion. Standing from left: Iovan, Belodedici, V. Piturca, Bumbescu, Stingaciu. First row: G. Balint, Lacatus, L. Balan, I. Barbulescu, Weiszenbacher, T. Stoica.

The sensational victory in the spring made the names familiar and thus speculations sprung, lasting for many years: where was the the goalkeeping hero of the European final, Duckadam? Given the political situation in Romania, dark rumors circulated for years, never really dying. But his absence provides an opportunity for re-evaluation of Steaua – it was not just a good starting formation, shaped and spurred by ambitious and mighty son of Communist dictator. Steaua had very talented coach and had more than 11 wonderful players. It was not Duckadam the big great starting goalkeeper, but Dumitru Stingaciu, for instance – a national team player for many years already. Another long serving national team playing, well remembered from the 1984 European finals – Majearu – came in the second half of the Intercontinental final as a substitute. On the bench were current and future stars of not just Romanian football: Hagi, Boloni, Rotariu. No matter how and why Steaua was made, this was great squad in purely football terms. Too bad they were unable to win everything this year, but the winner could be only one.

The ‘gallinas’ were completely buried with this victory – River Plate won absolutely everything this year: the Argentine championship, Copa Libertadores, Copa Interamericana, the Intercontinental Cup. Few teams achieved total success in the history of the sport. Standing from left: Gordillo, Gallego, Nelson Gutierrez, Pumpido, Ruggeri, Montenegro. Crouching: Alzamendi, Hector Enrique, Funes, Alonso, Alfaro. Like Steaua, this was not the full power of the team – there was more on the bench, so this River Plate vintage was really a great squad. Alzamendi became a great hero of the club, of course, but no other than Norberto Alonso deserved more the success: he was Mr. River Plate already, raised in the club, spending most of his career with them, a great star and motivator, an emblem, but also a suffering hero, for there was no international success, no matter what kind of squad River had in the 1970s and early 80s – and they repeatedly had mighty squads, as names go at least. So at last and still with Alonso – a triumph. A triumph so great, it erased a lot of the unsuccessful past. And more – Argentina won the World Cup, Argentine club was the best in the world, South American teams were unbeaten in the Intercontinental finals since 1976 (Argentinos Juniors lost only on penalty shoot-out in 1985). The River Plate victory symbolized many things and on much wider scale than Boca Juniors would like it.

Marvelous triumph, asking for a long, long party.

Just before making the last step to glory in Tokyo – Steaua on the left.

South American player of the year. There was change – the Uruguayan newspaper ‘El Pais’ took over the trophy this year. One may suspect bias in the voting… One can pause and think about calculation of success. And also about the struggle of realities – the Europeans had a rule only European players to be chosen for their own trophy. It was easy for them… all European greats played in Europe. South Americans had to either ignore their players in Europe, or somewhat place their own football in secondary position – not something South American pride was prepared to swallow. Thus… no Maradona among the best three. No Francescoli either. The absence of Francescoli is easier to explain – no great success with Uruguay and no part of River Plate’s successes in 1986. No great triumph in France. Maradona meantime was hailed as the greatest player at the World Cup, he won it – for many alone. No success on club level, though. But the best player in the world in his arguably most important year. His absence could be explained only by decision to avoid European-based players and Uruguayan bias. Julio Cesar Romero (Paraguay and Fluminense) was voted 3^rd – after winning the trophy the previous year, he was again among the best. Consistency. No doubt of his great talent. No success, though… neither Fluminense, nor Paraguay did anything significant in 1986. Careca (Sao Paulo and Brazil) was 2^nd – some doubt can be cast as well. Careca was more or less new discovery, just coming to true stardom. Not the most impressive Brazilian at the World Cup. Winning nothing with Brazil, but Brazilian champion with Sao Paulo.

Antonio Alzamendi Casas was voted number one. Well, an Uruguayan… voted best by Uruguayan-run classification. Suspect… On the other hand…

The 30-years Alzamendi had a great season. With the ugly reputation Uruguay acquired at the World Cup, Alzamendi was somewhat lost as a name – nobody really looked for performance, only for brutality. Alzamendi may not have been spectacular at the World Cup, but let say he played solid and dependable football.

Aside from playing for Uruguay, the year was great for the right-winger, or ‘second striker’ (depending on what a particular generation is used to call). Alzamendi won the Argentine championship, Copa Libertadores, the Intercontinental Cup, and, technically for 1986 – Copa Interamericana. He scored the winning goal in Tokyo. He played great for River Plate and he was already one of the key players and most instrumental after Francescoli departed to Europe. This was also his 15^th year as a professional footballer – 30-years old now, Alzamendi debuted in the already very distant 1971 for the provincial Wanderers (Durazno, Uruguay). This was his second spell with River Plate after playing successfully for Independiente (Avellaneda), Nacional and Penarol (Montevideo), UAG (Mexico), and some lesser clubs. He was yet to play a bit in Europe – and that was perhaps the reason why his name hardly rings any bells for the Europeans – but he was more than well known in South America. A national player of Uruguay since 1978, which translates in something improtant – he was part of the Uruguayan revival after the disastrous 1970s. Brushing aside Uruguayan bias in the voting, Alzamendi had incredibly strong and successful season. If the idea was to ignore European-based players, Alzamandi deserved recognition and may be the trophy. May be… it was tough call with Argentina fresh World champion, even if Maradona was ignored. Yet, was he the best this year? Never mind… it is also interesting to see somebody less famous, somebody somewhat ignored so far, to win. Then again… if long career was to play a role, why not Norberto Alonso, the body and soul of River Plate? Depends on which coast of La Plata one votes, I guess.

Copa Libertadores. As it happened, this issue of Libertadores had few things of note – the Venezuelan clubs dropped out before the tournament started, leaving Group 5 with only 2 teams. Brazilian Bangu made its only appearance in the tournament, but they were especially weak, finishing last in Group 4 with 2 points. The other Brazilian representative, Curitiba failed to win the group, and no Brazilian club reached the second stage. No Uruguayan team either, for they had the misfortune to play in Group 1 with the Argentine clubs. Penarol was surprisingly weak. The general decline of Peruvian clubs was also felt – they finished bellow the Bolivians. Apart from that, everything was as usual: the 5 group winners reached the second stage, where the current holder of the cup joined them, they were divided into 2 round-robin groups and winners went to play the final. 
Group 1. 
 1.River Plate (Buenos Aires) 6 5 1 0 13- 4 11
 2.Wanderers (Montevideo) 6 3 0 3 10-10 6
 3.Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires) 6 2 2 2 7- 8 6
 4.Peñarol (Montevideo) 6 0 1 5 4-12 1
Group 2.

1.América (Cali) 6 3 3 0 8- 4 9

 2.Deportivo Cali 6 2 3 1 8- 5 7
 3.Cobresal (El Salvador) 6 1 5 0 6- 5 7
 4.Universidad Católica (Santiago) 6 0 1 5 5-13 1
Group 3.

1.Bolívar (La Paz) 6 4 1 1 12- 7 9

 2.Jorge Wilstermann (Cochabamba) 6 3 0 3 11- 8 6
 3.Universitario (Lima) 6 3 0 3 9-11 6
 4.Universidad Técnica Cajamarca 6 1 1 4 7-13 3
Group 4.

1.Barcelona (Guayaquil) 6 2 4 0 7- 5 8

 2.Coritiba (Curitiba) 6 2 3 1 8- 5 7
 3.Deportivo Quito 6 2 3 1 12-11 7
 4.Bangu (Rio de Janeiro) 6 0 2 4 6-12 2
Group 5.
The Venezuelan representatives (Estudiantes and Táchira) withdrew

 1.Olimpia (Asunción) 2 2 0 0 5- 2 4
 2.Nacional (Asunción) 2 0 0 2 2- 5 0
Semi-finals.
Group 1.
 1.River Plate (Buenos Aires) 4 2 1 1 7- 3 5
   Argentinos Juniors (Bs. Aires) 4 2 1 1 3- 1 5
 3.Barcelona (Guayaquil) 4 1 0 3 2- 8 2

First Place Playoff
Oct 4: River Plate - Argentinos Jrs. 0-0 (after extra time)
River Plate qualify due to better goal difference in group.
Group 2. 
 1.América (Cali) 4 2 1 1 4- 4 5
 2.Olimpia (Asunción) 4 1 2 1 5- 4 4
 3.Bolívar (La Paz) 4 1 1 2 5- 6 3
Final.This was special final – America (Cali) was playing their third consecutive final and it was high time to break the bad spell and win the Cup at last. Arguably, America had its strongest team in history, so it was not just ambition – this squad craved international success. There were big stars playing in it – the Paraguayan Cabanas and the Argentine Gareca, who played for River Plate just a year earlier. River Plate had even greater hunger – not just wonderful team, but also they were spurred by pain: River Plate did not won Copa Libertadores so far, losing both finals they played in 1966 and 1976. Like America, they needed to break the bad spell, although in their case it was matter of reaching a final once every 10 years. It was more than just failing behind the other great Argentine clubs – their lack of success brought them the nickname 'gallinas' – chicken – and they were constantly mocked by the rivals Boca Juniors. By both supporters and players – Boca players frequently flapped their arms, like chicken do, after scoring goal to River. Both opponents driven by similar ambitions and having great squad in top form, the final was promising a great clash, if not necessary great football, with high possibility of going to third match. River Plate got the upper hand in the opening match, played in Cali – they were leading 2-0 by the 25

 minute and America was unable to really come back. First Juan Gilberto Funes showed the deftness, which earned him the nickname ‘El Bufalo’ and opened the score, then Alzamendi gave great pass to Norberto Alonso,who made it 2-0. Roberto Cabanas scored right after the start of the second half, in the 47

minute, but that was all America could do. America 1 – River Plate 2.

The second leg was not easier even with the advantage of playing in front of home crowd for River: America did not want to lose and South American tempers showed up – Montenegro (River Plate) and Gareca (America) were sent off. Eventually, Enrique gave a pass to Funes, who held the ball up, turned and hit a low shot in the left-hand side of the Colombian net. It went in.

The Argentine goalkeeper of America Julio Cesar Falcioni had no chance. El Matador scored his second goal in the finals, the only goal in this game and River Plate won. May be Gareca felt sorry for leaving River Plate…

River Plate broke the bad spell and finally won Copa Libertadores – ‘gallinas’ no more!

Three times losers – that is bad luck. Or lack of true class… probably more to the point and a comment on the state of many big South American clubs at the time. America, as strong as it was and having perhaps its best period ever, never had the historical weight of clubs like Independiente, Santos, Penarol, Flamengo and others from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Colombian football as a whole ranked even lower than America – the club after all used foreign talent regularly. But that could be the exact argument: bad financies, stars leaving to play in Europe, general mismanagement diminished football in all leading nations. America climbed to the top largely because it appeared stable compared to most. Yet, it was enough to meet solid and sound team from one of the traditional leaders and the Colombians lost. Not without fight, but still they came second best. Made an anti-record, though – losing three finals in three years. Imagine the frustration.

‘Gallinas’ no more. Long years of pain and suffering ended – River Plate won Copa Libertadores at last. It was strong campaign – they lost only one match, but that was also the tiny black spot to worry about: Argentinos Juniors not only beat them, but River Plate managed to overcome them only on better goal-difference. True, Argentinos Juniors were the reigning holders of Copa Libertadores, but they had a limited squad, beyond compare with the wealth of talent River Plate had – and practically River Plate was unable to beat them! A bad omen for things to come perhaps, but at the moment everything was great – River Plate concurred Copa Libertadores and won the Argentine championship. The squad had so much talent, it could be argued this was one of the best squads ever, along with ‘La machina’. A plethora of old and new World champions, various stars of lesser fame, Uruguayan greats, future stars – talented players like Troglio and Goycochea, who will became famous names in the coming years. Enzo Francescoli went to France, but the absence of ‘the Prince’ upset absolutely nothing. Given the talent River Plate had at this time, it was only just they won Copa Libertadores – no other South American club had similarly strong and deep squad.

But great players need a great coach and probably long-haired and still very young Hector Veira deserves the credit: he managed to organize, motivate, and steer conflicting egos into a successful team. His great sense, if sometimes peculiar, humor helped as well. Why Veira was replaced in 1987 is a mystery – his famous trial for rape of minor boy seemingly came a bit later. Why players were sold one after another is understandable – even River Plate was in great need of money. So, from the distance of time, it is easy to say that 1986 was the pinnacle of a short-lived great team. It is a shame it was not longer run – this River squad could have been one of the most memorable teams of all time. But that was it fate – to be short-lived and barely noticed outside Argentina. There was a big relief for the veteran Norberto Alonso, who was the body and soul of River Plate for so many years to win internationally with his beloved team. Later he said ‘this was the last great Argentinian side I’ve seen.’ It was true, as it happens, but River Plate had as many enemies as it had supporters: even Copa Libertadores was not fully enough to lift the old stigma of losers. To really bury the chicken, to get rid of the mocking nickname completely, more was needed.

First Division in its first ‘European’ season: there were 2 final tables. The one, existing for awhile already was the 3-year relegation table – the last in it was directly relegated and the next to last went to the Octogonal tournament. Eventually, Huracan lost the promotion-relegation tournament and went down as well, joining Chacarita Juniors, the last in the relegation table, in the new Second Division.

Chacarita Juniors (Buenos Aires – General San Martin) was last in the real championship table as well with 21 points.

Atletico Racing (Cordoba) – 18^th with 26 points.

Platense (Vicente Lopez) – 17^th with 27 points.

Estudiantes (La Plata) – 16^th with 27 points.

Temperley (Temperley) – 15^th with 29 points.

Union (Santa Fe) – 14^th with 31 points.

Huracan (Buenos Aires) – 13^th with 32 points, but they were 18^th in the relegation table, lost the Octogonal final, and were relegated.

Velez Sarsfield (Buenos Aires) – 12^th with 34 points

nstituto (Cordoba) – 11^th with 35 points.

Gimnasia y Esgrima (La Plata) – 10^th with 36 points.

Independiente (Avellaneda) – 9^th with 36 points.

Talleres (Cordoba) – 8^th with 37 points.

San Lorenzo (Buenos Aires) – 7^th with 40 points. With young and yet unknown Chilavert between the goalposts.

Ferro Carril Oeste (Buenos Aires) – 6^th with 40 points.

Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires) – 5^th with 41 points.

Argentinos Juniors (Buenos Aires) – 4^th with 44 points.

Deportivo Espanol (Buenos Aires) – 3^rd with 46 points. There best season so far. Standing from left: Carlos Martínez, Juan C. Segovia, Guillermo Zárate, Osvaldo Scigliano, Pedro Catalano, Luis Correa.
First row: Lorenzo Ojeda, Mario Cariaga, Claudio Nigretti, José L. Rodríguez, Daniel F. Andrada (Uruguayan).

Newell’s Old Boys (Rosraio) – 2^nd with 46 points. Strong season, but ending on a bitter note, for they failed to win the second Libertadors spot, losing to Boca Juniors.

River Plate (Buenos Aires) – they had splendid season and won the league, leaving Newell’s Old Boys 10 points behind. 23 wins,10 ties, only 3 losses, 74- 26 goal-difference, 56 points. Naturally, River Plate had the best defensive record in the championship, but their scoring record was much more impressive: goals were getting difficult to score in last years and only 2 teams scored more than 50 goals this season. Boca Juniors scored 57 – 1.58 goal-average. River Plate achieved 2.05 goal-average – the only team reaching 2 goals-per-game. The squad was splendid, some of the boys were going to be world champions just in a month or two, but River Plate also supplied Uruguay with 3 players for the 1986 World Cup. Alonso and Gallego had their laurels from the past. Hector ‘el Bambino’ Veira did excellent job as daring coach, who had some risky ideas, but they worked. Of course, having this kind of squad helped applying risky ideas. There was more than domestic title in 1986, something much more important, but it was yet to come.