First Division. No matter how good generation Portugal had – or did not have – the championship was always a matter of 2-3 teams competing at the top, leaving all others far behind. Nothing new this season…
O Elvas – hopeless outsiders and last with 14 points. But lucky – the decision to increase the league saved them well deserved relegation.
Farense – 15th with 21 points. Also saved from relegation because of the enlargement of the league.
Salgueiros – 14th with 24 points. In the relegation zone as well and also saved from going down.
Rio Ave – 13th with 25 points, but in danger of relegation. Under normal circumstances, they should have been in danger – going to the promotion/relegation tournament with the 3 second-place teams in the Second Division zones. But those weaker than Rio Ave and normally directly relegated were saved and Rio Ave was not. Weird and unfair – luckily, Rio Ave managed to win the promotion/relegation tournament and stay in the league.
Maritimo (Funchal) – 12th with 25 points. Rules were entirely against poor Rio Ave this season: Maritimo took the safe 12th position not even on better goal-difference – their record was worse than Rio Ave’s. But rules stipulated head-to-head record to be considered first in case of teams with same points. And Maritimo escaped trouble.
Portimonense – 11th with 26 points.
Academica (Coimbra) – 10th with 26 points.
Sporting (Braga) – 9th with 26 points.
Boavista – 8th with 27 points.
Varzim – 7th with 29 points. Strong season for them, even unusually strong season.
Belenenses – 6th with 30 points. A good chance for revival, if possible – because of the strong Portuguese international record Belenenses got a UEFA Cup spot.
Chaves – 5th with 33 points. Going to play in the UEFA Cup as well.
Sporting (Lisbon) – 4th with 38 points. Stronger than most of the league, but no match to the leading teams. Standing from left: Venâncio, Oceano, Duílio, Gabriel, Meade, Damas.
First row: Fernando Mendes, Zinho, Manuel Fernandes (cap), Negrete, Mário.
Vitoria (Guimaraes) – 3rd with 41 points. Battling with Sporting only, but bronze medals were great. Also UEFA Cup participant.
FC Porto – excellent season, as the title of the poster shows. May be the European campaign took its toll on the boys and they failed to win the championship. 2nd with 46 points. They had the best goal-difference: +45 and also scored most goals and shared the best defensive record: 67-22.
Benfica won yet another title. They had strong opponent, but luck had little to do with their victory: 20 wins, 9 ties, only 1 lost match (FC Porto lost 3), 51-23 goal-difference, 49 points.
Freamunde – one of the clubs never going higher then second level. 8th with 30 points.
Gil Vicente – 3rd with 34 points. Unable to return to top league football.
SC Espinho – won the group with 40 points and directly promoted. 16 wins, 8 ties, 6 losses, 52-20 goal-difference.
Est. Portalegre – 13th with 27 points.
AC Marinhense – 7th with 31 points.
Sporting Covilha – had no rivals and won the group with 45 points. 18 wins, 9 ties, 3 lost games, 40-17 goal-difference. This was great season for Covliha – not only promoted up, but champions of Second Division too – they won the tournament of the group champions after the season.
Uniao Madeira – 8th with 30 points.
Olhanense – 5th with 34 points.
Vitoria Setubal – very strong and winning the group with 48 points. 21 wins, 6 ties, 3 losses, 57-16 goal-difference. Return to First Division was the aim and was achieved. Vitoria – by name and regular season performance – should have been the champion of Second Division and they tried, but in the mini-tournament of zonal champions they lost to Sporting Covilha – on worse head-to-head results.
Estrella Amadora (Zona Sul) was the weakest now – last with 2 points. 1 win, 5 losses, 5-9.
Feirense (Zona Centro) ended 3rd with 4 points – 1 win, 2 ties, 3 losses, 4-9.
Penafiel (Zona Norte) won 3 games, tied 1 and lost 2. 7-7 goal-difference and 7 points. Unable to win the tournament, but strong second and thus promoted. Mission accomplished – back to First Division.
FC Swarovski-Tirol (Innsbruck) simply confirmed that they were 3rd and only 3rd… It may be picky, but their squad reveals the whole difference: the great West German Hansi Muller joined them in 1985, but he was now 30-years old and his game was going downhill after 1982. The other 2 foreigners were good Yugoslavs – the goalkeeper Tomislav Ivkovic (27) and Ivica Kalinic (31) – good, but not first class. Add the Austrian national team striker Peter Pacult and stop… that was all. Not enough to compete with Rapid and Austria. Not enough to win a trophy.
Rapid had it relatively easier this time, but still they were running more on good luck than anything. Lucky or not, they won a double – which was great! 28th title and 13th Cup.
This moment of the match between LASK (striped jerseys) and First Vienna perhaps tells best the troubles of Austrian football: the absurd usage of every possible part of the kit for adds.
Teams like UVB Vocklamarkt.
They won the promotion/relegation phase and were promoted.
SK VOEST – or SK Salesianer Miettex VOEST (Linz) – more or less ended the championship in the fall, when they were 5th. With guaranteed stay in the league, they seemingly did not care much anymore – 8th in the final table with 29 points (22 of them earned in the fall).
LASK (Linz) – 4th with 40 points. They pushed hard in the spring, adding 18 points, but were really not a match for the best three teams.
FC Swarovski-Tirol (Innsbruck) was the third strongest Austrian team at the moment, but inferior to the two leading clubs: 3rd with 45 points.
Austria – or FK Austria-Memphis (Vienna) won the fall part of the season, leading by 3 points, but in the spring their enemies were stronger and both teams ended with 52 points. Austria had 86-40 goal-difference and +46 was not enough… 2nd at the end.
SK Rapid (Vienna) was lucky winner: 22 wins, 8 ties, 6 lost games, 94-43 goal-difference, 52 points, like Austria. They had particularly strong spring, but their scoring really won the title. 94 goals – impressive on its own number, but that made a record of +51, beating Austria by 5 goals. Which was quite amazing, because Toni Polster scored fantastic 39 goals for Austria and Rapid did not have a man among the top three scorers in the championship. May be lucky at the end, but Rapid had arguably the best coach in Austria at this time – the Yugoslav Otto Baric – and strong Yugoslav connection as a whole: their 3 foreign players were Yugoslavs as well: strikers Zlatko Kranjcar (31 years old) and Sulejman Halilovic (32), and midfielder Petar Brucic (34). There were also one or two more with Yugoslav (Croatian, more precisely) roots in the team – a good amalgam of coach and players having the same football philosophy. Yet, Rapid was quite similar to Austria – with dangerously aging stars and newer talent slightly less impressive.
Dinamo (Bucharest) lost both the championship and the cup this season – a bitter pill to swallow for their numerous fans. Perhaps even bitterer pill for Securitate. In football terms, though… Dinamo had great squad at the time, excellent coach too, but they were somewhat shallower team than their rivals, who were at their peak. Objectively speaking, Dinamo was weaker and it was fair to lose.
Steaua won a double this season. In total, their 12th title and 15th Cup. One may argue this was their best season ever and the squad was at its peak – but such things are relative. One may also argue that the son of Ceausescu was simply too much to oppose behind the scene, but that would not explain the international success of his pet project. Unfortunately, the unhealthy political intrigues were giving food for rumours lasting for years: the hero of the European Champions Cup final of 1986, Helmut Ducadam, was missing. That was noticed, of course, and persisting rumour was born: that he rebelled against Ceausescu’s son and was punished right away. Erased. Once rumour starts circulating details can be added at will… seemingly, the boasting of Ducadam after the final against Barcelona that he is the best Romanian goalkeeper brought the wrath of younger Ceausescu and Dukadam was banished from playing football at all or even jailed, or worse… So was the evil power of Communist rule… so was the suppression of minorities under Communist rule (Hungarians – Boloni would not be written under his real name – and Germans – such was presumably Ducadam)… So was the brutality of Communist rule that even when they aimed at concurred the world, they were ready to jeopardize conquest in order of suppressing independence, however minor – what was the point of weakening the team by banishing their great goalkeeper, if not the iron rule of suppression? Well, Steaua could afford it – they had Stingaciu, a long time national team member, to play between the goalposts. Years later it was uncovered that Ducadam was out because of injury, but suspicion never disappeared: he simply disappeared, practically never played football again, and so trivial matter as injury was revealed only years after Communism went down the drain. All that had nothing to do with Steaua’s play and achievements, but political games were part of it, a norm at the time, casting dark shadow on otherwise great period of Romanian football – and rightly so, since few years later UEFA will cancel the Golden Boot award largely because of Romanian schemes for winning it. And Belodedici will run away and ask political asylum in Yugoslavia… It is not fair to this great squad of Steaua, but the dark side cannot be dismissed.
Chimia (Ramnicu Valcea) – last with 20 points. They have been kind of Cinderella story, staying in the top division pretty much against the odds for many years – but good times eventually end.
Rapid (Bucharest) – 14th with 32 points. Not concerned with relegation, but not the strong club they were years earlier.
Otelul (Galati) – 11th, and
Universitatea (Craiova) – 5th, and
Sportul Studentesc (Bucharest), without Hagi now, but still running strong enough – 4th with 35 points, thanks to superior goal-difference.
Take it as you like – Victoria (Bucharest), only 2 years ago the second team of Dinamo (Bucharest) and now acting as independent club finished 3rd with 38 points. On the surface, it was great achievement of a club coming out of the blue. Looking deeper… were they independent club, or just barely disguised? UEFA had no objection to their participation in the UEFA Cup. Domestically, perhaps even Steaua could not object. Let say the boys did well.
Dinamo (Bucharest) was 2nd. And alone – they were too strong for the rest of the league, leaving Victoria 6 points behind. But Dinamo was also far behind Steaua – 15 points behind. They finished with 44 points, lost 7 games. Given their squad, coach, and the mighty power of Secret Police, not an impressive season.
No matter how intriguing battles went behind the scene between Securitate, backing Dinamo, and the son of Ceausescu and the Army, backing Steaua, the team was at its peak and had fantastic season: they did not lose even once! 25 wins and 9 ties. 87-17 goal-difference – which is incredible +70! 59 points at the end, but the title was won long time before the final rounds of the championship. Looking at the squad – no wonder. That was the reigning holder of the European Champions Cup, made even stronger by the recent addition of Gheorghe Hagi. More than 11 players also played for the national team of Romania – Steaua had more talent than Dinamo, deeper squad, and the best Romania player. Non-playing help behind the scene also counted, but even without it the team was just too good to lose. And they did not at all.
Teams like Steaua (Mizil) – which finished 5th with 38 points. Top row from left: Costel Lazăr, Nicolae Ruse, Viorel Goia, Ion Cojocaru, Aret Ene, Ion Grigore, Gheorghe Simaciu.
CSM Suceava was the best team this season and won the championship with 49 points: 21 wins, 7 ties, 6 losses, 62-22. Promotion was great success for them.
Inter (Sibiu) was 10th with 33 points.
ASA (Targu Mures) won the division with 47 points from 19 wins, 9 ties, 6 losses and 70-31 goal-difference. Happy return to First Division for them.
Bihor (Oradea) should have been number one – they earned 49 points. But 3 points were deducted from their record for some violation of the rules and they ended 3rd with 46 points.
Too bad GAIS lost, but it was bigger fun to see them lose in the long run: after all, they won the championship and got promoted.
Kalmar FF won its 2nd Cup, so this season was one of their most successful. But what irony – they were also relegated to Third Division in the same time. Success and failure at the same time – that is rare, bur what is rarer was a final between 2 Second Division teams and victory of relegated to third level team.
IF Elfsborg – last and relegated with 10 points.
Halmstads BK – down on their luck: 11th with 17 points. Relegated on worse goal-difference. Top row from left: Anton Kacuk, Ingemar Svensson, Per Olsson, Mats Jingblad, Anders Johansson, Jan Jönsson, Magnus Peterson, Mikael Martinsson, Svante Lönngren.
GIF Sundsvall – lucky boys: safely 10th with 17 points tnaks to better goal-difference.
AIK – 9th with 20 points.
Örgryte IS – 8th with 20 points.
Västra Frölunda – 7th with 21 points.
Hammarby IF – 6th with 22 points.
IK Brage – 5th with 24 points.
Östers IF – 4th with 24 points and going to the play-offs. Thanks to better goal-difference, though which was -1. IK Brage missed the play-offs with -2.
IFK Göteborg – 3rd with 26 points.
Malmö FF – strong and dominant in the regular season: 14 wins, 6 ties, only 2 lost games, 50-21 goal-difference, 34 points – first and leading by 5 points. But that was nothing… play-offs followed.
The end of the road for Östers FF – may be they even overperformed a bit. Top row from left: Peo Bild, Bo Johansson, Magnus Henriksson, Christer Frisk, Tommy Berggren, Andreas Ravelli, Lino Boriero, Magnus Jonsson.
IFK Norrköping had strong regular season, but they faced a team at top form in the semi-finals and that was it.
Malmö FF lost after wonderful season. Was it fair? After all, they won the regular season with great lead, lost only twice, scored a lot… may be they should have been more parsimonious with their play, saving strength for the decisive phase. So unfortunate loss.
May be a bit lucky, but let face it – on one hand, IFK Goteborg had too many things to handle – European campaign plus domestic season. Bigger clubs have difficulties playing strong football on many fronts at the same time. May be IFK did not give their best during the regular season, but they saved some strength, came in top from when mattered most – the rules allowed it: allowed to finish lower in the first phase and still win the title; allowed to be tied with an opponent and still be the winner. Away goal was the key to their 11th title.
Skövde AIK – last and relegated with 17 points.
Kalmar FF – 13th and relegated with 21 points. However, part of the curious and rare Cup final – this season was also one of their most successful.
Karlskrona AIF – 12th with 22 points.
IFK Hässleholm – 11th with 22 points.
Landskrona BoIS – 10th with 24 points.
BK Häcken (Göteborg) – 9th with 25 points.
Mjällby AIF – 8th with 25 points.
Ifö/Bromölla IF – 7th with 25 points.
Åtvidabergs FF – 6th with 25 points.
IK Oddevold – 5th with 26 points.
Myresjö IF – 4th with 28 points.
Kalmar AIK – 3rd with 33 points. One could be sorry they failed to win the championship – would have been complete fun and amusement in view of the strange season their city rivals had.
Trelleborgs FF – 2nd with 36 points.
GAIS (Göteborg) – won the championship with 37 points from 15 wins, 7 ties, 4 losses and 47-16 goal-difference. Well done – like the winners of the other group, they were returning to top flight.