The Cup final opposed Bursaspor to Altay (Izmir). Reason tells Altay was going for relatively easy win – Bursaspor was plagued with troubles this season. But reason failed: Bursaspor won 2-0.
The moment of happy triumph – Bursaspor receives the Cup.
Altay was stronger on paper only – the club lost its shine quite many years ago and struggled ever since the beginning of the 1970s. Mediocrity settled down no matter what. Reaching the Cup final was rare chance for something better, but the team was similar to their opponent’s, both finalist existing in the lower half of First Division. Too bad, but Altay was not up to the task.
Bursaspor had so many troubles this year that winning the Cup was unlikely – they couldn’t find the right coach and rotated a few during the season, their form was terrible and the prime concern was escaping relegation. Something was fundamentally wrong, but in the same time they played well in the Cup tournament, reached the final and when it mattered most, they put themselves together and won.
Bursaspor had no chance of having top Turkish players, but they had decent foreign help – the Hungarian duo Attila Kerekes and Mihaly Tulipan, both experienced over-30 players. Tulipan was second-stringer playing just an odd match or two for Hungary, but central-defender Kerekes was long time member of the Hungarian national team and appeared at the 1978 World Cup finals. Good recruits for mid-table Turkish club, no doubt, but the team did not play well and at the end Tulipan became just one more trouble for the troubled club: he died in May 1986 in a sea accident. However, he immortalized himself a little earlier by scoring the first goal in the great Cup final. Thus, the season was very unusual for Bursaspor: on one hand, it was weak and tragic season. On the other hand – the best ever season the club had, for they never won any trophy before. This was their first Cup, a historic moment to be remembered and cherished forever. Turkey got new Cup winner and provincial club was added to the list of winners, which was still rare.