Football Journey

Argentina – the usual 2 championships, of which Metropolitano was getting the upper hand in people’s minds, for it was what amounted to top division. It had the familiar around the world structure of leagues, relegations and promotions, and had the typical formula – every team played against all ohers twice. The name was somewhat pompous this year: “Cuarto Centenario de la Segunda Fundación de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires” (Fourth Centenary of the Second Foundation of Buenos Aires city), giving it a flavour of a special cup tournament, but apart from the name everything was as it was ever before. The league was going through reduction of size – it had 19 teams this season. The bottom three were relegated and two teams were promoted, to make 18-team league the next year. Relegation was clear, but promotion – not so. One promotional spot was seemingly reserved for the winner of the Second Division. Promotion was part of the problem Metropolitano was facing for some time – originally, it was the Buenos Aires championship and the league structure evolved in accord. That is, the lower divisions were entirely Buenos Aires leagues. But Metropolitano already was the national league and there had to be a way the rest of the country to play for promotion in the top division. So, the second promoted team came not from the usual league structure of Metropolitano, but the second Argentinian championship, Nacional. It was not a perfect solution, since most participants in it were the same as in Metropolitano and usually they were going to the final stages of the other championship. Promotion was reserved for the highest placed provincial non-Metropolitano team playing in Nacional – something like that. Hardly the optimal solution of the problem, for the top provincial club could be some weakling, eliminated early from the Nacional. Confusing matter too: only one promoted club will appear here, the ‘normally’ promoted one. The second team will be introduced in the review of the Nacional.

Club Atletico Sarmiento (Junin) won the Second Division and was promoted. A little known club, usually called just Sarmiento, it was found in 1911 and never played top level football. Winning the Second Division was their biggest success so far.

New champions: standing from left: Glaría, Peremateu, Hernandorena, Romero, Polo, Espósito.

First row: Iglesias, Lorant, Fischer, Ortega, Peracca.

Unknown players of unknown team. Not a Greater Buenos Aires club either – their home city, Junin, belongs to the Province Buenos Aires. Thus, for a change, no team from the dominant megapolis moved up – the second division winners were provincial, but in the same time not fully provincial, for Second Division did not include clubs from the whole country, but from Greater Buenos Aires, Province Buenos Aires, La Plata, and may be one more province. It was refreshing to see newcomers to top league too. And this photo of Sarmiento also is a testament of the times – field players dressed with Puma kit, but the goalkeeper wears Adidas. It was common ‘blunder’ back then – the clubs had their last word, not the kit makers. It was not the biggest blunder either:

This very season Platense managed to dress its players with unmatching jerseys for a championship game. But let stay with Sarmiento: no famous players here and perhaps little chances for survival among the best, but it was wonderful season for the boys and their fans. May be even for the whole town, for Junin had no first division team at the moment.

Atlanta finished 2nd in Primera B, and Nueva Chicago – 3rd. At the other side of the table Chacarita Juniors ended last and was relegated.

 

The VI Copa Brasil was easier to comprehend because the size was cut in half and the formula somewhat simplified. In the First Phase 40 teams were divided into 4 groups, where one-leg round robin was played. The first 7 teams of each group qualified to the Second Phase. No surprises here – it could be said that the current formula favoured the big clubs: after 9 matches against mostly weaker clubs, early elimination of a big club was almost impossible.

The Second Phase divided the qualified teams into 8 groups of 4 teams each. Which makes 32 and only 28 qualified. Four teams from the Second Level were included at this stage of the championship – America FC (Sao Joao do Rio Preto), Americano FC (Campos), Bangu (Rio de Janeiro), and Sport (Recife). Unless these clubs qualified to move from Level 2 to Level 1 the previous year, there was no particular reason for their inclusion. As it turned out, their presence was just making the numbers right. Sport (Recife) finished best of the newcomers – 3rd, but not really close to qualifying 2nd place. Every group played 2-legged round robin tournament, the top two teams qualifying for the Third Phase. No surprises at this stage either – in most groups the big clubs left their modest opponents far behind. The only problem was Group I, where two teams finished with identical records: 2 2 2 5-6 6 points each. Guarani (Campinas) and America (Rio de Janeiro) had to play a tiebreaker for the 2nd place – Guarani prevailed 3-2 and qualified for the next stage.

The Third Phase had 16 teams, divided into 4 groups, where one-legged round robin was played and the group winner moved to the semi-finals. Only one unknown club reached this stage of the championship:

Associação DESPORTIVA Ferroviária (Cariacica). Their run ended at this stage – they finished 3rd in their group.

Goal difference decided the winners of two groups: Atletico Mineiro had better one than Vasco da Gama in Group M. One goal better. Group P ended curiously – Coritiba and Gremio were on top with 4 points each, but Gremio had negative goal-difference: 2-5. Cortiba was easily first with their minimal, yet positive record 2-1. The highest scorers – Corinthians with Socrates – had excellent goal-difference – 6-2 – but only 3 points and ended 3rd.

Gremio – to say they were unlucky would be too much: they received much more goals than they scored. Quite surprising underperformance from a team made of Leao, nelinho, Dirceu, Paulo Isidoro, and Baltazar.

Inter (Porto Alegre) was the strongest at this stage – they were the only team winning all their matches. There was little to complain at this point: since only 4 teams were going ahead, it was normal that most big clubs would be eliminated by their peers. Coritiba was the only ‘lesser’ club reaching the semi-finals.

Coritiba lost both legs against Flamengo – 0-2 at home and 3-4 in Rio. Zico scored both goals in the first match and Nunes, the other current star of Flamengo, scored 2 goals in the second leg.

Coritiba – the weakest ½ finalist. Otherwise great run this season.

The other semifinal was more dramatic – after the first leg Inter was the likelier winner: they managed 1-1 tie away. But Atletico Mineiro came strong in Porto Alegre and destroyed Inter in front of its home crowd 3-0. Reinaldo and Eder scored all goals for Atletico – Reinaldo scored a goal in both matches, Eder scored twice in Porto Alegre. Cleo scored the single goal for Inter.

One version of 1980 Inter – Cleo is missing here. A team just a bit short of winners – semifinalists in the Brazilian championship and losing finalist in Copa Libertadores.

And the big final was between Atletico Mineiro and Flamengo. The first official champion of Brazil vs the most popular, but empty-handed on national scale, club. A battle between Reinaldo and Zico. Perhaps the final was more important for the White Pele, who was playing since 1970 – the beginning of the national Brazilian championship – but never winning the title. Reinaldo was newer and lesser star than Zico, but he was the current leader of Atletico Mineiro and was worth his status: he scored in the opening leg the single, but winning, goal for his team. Atletico Mineiro went to Rio with small advantage, but advantage – goals counted less in South America than in Europe. As it turned out, they counted for almost nothing. Reinaldo scored 2 more goals in the second match, but Nunes also scored twice and Zico delivered a third goal for the home team. 3-2. By the away goals rule Atletico should have been champion. By the usual South American rules, counting only victories, a third match should have been staged. But there was a champion declared right away and it Flamengo. Why? Because they had better semi-final record… So, Coritiba made Flamengo champions… one could wonder what would have been, if Atletico Mineiro also won twice in the semis.

One of the worthless – as it turned out – goal Reinaldo scored.

Nunes scores.

One more for Flamengo – devastated vertical stripes and triumphal horizontal stripes.

Great joy – a goal that counts. Flamengo won a difficult victory and the championship along with it.

Champions at last! First title for Flamengo, received in front of their delirious supporters. Hardly fair victory, but let Atletico Mineiro sulk – it was Flamengo’s night.

Ten years earlier, Atletico Mineiro was new and surprising name to the Europeans – in 1980 it was familiar, although still a bit mysterious. Those, who followed the development of the team since 1970 knew that Atletico Mineiro always managed to keep strong team with few stars for good measure. In 1980 the big name was Reinaldo – so big, observers still call the match Flamengo vs Reinaldo. But he was not alone: there were Joao Leite, Vantuir, and Valdemir, the second layer of Brazilian stars, who hardly ever made the national team because of fierce competition, but had great reputations nevertheless. Palhinha (not on the photo) was also there, plus Paulo Isidoro. And two bright youngsters, rapidly climbing up the football ladder – Toninho Cerezo and Eder (not on the photo). Both will be known around the world very soon and will be two of the most influential players of the 1980s. Judging by the names, Atletico Mineiro perhaps had stronger squad than Flamengo. But they lost. It was unjust decision, but rules are rules… the fact remains: Atletico Mineiro lost the title because of stronger semi-final opponent.

Champions at last: standing from left: Andrade, Marinho, Raul, Rondinelli, Carlos Alberto, Junior.

Crouching: Tita, Adilio, Nunes, Zico, Julio Cesar.

Coached by Coutinho, Flamengo had strong season indeed and perhaps deserved to win its first title. But their triumph was a bit tainted by the rule applied – to a point, the title was given ,not actually earned. And perhaps their squad was a bit weaker than Atletico Mineiro’s – good players, no doubt, but the real strength of the team was its attacking line – Zico, Nunes, and Tita. A good keeper by Brazilian standards – Raul. A bright young star, pushing his way up and up – Junior. Hardly a great squad, but that was the reality of Brazilian football – even the biggest clubs were unable to afford 11-12 great players on their payroll. Yet, Flamengo had a player making a difference, no matter the shortcomings of his teammates: Zico. He was no longer a promising youngster, but a true superstar at his prime. The victory of Flamengo was great mostly because of him – the greatest current Brazilian player had to wait almost 10 years until winning the title. To a point, it was the final recognition of his greatness: after all, a true star wins and so far he did not. Zico won at last, helped by a forward, who looked like the next big thing in Brazilian football – Nunes. His goals at the final were instrumental for the title and he was nicknamed ‘Artilheiro das Decisoes’. The Brazilian title rarely came to Rio de Janeiro so far, but victory of Flamengo hardly made the whole city proud. However, it made Flamengo’s long suffering fans proud at last – and they are the biggest number of fans in Brazil. Fair, unfair, at the end, it was victory for Zico and Brazil – can’t beat that.

The aftermath of the championship was the final table – unlike any other in the world, of course. Teams played different number of games, so naturally those with more matches earned more points and ended up higher. But four teams played fewer matches than anybody else and earned the least points – yet, they were ranked higher than 12 other clubs. Those were the newcomers from Level 2, which started – and finished – at the Second Phase of the championship. Because they started at higher phase, they were ranked higher than those eliminated in the First Phase, although they earned fewer points and played only 6 games. At he bottom finished Maranhao.

Not a club worth mentioning, really. They won zero matches, tied 4, and lost 5 in the First Phase. Their worse goal-difference placed them last – Flamengo PI had the same points, but slightly better goal-difference. At the top of the table were the finalists – nothing surprising: they went to the end, played the most games, earned the most points. The semifinalists all were placed at the top 4 places – thanks to their progression, because when it came to points Coritiba had a point less than Corinthians (5th). Corinthians had the same points as Internacional – 27 – and better goal-difference too, but Inter and Coritiba stepped down at the semifinals, reaching higher stage than Corinthians, thus, ended placed above. As a whole, it was a championship suspiciously designed for the big clubs – they all finished high in the final table. Which meant guaranteed participation in the next championship. But what meant to be at the bottom? Level 2 played for two promotional spots – yet, the promoted from the previous season were not originally included in the Level 1 participants: they still played Level 2. However, they were included in the Second Phase of Level 1 championship as well – thus, playing in two different championships in the same year. What about the next season, then? Were the bottom placed teams relegated? Level 1 formula and number of participating teams changed every year. Most likley the final table meant absolutely nothing, except providing some statistical order of the seasonal performance of Level 1 clubs. It was even a bit of a joke: if Flamengo’s title gave a bitter taste to many, look again at the so-called final table – in it Atletico Mineiro finishes with better record than Flamengo. Both teams had equal points, but Atletico Mineiro had more wins and better goal-difference. And as a final weirdness, one match was not even included in the final record – the tiebreaker between Guarani and America (Rio de Janeiro) was excluded. In reality it did not matter either… since it ended in a tie, goal-difference was the tiebreaker after all. Only in Brazil… try telling that to the happy fans of Flamengo.

The 1980 championship of Brazil was still the biggest mess in the world, although there was an effort to put some order in it. It was still named Copa Brasil, the 6th issue of the tournament – this was the top level, Level 1. Level 2 was named Taca de Prata, and Level 3 – Taca de Bronze. The three levels theoretically corresponded to three normal divisions in other countries. In reality it was the usual gigantic meandering Brazilian championship, slowly going from one stage to another, somewhat making it sure that no big club will be eliminated early, let alone going down to lower level. 44 clubs participated in Copa Brasil, 64 in Taca de Prata,and 24 in Taca de Bronze. It was not very clear what role the third level played in the general scheme and why the participants were much fewer than in the higher levels – normal logic told the opposite, but in Brazil everything was different. The role of the second level was more understandable – the 2 finalists of the championship were promoted to Level 1. As for Level 1, the numbers were reduced for the first time and, on a glance, drastically: 94 teams played in the V Copa Brasil – only 44 in VI Copa Brasil. 50% less – in another country is should have been a huge news. In Brazil, it was the usual back-room compromise between the clout big clubs had, the interests of sober members in the Federation, and the push of all members of the states making Brazil. So the names of the teams were still curious – some fairly known clubs were now in Level 2, but many little known clubs in Level 1. Perhaps no fairly known club was left outside the three top levels, but how exactly the lower two levels were made is a mystery. The top level was clear: teams were selected based on previous state championship, but depending on the lots every individual state was given. Sao Paulo had 7 berths, Rio de Janeiro – 5, Rio Grande do Sol – 3, Bahia, Ceara, Goias, Minas Gerais, Parana, and Pernambuco -2, and the rest – 1. Sounds simple, but it was not really – Brazil produced a general final table of the top level, but it was also arbitrary, for the lowest clubs played much fewer matches than those above. If all states had to be represented, relegation was a puzzle – the so-called final table would not do. And if not, what could be the criteria then? At the end, it was not even important for every year the format was different. Of course, the individual state championships remained with their better organized leagues and the competition between local championships and the national one remained as well. Financially, the clubs were chronically in a bad shape, which also increased tensions: on one hand, the clubs needed more games to get money. On the other, playing around the vast country meant losing money. The big clubs still preferred to play between themselves and in the local state league. The smaller states and their clubs argued that the national championship was the most important, partly in the hope that visiting big name would attract interest of paying public. Between the rock and the hard place the championship started and eventually finished. Level 3 was apparently of no interest. The clubs were never heard of outside Brazil – may be some of them were unheard of in Brazil too. The best known names were second raters from Rio de Janeiro – Madureira and Olaria. Those, who followed closely Brazilian football found Dom Bosco, which had great run a few years back in the top level, in Level 3. Sao Paulo had no representative.

Level 2 had some better known clubs playing in it – those, who for one or another reason were unable to make the quota of their states for Level 1. Vitoria (Vitoria), Sport (Recife), Paysandu (Belem), Goias (Goiania), Fortaleza (Fortaleza), Juventude (Caxias), Criciuma (Criciuma), Atletico Paranaense (Curitiba), Bonsucesso (Rio de Janiero), Bangu (Rio de Janeiro), Americano (Campos), America (Belo Horizonte), ABC (Natal) – in another country this group would be sufficient for a thorough second division, but in Brazil this group was just a small part of the huge Level 2 and hardly favourites.

Sport (Recife) – if they were not from the state of Pernambuco, they would have been in Level 1.

Campinense – champions of Paraiba two years in a row, but playing in Level 2 nationally.

Of course, not all states were equal in terms of football – River were champions of Piaui, but the state was nothing in football terms and the champions were only Level 2 nationally.

Stage by stage, the tournament distilled 4 teams reaching the semi-finals: Botafogo (Ribeirao Preto), CSA (Maceio), Londrina (Londrina), and Ferroviaria (Araraquara). Londrina eliminated Botafogo after winning both legs – 2-1 and 1-0, and CSA was the other finalist, also beating Ferroviaria twice – 1-0 both legs. The winners were promoted to Level 1 and had to play only for the Level 2 title – the final was also two legged, matches played in May. Londrina kept CSA at 1-1 tie in Maceio and then destroyed them at home 4-0. Londrina Esporte Clube were the 1980 champions of Taca de Prata.

CSA – Centro Sportivo Alagoano – were traditionally one the strongest clubs in the state of Alagoa. Nationally, they never ranked very high, but the boys from Maceio were still better then most and won promotion to Level 1. They were unable to win Taca do Prata, though, and had to be satisfied only with winning their state championship one more time. Yet, CSA was perhaps one of the closest approximation of what in most countries is a typical second division club – good enough to reach promotion now and then, unable to stay for long among the best, but sturdy enough not to sink bellow second level.

Londrina Esporte Clube – champions of Level 2 and promoted to Level 1. Great season overall and arguably one of the best in the club’s history.

Copa Libertadores. It was part of the problems with the Intercontinental Cup. The tournament finished in August, a few months after the Europeans wrapped their old and just before they were starting a new one. But South American football had its own problems with schedules, weather, and sheer geography to be able to accommodate the Europeans. Anyhow, before Copa Libertadores ended the focus was on it and the Europeans – out of mind. As ever, 5 groups of 4 teams each consisted the first round. The current holders qualified directly to the second stage of the tournament. Only the group winners went ahead. Each group was made of the participants of two countries – 2 of each.

Group A opposed Argentines to Peruvians. The Peruvian clubs were not a problem at all, but first place was: Velez Sarsfield and River Plate finished with almost identical records – 2 wins and 2 ties. Velez had 10-2 goal-difference and River Plate – 10-3. A play-off was staged to determine the group winner – it ended 1-1 and at the end goal-difference placed Velez Sarsfield on the first place. The play-off was a curiousity: the same problem occurred in another group and there the goal-difference rule was applied right away.

1. Velez Sarsfield (Buenos Aires)4 2 0 10-2 8

2. River Plate (Buenos Aires) 4 2 0 10-3 8

3. Sporting Cristal (Lima) 1 1 4 5-8 3

4. Atletico Chalaco (Callao) 0 1 5 2-14 1

 

Group 2. Bolivia and Uruguay. No contest really. The Strongest (La Paz) tried to put a fight and won their home match against Nacional 3-0, but the Uruguayans won all other fixtures.

1. Nacional (Montevideo) 5 0 1 14-3 10

2. The Strongest (La Paz) 3 1 2 9-6 7

3. Defensor (Montevideo) 1 2 3 3-8 4

4. Oriente Petrolero (Santa Cruz) 1 1 4 5-13 3

 

Group 3. Brazil and Venezuela – no need to guess. Tachira not only did not get a point, but did not score even a goal.

1. Internacional (Porto Alegre) 4 1 1 10-3 9

2. Vasco da Gama (Rio de Janeiro) 3 2 1 7-2 8

3. Deportivo Galicia (Caracas) 3 1 2 4-7 7

4. Tachira (San Cristobal) 0 0 6 0-9 0

 

 

Group 4. Colombia and Ecuador – the Colombians had the edge, particularly America.

1. America (Cali) 4 1 1 11-7 9

2. Universidad Catolica (Quito) 3 0 3 10-5 6

3. Independiente Santa Fe (Bogota) 2 1 3 5-5 5

4. Emelec (Guayaquil) 2 0 4 5-14 4

 

Group 5. Chile and Paraguay. Heavily contested clash without a favourite – all teams finished with 6 points and goal-difference decided the winner. Unlike Group 1, no play-offs here.

1. O’Higgins (Rancagua) 2 2 2 8-6 6

2. Cerro Porteno (Asuncion) 2 2 2 8-7 6

3. Colo Colo (Santiago) 2 2 2 11-11 6

4. Sol de America (Asuncion) 2 2 2 6-9 6

 

Olimpia (Asuncion) qualified directly to the second stage in which the 6 teams were divided into 2 semi-final groups of 3 teams each. At the stage finally an outsider really emerged, but the most curious was the campaign of the Colombian America – they were unbeaten and did not allow even a goal in their net. They also did not win any match and failed to score even once. Thus, they stepped down unbeaten.

Group 1.

1. Internacional 2 2 0 4-1 6

2. America 0 4 0 0-0 4

3. Velez Sarsfield 0 2 2 1-4 2

 

Group 2. The Chileans were clearly below the other teams, so the contest was only between Nacional and Olimpia. It was decided in Asuncion, where Nacional clinched vital 1-0 away victory. In the next leg they preserved a 1-1 tie at home and Olimpia was practically out before the last round was played.

1. Nacional 3 1 0 5-1 7

2. Olimpia 2 1 1 4-2 5

3. O’Higgins 0 0 4 0-6 0

 

And at the end it was Internacional (Porto Alegre), one of the strongest Brazilian clubs in the 1970s, and Nacional (Montevideo), a famous club, but having difficult decade. Nacional won Libertadores once and lost another final – Internacional never reached the final. South American finals were traditionally grittier than the European once, and often a third match had to be scheduled to decide the winner. Scoring had been low almost the whole 1970s. And this final was no different, although it did not go a third match.

Final (Jul 30 & Aug 6)

Internacional Bra Nacional Uru 0-0 0-1 0-1

 

1st leg. Estadio Beira Rio, Porto Alegre, 30- 7-1980

 

Internacional – Nacional 0-0

 

Internacional: Gasperin, Toninho, Mauro Pastor, Mauro Galvão, André, Falcão, Batista, Tonho,

Jair, Chico Spina (Adavílson), Mario Sergio.

Nacional: R. Rodríguez, Blanco, De León, Moreira, Espárrago, W. González, Bica,

De La Peña, Victorino, Luzardo, D. Pérez.

 

Referee: Romero (Argentina)

Attendance: 70,000

 

2nd leg. Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, 6- 8-1980

 

Nacional – Internacional 1-0

35′ Victorino 1-0

 

Nacional: R. Rodríguez, Blanco, De León, Moreira, Espárrago, W. González, Bica,

De La Peña, Victorino, Luzardo, Morales.

Internacional: Gasperin, Mauro Pastor, Mauro Galvão, Toninho, Falcão, Claudio Mineiro,

Chico Spina, Batista, Adílson, Jair (Berreta), Mario Sergio.

 

Referee: Pérez (Peru)

Attendance: 65,000

Final (Jul 30 & Aug 6)

Internacional Bra Nacional Uru 0-0 0-1 0-1

 

1st leg. Estadio Beira Rio, Porto Alegre, 30- 7-1980

 

Internacional – Nacional 0-0

 

Internacional: Gasperin, Toninho, Mauro Pastor, Mauro Galvão, André, Falcão, Batista, Tonho,Jair, Chico Spina (Adavílson), Mario Sergio.

Nacional: R. Rodríguez, Blanco, De León, Moreira, Espárrago, W. González, Bica,

De La Peña, Victorino, Luzardo, D. Pérez.

 

Referee: Romero (Argentina)

Attendance: 70,000

 

2nd leg. Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, 6- 8-1980

 

Nacional – Internacional 1-0

35′ Victorino 1-0

 

Nacional: R. Rodríguez, Blanco, De León, Moreira, Espárrago, W. González, Bica,

De La Peña, Victorino, Luzardo, Morales.

Internacional: Gasperin, Mauro Pastor, Mauro Galvão, Toninho, Falcão, Claudio Mineiro,Chico Spina, Batista, Adílson, Jair (Berreta), Mario Sergio.

 

Referee: Pérez (Peru)

Attendance: 65,000

The single, but golden goal was scored by Waldemar Victorino in front of excited home crowd. Inter lost its first bid for winning Libertadores.

Nacional won their 2nd Libertadors Cup. Montevideo was frantic.

Nacional delighted and triumphal, showing the cup to the fans. Bearded and shirtless Hugo de Leon keeps the cup in the air, but beating Brazilians opened his way to… Brazil. Shortly after winning Libertadores with Nacional, he joined Gremio (Porto Alegre), the rival of Internacional.

Inter lost by a single goal… too bad. On the surface, they were the strongest team, having up and coming players like Falcao, Mario Sergio, and others. Yet, there was a sense that an earlier version of the team was stronger. No matter what, they lost.

Coming back after almost 10 years of frustration – Nacional won their 2nd Libertadores Cup. One goal was very little to consider this team truly great, but they not only won Libertadores – the Intercontinental Cup became theirs a few months later. Waldemar Victorino was certainly the hero, thanks to his goal, but he was not alone: the squad was good. Perhaps not great, but strong and well composed. Half of the players were current national players of Uruguay and their first victory was more than just a club victory – they brought hope to the whole country that better days are coming after very dark decade. Rodolfo Rodriguez, Waldemar Victorino, Julio Cesar Morales, Arsenio Luzardo were the new hope, but most of all Hugo de Leon – already an excellent and fearsome defender. For Victor Esparago, who suffered much humiliation during the 1970s, winning Libertadores was the end of frustration. And perhaps the happiest of them all was Juan Carlos Blanco – the only remaining player of the team who won Libertadores in 1971. The veteran full-back was also called to play for Uruguay again. Nacional was back.

It only took a second – until Victorino hit the ball to the net and the stadium erupted in the 35th minute.

 

The Supercup was barely alive, but the Intercontinetal Cup was dead. In the coffin. Until the Japanese stepped in, bringing it back to life. The new project was renamed the Toyota Cup, although nobody really used the new name. The intercontinental challenge was to be played in Tokyo and international football bodies helped by making participation mandatory – whoever declined was facing harsh legal consequences. The new format was approached cautiously – the new format was financially stable, thanks to Toyota’s money, but it was far away from home. For his part, the Japanese clearly wanted to popularize the sport at home and what could be better than a match between the top clubs of the top continents? The Europeans liked that the match was going to be on neutral ground. The main problem currently was the timing – the first Toyota Cup was played on February 11th, 1981. It was the 1980 issue of the tournament, though – the discrepancy had to be worked out and also the form of the opponents was to be a problem, for Europeans were just at the end of their winter break and the South Americans – between seasons yet. But there was no other convenient window in the year. Playing football in February was hardly the best idea, but 62 000 attended the match between Nottingham Forest and Nacional (Montevideo).

The greatest part of the crowd was Japanese, which created strange atmosphere: both teams were equally cheered by benevolent, yet, largely ignorant of football crowd. Winter football was generally benefiting the English, who played without winter break anyway. The South Americans saw themselves in disadvantage, but on the other hand the pitch was not exactly up to European standards and more familiar to the Uruguayans. May be so… both goalkeepers played with long trousers, instead of shorts,which was very unusual. The match itself was not so great – at first Nacional attacked and scored in the 10th minute.

Waldemar Victorino scores an early goal. Looks like a header – something rare against English defense, if it was indeed a header.

Nottingham Forest got control after the goal and attacked to the end of the final. Fruitlessly…

Seemingly the better team, Nottingham Forest lost 0-1.

 

Tokyo. Field: National Stadium.

February 11, 1981. Att: 62,000.

 

Nacional (Uruguay) 1-0 Nottingham Forest (England)

 

1-0 10′ Waldemar Victorino.

 

Nacional:Rodolfo Rodríguez – Blanco, Hermes Moreira, Enríquez,González, Milar, Espárrago, Luzardo, Alberto Bica,Waldemar Victorino, Morales.

Coach: Juan Mugica.

 

Nottingham Forest: Peter Shilton – Anderson, Lloyd, Burns, F. Gray, O’Neill, Ponte, S. Gray, Robertson, Trevor Francis, Wallace.

Coach: Brian Clough.

After losing the Supercup, Nottingham Forest lost a second international trophy. Not by much, but they lost. Standing from left: Viv Anderson, Martin O’Neill, Larry Lloyd, Kenny Burns, Peter Shilton, Trevor Francis.

First row: John Robertson, Ian Wallace, Frank Gray, Stuart Gray, Raimondo Ponte.

The development of the team was going at the wrong direction somewhat – the grizzled veterans were better than the younger players. Nottingham was already going downhill and the excuse that they won everything already and became disinterested, for there was nothing really exciting to win anymore rings hollow: the team was just not great.

Nacional won the first Toyota Cup, which was great for moral – the 1970s were dreadful for Uruguayan football, but the horror decade seemingly ended and the 1980s started successfully. Also, once again the South Americans bested the Europeans and this time there was no excuse that the losers were actually the second-best European team, as it was for the most of the 1970s. This Nacional vintage was strong indeed, but hardly great squad. There were some old, almost forgotten stars by 1981, associated with the dreadful decade: Esparrago (now 37 years old!), and Milar (29 years old), both part of the last team Uruguay had at World Cup finals. For both players 1980-81 was great restoration of pride after losing face at the 1974 World Cup. The same goes for another player, who did not play at the 1974 World Cup, but still was one of the strong players from the ‘lost’ decade: Juan Carlos Blanco (35 years old). For him, it was second Intercontinental Cup – the first he won in 1972, with Nacional, but against the losing European finalist Panathinaikos (Athens). A few others were new, rapidly rising stars – the future of Uruguayan football: Rodolfo Rodriguez and Waldemar Victorino. Hugo De Leon missed the final, unfortunately. Nacional was on the top of the world almost ten years after they were at the same place.

Nacional proudly displays  the Toyota Cup in Tokyo.

Apart the winners, the greatest thing about the 1980 Intercontinental Cup was its revival. Thanks, Japan!

The Supercup never endeared neither the football fans,nor the clubs. It was played almost half an year after the participants won their trophies – it was already the middle of the next season and everything was different: squads, form, priorities. The continental clubs were just coming to the winter break and looking for some rest. In England, December is traditionally the busiest and possibly the most important month of the season. In the winter fans were not eager to go to the stadiums. But the Supercup was played anyway. Nottingham Forest vs Valencia.

On November 25th, the first leg was played at City Ground. The hosts won 2-1 after little known Argentine, Dario Felman, opened for Valenica in the 47th minute. Ian Bowyer equalized 10 minutes later and scored the winning goal just before the final whistle – in the 89th minute. 2-1 Nottingham. Not much of an advantage, but the minimalistic approach of Brian Clough did not require big margin.

Peter Ward runs away from Spanish defenders. Alas, he was replaced. Also replaced was Dario Felman.

November 25th, City Ground.

0-1 Dario Felman 47th

1-1 Ian Bowyer 57th

2-1 Ian Bowyer 89th

Nottingham Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Gray, McGovern, Lloyd, Burns, Bowyer, Ward (Ponte), Mills, Wallace, Robertson.

Valencia: Pereira, Arias, Castellanos, Solsona, Subirats, Morena, Carrete, Botubot, Cervero, Saura, Felman (Jimenez).

 

The second leg had Valencia more active and eventually the great Uruguayan scorer Fernando Morena hit the net in the 51st minute. Nothing else happened to the end.

December 17th, Estadio Luis Casanova

1-0 Fernando Morena 51st

Valencia: Sempere, Arias, Tendillo, Castellanos, Solsona, Subirats, Kempes, Morena, Botubot, Cervero, Saura.

Nottingham Forest: Shilton, Anderson, Gunn, McGovern, Lloyd, Burns, O’Neill, Ponte, Francis, Wallace, Walsh.

That was that: Valencia won, thanks to away goals rule – the only time in the history of the tournament it was won that way. There was little else to tell: for one or another reason, the greatest stars of both teams did not play both matches: Kempes, Tendillo, Francis. Nottingham was half made of Scots – 6 of them participated: Gray, McGovern, Burns, Wallace, Robertson, and Walsh). There was also the odd sensation – the English were reluctant to buy foreigners and were biased against them, but as if to make a point, Brian Clough got a Swiss in the summer – Raimondo Ponte. Since Swiss players were not hot property at that time, the transfer was and remains strange. Valencia, not to be outdone, fielded 4 foreigners – two Argentines (Kempes and Felman), one Uruguayan (Morena), and one Paraguayan (Jimenez). Who was ‘true’ import and who was ‘oriundo’ was the usual Spanish mystery. That is about everything about the final.

Losers this time – clearly Nottingham Forest were not building a dynasty.

Happy winners. Like Nottingham, Valencia did not appear to improve and build on their success: it was a team with some unaddressed deficiencies. Troubles with Mario Kempes were starting. Fernando Morena made his mark by scoring the so important winning goal, but as whole his European career was unmemorable.

The European Champions Cup was similar to the other continental tournaments this season – there were no hard draws and therefore few upsets. Perhaps the only real surprise happened in the first round, when Liverpool was eliminated by Dinamo (Tbilisi). Liverpool won at home 2-1, which looked like temporary carelessness, but in Tbilisi practically destroyed arguably the best team at the time – 3-0. The outcome appeared strange, but let’s face it: Dinamo (Tbilisi) had great team at its peak. The other surprise was FC Porto – they eliminated AC Milan in the first round after 0-0 in Porto and away victory 1-0 in Milano. 1979-80 international season was perhaps the lowest point Italian football reached in the 1970s: only Juventus managed to reach the semi-finals and even they were shaky on the way. On the other hand, FC Porto was beginning its own ascent, eventually becoming one of the leading European clubs by mid-80s. The last note on the start of the tournament was political: the second leg of the preliminary draw between Dundalk (Republic of Ireland) and Linfield (Northern Ireland) was played in Haarlem (Holland). Because of the struggle between IRA and British armed forces, Northern Ireland was banned from hosting international marches – terrorism was the reason.

Nothing unusual happened in the second round: Dinamo (Tbilisi) lost to Hamburger SV both legs – 1-3 and 2-3. FC Porto lost to Real Madrid because of away goal – 1-0 and 1-2. At the ¼ finals there was no way preventing bigger clashes, but there was only one – Celtic vs Real Madrid. Celtic won at home 2-0, then lost in Madrid 0-3 and Real went ahead. Hard to be sorry for the Scots: objectively, Real were the stronger team at the moment. Thus, no surprises once again – Hajduk (Split) tried hard, but at the end lost to Hamburger SV, however, minimally: the Germans won 1-0 at home and lost 2-3 in Split, but qualified thanks to their away goals.

The draw for the ½ benefited Nottingham Forest. Real Madrid and Hamburger SV were paired together and Ajax was left for Nottingham. On the surface, it was not an easy confrontation: it looked like Ajax was coming back. They were the highest scoring team so far – all together, they put the ball in the net 30 times, winning 8-1 twice, 10-0 once, and 4-0 once. Wishful thinking… so far, Ajax had the easiest possible opponents: HJK Helsinki in the first round, then Omonia (Cyprus) in the second round, and RC Strasbourg in the third round. No wonder the Dutch scored so many goals and sailed easily ahead. So easily, they practically did not play the second leg against Omonia – after winning 10-0 at home, the away match was not important at all and Ajax lost it 0-4. It was telling loss – the great Ajax of the early 70s did not allow such losses: even when they played leisurely, they were still far stronger than the opposition, especially such weak one as Omonia. Yet, even if the new Ajax was not equal to the old one, ambition was driving motivator and they tried to reach the final. Nottingham got 2-0 advantage at home, Ajax pushed at the second leg, but Nottingham’s defense allowed only one goal. Close, but Nottingham were the final winners.

Moments from the opening match in Nottingham: Ajax in unusual colours, looking rather ordinary. In the great years, it was the opposition looking helpless and left left behind. Now it was Ajax.

Ajax fought, yet… what a difference: Ruud Krol, the last of the great flying Dutchmen still playing for Ajax, just struggles at the far left. In the memorable past he was soaring high, dominating the game. Times changed.

The other semi-final repeated the first leg of Nottingham-Ajax: at home, Real Madrid won 2-0. Looked like strong advantage and since the final was to be played at Bernabeu Stadium, Real was seen not only as finalist, but as Cup winner. The Germans had different idea and they mercilessly destroyed Real in Hamburg 5-1. Desire, ambition, tradition, grit – nothing helped and Real bowed down to reality: German football ruled.

Nottingham Forest vs Hamburger SV. Exciting final – current Cup holders vs bright ambitious team. West Germans vs English – the leading forces in club football. A plethora of top international players, with Kevin Keegan on top of the list. The Englsih best player against… well, a bunch of Scots and Irish? Something like that, but incredibly intriguing. Trevor Francis missed the final. Horst Hrubesch was on the bench.

 

Final, Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, 28 May 1980, att 50000

 

Nottingham Forest (1) 1 Hamburger SV (0) 0

21′ 1-0 N: Robertson

 

Nottingham Forest (trainer Clough)

Shilton; Anderson, Gray (Gunn), Lloyd, Burns, Clark; O’Neill, McGovern, Bowyer, Mills (O’Hare), Robertson; Birtles

Hamburger SV (trainer Zebec)

Kargus; Kaltz, Nogly, Buljan, Jakobs; Hieronymus (Hrubesch), Magath, Memering; Keegan, Reimann, Milewski

Referee: Da Silva Garrido (Portugal)

The final was mor exciting on paper than of the pitch – the battle was hard fought, but it was mostly a battle. The Germans never shied away from a clash, and Nottingham was different from was expected from English team: Brian Clough, well aware of the limitations of his squad, preferred tied, defensive tactics. Without Trevor Francis, his attacking options were fewer anyway and the tactical difference was clear: Branko Zebec used the typical scheme of the time – 4-3-3. Clough used seemingly outdated Italian scheme – 5-4-1. Gary Birtles was the lone striker – facing defensive line, lead by Kaltz and Buljan. Rapidly rising to international fame Magath lead the German midfield, which looked superior to Nottingham’s, and finally the German strikers, lead by Keegan, seemed much better than the Nottingham’s defenders. At a glance, Nottingham had only stronger goalkeeper. On the pitch, nobody really prevailed – the final was very exciting to watch, but Clough’s players delivered what they were asked to do and eventually scored a goal in the 21st minute. The only goal of the match.

Ivan Buljan unquestionably dominates Gary Birtles.

Kevin Keegan effortlessly wins the battle with bigger English defender. The pictures tells about German superiority… But Nottingham scored and Hamburger SV did not and Nottingham Forest won their second Champions Cup in a row.

Happy winners indeed. Standing from left: Martin O’Neill, Ian Bowyer, Viv Anderson, John Robertson, Gary Mills, Kenny Burns.

Crouching: Frank Gray, Peter Shilton, John McGovern, Garry Birtles, Larry Lloyd, Brinley Gunn.

John O’Hare is missing. And Brian Clough.

Hamburger SV at the beginning of the final: form left – Keegan, Milewski, Memering, Reimann, Hieronymus, Nogly, Buljan, Jakobs, Kaltz, Kargus, Magath. Almost there, close to the top, but unable to conquer it yet. Still a little bit missing to become truly great team. It was a shame Hamburger SV was unable to shine with Kevin Keegan – but may be that was the reason: so far the make-up of HSV was forced: a cluster of veterans, who achieved almost nothing in their best years (Memering, Reimann, Nogly), one German superstar (Kaltz), two imported players, perhaps slightly beyond their peak (Keegan and Buljan), a strong, but hardly the best German keeper of the time (Kargus), rapidly becoming the top German midfielder of the period (Magath), and few up and coming players, who were primarily supporting players (Jakobs, Hieronymus, Milewski). Horst Hrubesch on the bench. Hrubesch and Magath truly established themselves a bit later, after the final – at the European championship. So far, the idea was seemingly to built a strong squad, bringing stars from abroad – it worked to a point: Hamburger SV was strong, but not peaking yet. It still needed a few adjustments to become a great squad. It was not here time yet – and lost the final.

Nottingham Forest, arguably, at its best. Twice European champions already, winners of every trophy in the last two years. A legendary club already? Nottingham is perhaps the strangest winner – nobody denies the genius of Brian Clough. Nobody can say anything against players like Francis, Shilton, Anderson, Birtles. Yet, Nottingham remains a mythical club largely because they were the underdogs and not a great team. Certainly not great to watch – the least exciting of all English teams playing European finals. Even un-English, with its defensive tactics and generally boring kind of playing. And again – the make-up: Clough favoured second-raters and as great as it was to see ‘discarded’ players conquering Europe (O’Hare, Lloyd, Robertson, Burns), it was unconvincing squad, for it was impossible to see it getting better – rather, it was an accidentally winning team. True, Clough tried hard to elevate the quality, by signing classy stars like Shilton and Francis, but in the same time he was signing questionable for one or another reason players like Stan Bowles and Charlie George. He easily sold Tony Woodcock – but this was understandable, since the strikers at hand were quite similar. One thing was painfully clear already – Nottingham Forest was not going to become a dynasty. It looked largely a group of individual names, but not a real great team: motivation was going to work for a little while perhaps, but Clough’s unorthodox concepts prevented building of long-lasting and memorable team. The great days were rapidly coming to end… untypical team ended untypically: as Clough said later, the boys were no longer motivated after winning everything. There was nothing more to win, nothing more to prove… and started to lose. Boredom. Disinterest. Sounds intriguing – and nothing else. A great short run of ugly ducks. The only endearing thing about Nottingham is perhaps one more look at the names – practically everybody won their international trophies during this two years. Players, beyond their peak (O’Hare, Lloyd), middle of the road players (Robertson, Burns), mercurial talents, who failed to reach true success (Bowles, George, Bowyer), great stars, who just played most of the time for clubs in rougher shape and thus unable to win trophies (Francis, Shilton, Birtles, Anderson, Woodcock). It was good to see them win – especially those, who would never win again… the trophy-less superstars. Nottingham Forest – the strangest European conquerors of them all. Back in 1980 it was very possible they were going to win more cups: so unlikely winners they were that everything was possible. They were not fun to watch, though… welcome to the 1980s.

 

Cup Winners Cup – no surprises here. The closest to upset was the second-round match between Juventus and Beroe (Stara Zagora). The modest Bulgarians won their home leg 1-0 and bravely fought in Turin – the regular time ended 1-0 Juventus and the Italians managed to prevail only in the extra time, when they score two more goals. All other matches finished as expected and even fate did not interfere: the only matches between potential favourites involved Glasgow Rangers. In the 1/16 finals they eliminated Fortuna (Dusseldorf) 2-1 and 0-0, and in the 1/8 finals the Scots were eliminated by Valencia 1-1 and 3-1. They lost at home, interestingly enough. Fortuna (Dusseldorf) was the only West German eliminated so early in a tournament this year. Given the general weakness of the Cup Winners Cup for years, the best was the few stronger teams to reach the final stages and they did: the ½ finals opposed Arsenal to Juventus and Nantes to Valencia. The last strong club eliminated was Barcelona – in the ¼ finals the current holders of the Cup faced Valencia and lost both legs 0-1 and 3-4. Valencia, so far having most difficult opponents, now played against the arguably weakest semi-finalist. Nantes won at home 2-1 and lost 0-4 away – Valencia went to the final. Meantime Juventus managed a 1-1 draw in London and looked like the Italians were going to the final. But Arsenal pull themselves together and won the second leg in hostile Turin 1-0. Arsenal and Valencia at the final. So far Arsenal was perfect – they did not lose a match at all. Valencia had lost one match – against Nantes, but had met stronger opponents on the road to the final than Arsenal. To a point, an interesting and even welcome final: more or less, between the 3rd clubs in England and Spain. Both eager to win and thus increase their reputation, for neither club was happy trailing Real, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest. The final was going to be tough one between equals, yet, Arsenal was seen as having bit of an edge, lead by Irish bunch – Liam Brady, Pat Jennings, Frank Stapleton, and David O’Leary. Valencia largely depended on two world champions – Mario Kempes (1978) and Rainer Bonhof (1974). Perhaps Arsenal was preferred because the English always played open attacking football. Valencia was expected to play slower unattractive game, boring to the viewers. Aesthetically, Arsenal was preferred.

Final, Heysel Stadium, Brussels, 14 May 1980, att 36000

 

Valencia (0) 0 Arsenal (0) 0 aet

Valencia won 5-4 on penalties

 

Valencia

Perreira; Carrette, Botubot, Arias, Tendillo; Solsona, Saura, Bonhof, Subirates (Castellanos); Kempes, Pablo

Arsenal

Jennings; Rice, Nelson, O’Leary, Young; Rix, Talbot, Price (Hollins), Brady; Sunderland, Stapleton

Mario Kempes vs Arsenal

Predictions and expectations were fulfilled – the final was tough, Arsenal was the better team, Valencia played ugly football, but the English, as many times before, were unable to covert their superiority into victory.

Liam Brady vs Bonhof.

The most impressive player on the field was Rix, relatively unknown English, who plowed relentlessly on the left wing, yet, fruitlessly. The match ended 0-0, the extra time ended 0-0, and after 120 minutes of grinding football Valencia achieved its goal: a fair chance to win the cup not by playing football, but by lottery of penalty shoot-out. And perhaps they had some advantage at last, because English teams were not famous for their penalties. The shoot-out proceeded dramatically until at last and English player missed and Valencia won 5-4.

Perreira and Jennings – everything was in their hands. Goalkeepers always are considered the key to winning or losing a shoot-out – but the kickers really decide the outcome. May be not?

The Spaniards scored one after another. Jennings failed to deflect… who was the hero?

Graham Rix missed his penalty. Perreira saved. The hero was…? Valencia won by chance, no matter what. Happiness erupted. Once again the Cup Winners Cup was going to Spain.

Arsenal lost the Cup Winners Cup without actually losing a match – there was a sense of injustice in it, especially because they were the better team at the final, but nothing like the indignation following the losses of Leeds United to Milan and Bayern earlier in the 1970s. Arsenal was not robbed of victory, like Leeds, but fell victim of its own inability so score. Graham Rix was perhaps the symbol of it – the best player of the final, he missed when mattered most. Just a little, but fatal inadequacy – and could yoy really blame him? Everyone could make a mistake in the Russian roulette of a shoot-out… but on a second thought if one does not score when it matters most, then he is not really great. And that was the problem of Arsenal – seemingly, the better finalist: Jennings, Stapleton, O’Leary, and Brady provided strong backbone of current stars, around which there was strong assembly of experienced veterans, current leading Englsih players, and promising youngsters: Nelson, Rice, Hollins, Talbot, Sunderland, MacDonald, Rix. As a whole, richer and better balanced side than Valencia’s. Yet, good. But not great – already the true measurement of greatness was international success and here Arsenal failed. It was strong and appreciated team, but… missing little something. It was a team for domestic consumption really and remained so. Nothing like Liverpool of the same time.

Winners are not to be criticized for victory is unbeatable argument, but Valencia had seemingly lesser squad than Arsenal. Apart from the two superstars Kempes and Bonhof, the rest was rather unremarkable – Tendillo, Solsona, and Saura were the internationally known players and the rest of the team was more or less middle of the road. Of course, having the world’s player of the year 1978, captaining Argentina to her first world title, should have made the difference. Especially when Mario Kempes had the 1974 world champion Rainer Bonhof behind him… but it was rather typical anda bit outdated make: two outstanding players, aided by workhorses. It was not enough for overcoming a well balanced opponent: Kempes and Bonhof did not shine at the final. Gritty Spanish style carried Valencia to the shoot-out and they were lucky to win at this arbitrary stage. But those were strong years of Valencia and the end of the decade repeated the beginning of it, when they won the Spanish title. The European victory was more a matter of luck than anything, yet it was good to see player like Kempes winning trophies on club level at last. However, like Arsenal, Valencia was second-best. Good as they were, Valencia was not really challenging the domination of Real and Barcelona in Spain, let alone building a dynasty. It was not a memorable winner and was not innovative team. No matter – the record stands clear: Arsenal lost, Valencia won. Tell the fans their team did not deserve the Cup Winners Cup…

The UEFA Cup. Perhaps one of the most intriguing issues of the tournament. First of all, no English, Spanish, and Italian club reached the third round. To a point, fate played a role, the draw opposing teams from the top football leagues early. But it was not just poor luck – the decline of the leading nations was noticeable for some time. Thus, there were few upsets: Carl Zeiss (DDR) won both legs against West Bromwich Albion and Dynamo Dresden (DDR) also did so against Atletico Madrid in the first round. In the second round Universitatea Craiova (Romania) eliminated Leeds United, winning both legs 2-0. The results were unusual, but hardly front page news: Atletico Madrid and Leeds United were in decline; WBA – not really strong. The tournament manifested the leading position of West German football in a very special way: West Germany had 5 participants this year and all of them reached the ¼ finals – only at this stage elimination of one German team became inevitable, for at least one pair had to be between Germans. The draw was favourable and as a result the ½ finals were entirely German – for the first time the last 4 teams represented one country. Luck was on German side, but there was no doubt about the quality of the teams: they eliminated whoever they played with.

The other memorable event was the great run of the modest Bulgarian Lokomotiv (Sofia). In the first round they faced Ferencvaros (Budapest) and eliminated the Hungarians 3-0 and 0-2. Lokomotiv faced Monaco in the 1/16 finals and won 4-2 and 1-2. The matches with Monaco instantly became a legend – Lokomotiv’s star Atanas (Nachko) Mikhailov scored all 5 goals. For this he was nicknamed Monachko – a pun, combining the name of the opponents and the name fans used to call him lovingly: Mo-nachko. But this was still nothing – in the 1/8 finals Lokomotiv was paired with Dinamo (Kiev). To all, it was the end: Dinamo, although not great, was overwhelming favourite, but political arguments weighted more than purely football ones. In Bulgaria, everybody was certain that Lokomotiv will be ordered to lose without a fight. Already Dinamo played against Bulgarian team – in the first round they met CSKA (Sofia) and eliminated the strongest Bulgarian team 2-1 and 1-1. The results were misleading: Dynamo was far from great, but CSKA made sure that Kiev will go ahead. It was not for the first time and it was taken for granted that Bulgarian team will put no resistance against Soviet club. So, the first leg was surprising: Lokomotiv won 1-0 in Sofia. Nachko Mikhailov scored from free kick – his trade-mark. Still, nobody believed in final victory. The advantage was fragile, the referee for the second leg was Hungarian, and Dynamo was objectively the stronger squad. Lokomotiv had fair chance against earlier opponents: Ferencvaros and Monaco played football suitable for Lokomotiv – technical and relatively slow. Both teams had no great stars. Dynamo was entirely different: fast, physical, domineering the field. Lokomotiv’s defensive style, based on slower tempo, allowing the opponents to attack was not going to work against such an opponent: Lokomotiv depended on counter-attacks left to the imagination of Nachko Mikhailov, who was fat, slow, and too egoistic most of the time – it was clear that the Soviets will shadow him closely and block his individual efforts. So was expected, although the first leg already showed that Dynamo was not really able to stop one of the all-time best Bulgarians. The match in Kiev crushed wisdom, certainties, and expectations. Lokomotiv surprised everyone, including Dynamo’s players, with fighting spirit. Dynamo attacked, but they were lacking imagination and this helped the defensive style of Lokomotiv. With time, surprise changed to frustration: Dynamo realized they were facing determined and concentrated foe, not at all giving up. Since Lobanovsky was ruthless coach, the match turned ugly – the Soviets tackled fiercely and dangerously and the referee just allowed brutality. If the match was played today, it would be over by half-time, for Dynamo would have too many players send off to continue. But back at the end of the 1970s there was no problem with players clearly looking to break the legs of the opponents. Still, Dynamo scored 2 goals in the first half and looked like they will win, however unjustly. Lokomotiv retaliated to the brutal approach and eventually Khapsalis (Dinamo) and Stoykov (Lokomotiv) were sent off. After the match Soviet commentators lamented the expulsion of Khapsalis, for he was the most dangerous striker of their team at the moment (Blokhin just came back from injury and not at his best yet), but a quick look at the other side tells different story: the referee was blind only to Soviet brutality and provocations – he showed 3 yellow cards to Bulgarian players (Arsov, Dimitrov, and Vassilev) and expelled Dimitrov for second offense. He and Stoykov were the central defenders of Lokomotiv and both were send off, thus opening a big gap. Khapsalis was expelled only because of the fight between him and Stoykov – there was no option, but to expel both. Not a single Soviet player was carded for his own offenses, some of which were gruesome. Yet, Lokomotiv fought bravely and in the 70th minute Nachko Mikhailov had the ball. He saw the opportunity, quickly made a long pass to the only Bulgarian in Dinamo’s half of the field, Nako Doychev, who replaced the right full-back Zhelev in the 31st minute. The young striker made a mighty kick from a great distance and scored. 2-1. To the end of the match Dynamo attacked fruitlessly. Lokomotiv won, thanks to their away goal. It was unbelievable, but true.

Lokomotiv had little chances for the ¼ finals – 5 West German teams, Saint Etienne, and Zbrojovka (Brno). Only the Czechoslovaks were beatable opponent, but Lady Luck was not on Bulgarian side – the draw paired them with Stuttgart. In the euphoria, following the great victory over Dinamo (Kiev), Stuttgart was perceived as a beatable opponent. Bulgarian observers were quite wrong in their estimation: Stuttgart was not strong during the 1970s, but at the moment was up and coming team. The fairy-tale ended – the Germans were superior and easily eliminated Lokomotiv 3-0 and 1-0. Unfortunately, Lokomotiv had limited squad and there were no replacements of the key players suspended after the match in Kiev. No matter – it was fantastic run, still remembered and praised. Remembered not only for what happened on the pitch, but also for what happened in the aftermath of the epic battle with Dynamo (Kiev).

Nachko Mikhailov at his best. Lokomotiv was the underdog against Dinamo, but… Nachko is surrounded by Bessonov, Kolotov, Konkov, Romensky, Buryak, Veremeev, and Berezhnoy, and they are unable to stop him. Bessonov, personal marker of Mikhailov, is left behind. No wonder the Soviet stars were increasingly frustrated. As for Nachko – perhaps this was his greatest season: 5 goals in the net of Monaco; a winning goal in the home leg against Dinamo, and the great pass to Doychev, who scored in Kiev. As for Bessonov… well, he left his mark on the legs of Nachko, who was unable to walk after the second match.

Lokomotiv (Sofia) 1979-80. Third row from left: A. Elenkov, G. Stankov, R. Goranov, Y. Stoykov, N. Donev, N. Zhelev, G. Bonev.

Middle row: V. Metodiev – coach, T. Sokolov, K. Petkov, B. Velichkov, A. Kolev, N. Spassov, N. Doychev, D. Donkov – assistant coach.

Crouching: A. Mikhailov, I. Vassilev, B. Dimitrov, V. Arssov, I. Dangov, G. Stefanov.

A nice, but limited squad, immediately presenting the predicament of small clubs: A. Mikhailov, R. Goranov, T. Sokolov, G. Bonev, Y. Stoykov, A. Kolev, B. Dimitrov, and V. Arssov were well known Bulgarian players of whom only V. Arssov did not play for the national team. But they were regulars since 1971 and 30 years old at the end of the decade. Behind them only two players were becoming stars – B. Velichkov and N. Donev. Young talent was also scarce – N. Zhelev and N. Doychev. Experienced, but getting too old first team and no strong reserves. Actually, no back-ups at some posts at all – no other central defenders than Stoykov and B. Dimitrov, for instance. But Lokomotiv had great coach – perhaps the best ever Bulgarian coach – Vassil Metodiev. He utilized his limited resources in full and was excellent tactician and motivator. He made Lokomotiv champions in 1978 and was the instrumental for their great run in the UEFA Cup. Yet, this was the swan song of the aging squad – Metodiev achieved more than ever dreamed, for on top of having short and limited team, he had to improvise constantly: for instance, Sokolov was suspended and unable to play against Dinamo. The full back Stefanov took his place in midfield. After the second leg with Dinamo Dimitrov and Stoykov were suspended too and against Stuttgart Lokomotiv had no central defenders at all. But this was nothing compared to other punishments and misfortunes following the elimination of Dinamo (Kiev). Beating a Soviet team was not taken lightly – the Communist Party (not the club!) sacked Vassil Metodiev immediately. He was blacklisted for years and few years later, when coaching Levsky-Spartak and eliminated same Dinamo (Kiev) again, troubles and punishments followed again. Nothing was said at the time, but the speedy winger Ivan Dangov was more than injured by Dynamo players: everybody saw the viscious tackle after which Dangov had to be replaced in the second leg, but nobody saw what happened next: Dangov’s testicles were sliced and had to be removed. After facing Lobanovsky’s stars, Dangov ended an eunuch… The player was unable to come in terms with losing his manhood and committed suicide. Somehow, the great success of Lokomotiv doomed the heroes: Boko Dimitrov died stone-deaf and in extreme poverty. Nachko Mikhailov’s fate was not nice either. Almost all players were quickly forgotten after their retirement from the game. Such were the times… the ruling Communists considered football part of politics and elimination of Soviet team was practically equal to anti-Communist statement, a political crime almost.

At the ¼ finals the first West German casualty came at last: 1. FC Kaiserslautern was beaten by Bayern 1-0 and 1-4. Well, one had to be eliminated here. The rest of the West German teams had no problems – Stuttgart won both legs against Lokomotiv (Sofia) and so did Borussia (Moenchengladbach) against Saint Etienne. Only Zbrojovka (Brno) managed to win against Germans, but it was too late – after losing 1-4 in Frankfurt, the Czechs won 3-2 at home for consolation. Historic semi-finals followed: all participants from one country. The opponents knew each other more than well, had no inhibitions, but great ambitions, and played the same kind of football. A lot was at stake, for the opponents had long history behind them to spur desires, to settle scores, to take revenge, and simply to win. Everything was decided on home turf and the second leg was actually decisive: hosts won the first leg – Stuttgart – Borussia 2-1, and Bayern – Eintracht 2-0. The second leg the losers just put aside caution and rushed ahead. Borussia’s win – 2-0 – was more or less expected. Eintracht’s, however, was less so and if it was, not by such result: they destroyed Bayern 5-1. True, it was not an easy victory, but took extra time after the regular match finished 2-0. Eintracht and Borussia reached the final.

Borussia went to its 4th UEFA Cup final – so far, they won the Cup twice, the second time in the previous year. One of the best clubs of the 1970s, Borussia had the experience and also the desire to add one more trophy to its collection. Eintracht never won European trophy and played a final only once – in 1960, when they lost to Real (Madrid) 3-7 the final for the European Champions Cup. History is history, but German teams have enough motivation anyway and a battle between two German teams is extremely competitive. Perhaps Borussia was a bit in disadvantage – hard to say why today, but they hosted Eintracht at their own stadium,which is small. Normally, Borussia plays important matches at bigger stadiums in nearby cities to provide room for more supporters. Important or not, the difference is great: Borussia played in front of 25 000 at home and in front of 59 000 in Frankfurt. The ’12th player’ was numerous and very loud in the second leg, but was not supporter of Borussia. On the pitch, it was German business as usual – fast, attacking, uncompromising, physical football.

Who will win? The 1974 World champion or the guy who never played for West Germany? The world champion never won a German title or an international club trophy. The second-rater had a few German titles and two UEFA cups already.

Final 1st Leg, Bökelberg, Moenchengladbach, 7 May 1980, att 25000

 

Borussia M’gladbach (1) 3 Eintracht Frankfurt (1) 2

37′ 0-1 E: Karger

44′ 1-1 B: Kulik

71′ 1-2 E: Hoelzenbein

76′ 2-2 B: Matthaeus

88′ 3-2 B: Kulik

 

Borussia M’gladbach

Kneib; Hannes, Schäfer, Schäffer, Ringels; Matthäus, Kulik, Nielsen(Thychosen); Del’Haye (Boedeker), H.Nickel, Lienen

Eintracht Frankfurt

Pahl; Pezzey, Neuberger, Körbel, Ehrmanntraut; Lorant, Hölzenbein(Nachtweih), Borgers, B.Nickel; Cha, Karger (Trapp)

 

 

Final 2nd Leg, Mainstadion, Frankfurt, 21 May 1980, att 59000

 

Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 1 Borussia M’gladbach (0) 0

81′ 1-0 E: Schaub

 

Eintracht Frankfurt

Pahl; Pezzey, Neuberger, Körbel, Ehrmanntraut; Lorant, Hölzenbein, Borgers, B.Nickel; Cha, Nachtweih (Schaub)

Borussia M’gladbach

Kneib; Boedeker, Hannes, Schäfer, Ringels; Matthäus (Thychosen),Fleer, Kulik, Nielsen (Del’Haye); H.Nickel, Lienen

Borussia won the home leg with difficulty – 3-2, after Eintracht had twice the advantage. Interestingly, Borussia scored two goals at the very end of the playing time – equalizer in the 44th minute of the first half, and the winning goal in the 88th minute. Kulik scored both goals – no wonder he was captaining Borussia. The second leg was similarly equal, but Eintracht was tiny bit more dangerous in attack. The only goal came late – the substitute Schaub scored in 81st minute. A goal is a goal, but one could blame Borussia’s defense, which was often shaky anyway. Kneib was not quick enough to react – unfortunate, but typical problem of very tall goalkeepers, when the ball is low and goes to the corner of the net. Anyway, Eintracht scored the winning goal and the Cup was theirs after a tough final.

A great picture of the new winners – Bum Kun Cha triumphal with the UEFA Cup, but this is a strange photo: shirt advertisement was still banned in the international tournaments and the finalists played with plain shirts. Yet, the winners appear with their usual domestic kit:

Great moment indeed – Eintracht with well deserved first European trophy. First and… so far last. In the real time, it was wonderful to see a new winner. In retrospect, it was the end of an era – both finalists were already in decline. Neither will be ever the same, both stepping down from leading positions. The 1980 final was a victory of the old guard – the new Bayern and the up and coming Stuttgart were not fully ready to rule and were eliminated in the ½ finals by teams already going down, but still strong enough. The sad truth was that neither UEFA Cup finalist represented something fresh.

Borussia, although a worthy finalist, failed to win a third UEFA Cup. Perhaps rightly so – it was no longer the exciting team of the early 1970s. Inevitably, the great stars stepped down and now former reserves and mere supporting players lead the team: Kulik, Nickel, Danner, Hannes, Klinkhammer. The current star was Del’Haye – a player, who never came even close to his predecessor Heynckes. The sad truth was that Borussia was lead by second-raters, easily confirmed – the current leaders were not national team players. They were determined, fit, eager, but lacked finesse and imagination. The finals showed the players’ limitations: Del’Haye disappointed in the first leg, was replaced, and did not start the second leg (but came out nevertheless, replacing Nielsen). Lothar Matthaus, the brightest new German hope, had to be substituted by Tychosen (himself still not good enough for regular place in the team). The defense was shaky and there was no player even approximately similar to Vogts. Kulik was the best player, at least in the final, but he was not Wimmer, and there was no point even mentioning Netzer. Lienen, the best and most dangerous striker in the second leg of the final, was more determined and willing left-winger than really dangerous. Heynckes scored plenty of goals – Lienen did not and it was even difficult to imagine him scoring. It was team going down, not up… Matthaus was soon to leave and there was nobody else. Even Heynckes was not impressive – the young coach did not show anything inspiring yet: his team was quite predictable in tactics and style. The era of Borussia was closing, that was sure. And Borussia somewhat never fulfilled the expectations – they were one of the top teams in the 1970s, but never reached the top, never dominated the European scene.

The brand new UEFA Cup winners: third row, from left: Hübler – trainer, Grabowski, Nickel, Lorant, Borchers, Karger, Schaub, Nachtweih, Hölzenbein, Schmidt-Rönnau – masseur.

Middle row: Rausch – coach, Von Thümen – Président, Schulte – assistant coach, Lottermann, Körbel, Gruber, Pezzey, Trapp, Cha Bum, Ehrmantraut, Arda – condition trainer, Klug -Manager.

Sitting: Neuberger, Funk, Pahl, Müller.

Well deserving winners, no doubt – Eintracht was the slightly better team at the finals. More balanced and more dangerous. But… they were also a team of the past. Grabowski was no longer playing. Holzenbein was getting old. Gone were the times when Eintracht was expected to become the third great West German team, equal to Bayern and Borussia. A few spectacular international failures happened – Eintracht did not live up to expectations and, with time, it became clear that they will not have great selection. By the end of the 1980s Eintracht, like Borussia, run on inertia. Korbel was rapidly becoming the symbol of the club – sturdy, reliable, fit, yet, never a true star. His few appearances for the national team were already in a distant past. For Nickel, Lorant, Borchers one thing was sure – they were not going to be at the level of Grabowski and Holzenbein. More like Korbel – dependable second-raters. And the East German refugees Pahl and Nachtweih were not to be superstars either. Yet, Eintracht had two great players – the Austrian libero Pezzey, one of the best in the world at the time, dubbed ‘the new Beckenbauer’, and the exciting South Korean striker Bum Kun Cha. Cha was especially dangerous in the second leg against Borussia, clearly making the difference between winners and losers. The Korean was seen more as a novelty at that time – the first South Korean player to play in West Germany and Europe, and the second Asian to shine in the Bundesliga, after the Japanese striker Okudera won the Bundesliga with Koln in 1978. Bum Kun Cha arrived in 1978 and joined Darmstadt 98 – he played a single match for them, not a great beginning. However, Eintracht saw his potential and sighed him in 1979 – Cha delivered, quickly becoming a key player of the team and a Bundesliga star. Having two great players was not enough, unfortunately – Eintracht was slowly going downhill. Winning the UEFA Cup was great, but in a way, a victory coming too late. It was a closing of an era, closing of the 1970s football. Yet, winners are winners and in the final Eintracht was the more convincing team. Too bad Grabowski was not playing…

Fred Schaub, the little known young substitute, scores the winning goal for Eintracht.

Happy Eintracht after the goal. Observe their shirts – no adds, as regulated by UEFA.

Big change is coming! No, no the way the game is played, but how it is represented. Bruno Pezzey is still dressed in his plain playing shirt. His teammate holds the UEFA Cup in new shirt, displaying the name of the sponsor – Minolta. Erosion of the rules… yes, they have to play in plain shirts, but after the match? When shirts are exchanged with the other team or thrown to the delighted crowd, or are just too wet to wear? Rules say nothing about the time after the match – and Eintracht posed in their usual shirts with the name of their sponsor. And soon UEFA will give up. The 1980s started.

The German Cup final opposed clubs different from Bayern and Hamburger SV – both finalists reached their peak a bit back and one thing was painfully clear about them: neither was going to be stronger. Decline was not pronounce yet, but it was mostly inertia keeping them going. 1. FC Koln and Fortuna Dusseldorf. Of course, the final was competitive and neither team gave up. 2-1 was the result at the end – Fortuna won. Interesting: the finalists were the Cup winners of the last three years – Koln won the Cup in 1977 and 1978. Fortuna – in 1979 and now for a second year in a row. In 1978 Koln won over Fortuna – now it was the other way around.

Happy winners, of course.

1. FC Koln lost by a single goal – may be unlucky. Seemingly, the team had the players for success – Bernd Cullmann, Dieter Muller, Tony Schumacher, Harald Konopka. Bernd Schuster burst out this season, instantly seen as the great German player for the coming decade. And in his steps followed Pierre Littbarski. Yet, in the same time it was clear that 1. FC Koln will not build a dynasty similar to Bayern and Borussia, dominating the 1970s. The lost final kind of confirmed the suspicions: Koln enjoyed its best years in a short period – 1977 and 1978 – and although keeping strong, was not going to be a big winner. Successful occasionally, but nothing more than that.

Fortuna was peculiar. Strong for may be 5 years already, but made mostly of solid second-raters. It was hoped that they could be the next big German club in the past, but not anymore. It was even felt that Fortuna already passed its peak and was getting down – slowly, but down. Ironically, it was that time they achieved their big triumphs, winning the Cup twice in a row. The team was always made of players like Baltes – never prime stars. Zewe and Seel were getting too old. The future of the team consisted of 2 players – the brothers Klaus and Thomas Allofs. Hardly enough and it was not all that certain Fortuna could keep the brothers. In the championship the team was already slipping down. But they won the Cup again, running against logic: Fortuna’s most successful years were precisely when decline was detected.