RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Stories from Romanian Sports – Seville, 1986

On May 7, 1986 Steaua Bucharest won the European Champions' Cup

Stories from Romanian Sports – Seville, 1986
Stories from Romanian Sports – Seville, 1986

, 08.05.2020, 13:45

This week we
marked 34 years since one of the greatest achievements ever to be recorded in
Romanian football. On May 7, 1986, on Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville,
Steaua Bucharest defeated FC Barcelona in the final of the European Champion’s
Cup, thus becoming the first team from Eastern Europe to win the prestigious
trophy.


Steaua had
reached the finals after brushing aside Vejle Bold Club of Denmark, Hungary’s
Honved Budapest, the Finnish club Kuusisi Lahti and Anderlecht Brussels of
Belgium. The match against the latter was reportedly the best performance of a
Romanian football team in European inter-club competitions.


The final
against Barcelona was played away from home. Steaua played before a 40-thousand-strong
Spanish crowd that had come to cheer their team towards its first victory in
the Champions’ Cup. Steaua’s lineup included Helmut Duckadam, Ştefan Iovan,
Adrian Bumbescu, Miodrag Belodedici, Ilie Bărbulescu, Gavrilă Balint, Ladislau
Bölöni, Ştefan Majearu, Lucian Bălan, Marius Lăcătuş, Victor Piţurcă, Marin
Radu (also known as Radu 2) and Anghel Iordănescu. Sitting on Steaua’s bench
was headcoach Emerich Jenei, co-assisted by Iordănescu. The biggest absence in
the first team lineup was the team captain, the very man who had had a solid
contribution to the team’s road to the final: Tudorel Stoica.


Barcelona turned
out to be a tough nut to crack for Steaua, but our team eventually displayed
superior technical prowess. The players defended well and mounted good
counter-attacks. 120 minutes of play went by with no goal scored on either
side. Then came the penalty shootout, and with it, the miracle. Steaua’s
goalkeeper Helmut Duckadam saved all four penalty kicks. Few people remember,
however, that the Spanish goalkeeper, the late Javier Urruticoechea, himself
saved two penalty kicks, which, alone, was a remarkable feat for a Champions’
Cup final. Scoring for Romania were Marius Lăcătuş and Gavrilă Balint, and the
final penalty kick saved by Duckadam committed the match to legend.


Many of the
first-team players who contributed to Steaua’s victory in ’86 are no longer
with us today. Our thoughts dwell particularly on Ion Alexandru, at the time
the head of the Football Division of STEAUA Army Club, but also players Lucian
Bălan and Ilie Bărbulescu. Most of the players who made up Steaua’s dream team
in 1986 are today professional coaches. Some have even compelled international
recognition, such as Victor Piţurcă, who helped Romania qualify to two European
Championships.


(Translated by
V. Palcu)



Photo: pixabay.com
Sport Thursday, 21 November 2024

Sports Flash

The Romanian national football team was awarded a 3-0 win by default from UEFA in the match against Kosovo. The announcement came on Wednesday after...

Sports Flash
Photo: pixabay.com
Sport Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Radio Romania International Sports club

Matches counting towards the final round as part of this year’s edition of the Champions League in women’s handball were played late last week....

Radio Romania International Sports club
Photo: pixabay.com
Sport Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Athlete of the Week – Footballer Florin Niţă

The Romanian national football team concluded its campaign in Nations League this year with a win. On Monday, in front a 45-thousand-strong crowd on...

Athlete of the Week – Footballer Florin Niţă
Sports Roundup
Sport Monday, 18 November 2024

Sports roundup

Romania’s national rugby team on Saturday grabbed their second consecutive win this fall. In a test-match hosted by the Triumphant Arch stadium in...

Sports roundup
Sport Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Olympic Profiles 2024

At the Olympics in Paris Romania’s rowers claimed the first gold medals after a break of 32 years. The last rowers to step onto the first step of...

Olympic Profiles 2024
Sport Monday, 11 November 2024

2024 Olympic Profiles

  Before the Olympic Games in Paris, David Popovici was the athlete on whom the vast majority of Romanians’ hopes were pinned. And he did not...

2024 Olympic Profiles
Sport Friday, 08 November 2024

Sports weekend

Romanian football team FCSB has succeeded yet another win in UEFA Europa League. On Thursday, holders FCSB grabbed a 2-nil home win against Danish...

Sports weekend
Sport Thursday, 07 November 2024

Sports flash

Attention-grabbing, for starters, are results in men’s basketball. In EuroCup, Group B, U-BT Cluj-Napoca sustained a 80-99 away defat by Turk...

Sports flash

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company