Exactly 25 years ago, at the crowded NSC Olimpiyskiy, Dynamo confidently defeated the formidable Barcelona. On this occasion, we recall the sensational defeat of the Catalan giants in the Champions League of the 1997/98 season.
Even after studying the calendar of group "C" after the draw, the fans singled out for themselves a "spike" with "Barcelona". The formidable team, which repeatedly visited Kyiv in the early 90s - back in the days of the great era of Cruyff, looked like a favorite not only for the two-match with Dynamo, but also for the Euroseason as a whole. So the sensational devastating defeats from Dynamo Lobanovsky thundered all over the world, and their creators instantly hit the front pages of all leading sports publications.
7:0 in two matches with the Spanish giants is a classic of Dynamo football, which is always nice to return to, in order to understand how relevant and progressive Lobanovsky's ideas were in world football for three whole decades.
Barcelona in the summer of 1997 made one of the most significant exit transfers - Ronaldo went to Inter Milan for an amount of almost $ 30 million. The author of the winning goal in the match with PSG in the 1997 Cup Winners' Cup final was not fully realized in Barça, but he was remembered for incredible solo performances in the best matches. For almost the same price, the senior, 26-year-old Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson (29 million) was acquired from Monaco. For 25 million 850 thousand dollars, 25-year-old Rivaldo was bought from Deportivo (La Coruña). 31-year-old goalkeeper Ruud Hesp arrived from Roda, 24-year-old defender of the Netherlands national team Michael Reiziger and 25-year-old forward of the French national team Christophe Dugarry arrived from Milan. The 22-year-old midfielder of Partizan and the Yugoslav national team Dragan Ciric was considered promising.
In addition to Ronaldo, Louis van Gaal did not lose any more important players - the best years of Gheorghe Popescu, who went to Galatasaray in Barca, have long passed, and Laurent Blanc did not take root in the team and moved to Olympic from Marseille. Paradoxically, both veterans will soon give out quite bright segments in their late careers and get almost the main trophies for themselves.
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45-year-old Louis van Gaal took over Barcelona in the summer of 1997, having previously won everything, including the Champions Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, at the head of Ajax. Continuing the glorious traditions of the great Dutch Barca, he did not achieve Cruyff's success on the continental arena, however, he won the championship and the Spanish Cup with Barcelona, and in the middle of the 1997/98 season, in the confrontation with Borussia Dortmund, he also won the Super Cup, won earlier by his predecessor Bobby Robson.
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Barcelona brought not only players to the capital of Ukraine, but also a chef with 250 kilograms of provisions. However, even the “imported diet” did not help the Catalan team in the matches with the Ukrainian Dynamo, to which they only lost once and drew once, always going further in European competitions. This time the holiday was on Khreshchatyk.
The third team of Group C arrived in Kyiv following the results of two starting rounds - having lost one goal in Newcastle, van Gaal's wards at home did not keep the desired result with P.S.V., well known to him. Eindhoven (led twice after Luis Enrique's goals, and in the end - 2:2). With only one point in the asset, in order not to fail the Champions League, the Catalans had to take six points from Dynamo out of six possible.
At the same time, the guests missed several players at once. Goalkeeper Vitor Baia, midfielder Josep Guardiola, forwards Sonny Anderson and Emmanuel Amunique were injured. Forward Hristo Stoichkov did not play due to a conflict with the head coach, and midfielder Ivan de la Peña (one of the greatest talents of the mid-90s) poisoned himself before the match. And at the same time, for all that, van Gaal also complained at the pre-match press conference that he was counting on the professionalism of his wards - they say that they do not always tune in to weak (!) opponents.
As for Dynamo Kyiv, the return of defender Oleg Luzhny, midfielders Pavel Shkapenko and Vasily Kardash after injuries was questionable, and the “role of Stoichkov” in Dynamo was still played by Viktor Leonenko - the best player in Ukraine in the first half of the 90s was honored with the appeal of Lobanovsky to him by name and patronymic, however, he was hardly happy about this - the young veteran at his 28 years old was sent to Dynamo-2, from where the striker of outstanding talent never returned to big football, finishing playing in CSKA and Transcarpathia.
However, the absence of Leonenko in Dynamo of the 1997 model was no longer felt - and even fans prone to nostalgia soon believed in the new idols of the attack. Already in the sixth minute, when Luzhny earned and quickly played a free kick, Kalitvintsev launched Rebrov into the pass, from whom everyone, including goalkeeper Hesp, expected a serve from the front line. In fact, Sergei from an acute angle shot right under the crossbar, "between the ears" in Ruuda - 1:0. This is how the remake of Van Basten's nine-year-old goal turned out...
Already three minutes later, the high pressure of the Kiev team almost gave a result: Maksimov led to the goalkeeper Kalitvintsev, but he, without entering the penalty area, shot wide of the goal. The pressure from Barça made Shovkovsky already worried - here Figo burst out at him, here Dugarry shot with his head, now Oscar hits from a convenient position - all past the goal! When the Dynamo went on a counteroffensive, the Barcelona defense immediately “crackled” - as an example, an attack, when Kosovsky led Shevchenko to Hesp, and he hit the post - although if he had scored, the goal would have been canceled due to a dubious, but recorded offside.
And yet, Dynamo uses the first half to double the lead. Again, a free kick was quickly played on the flank: Kosovsky starts a good combination, the first blow - from Rebrov - is taken by defender Kouta, but Maksimov is on duty to the right. Yuri from the fly launches the ball into the "six" in opposition to Hesp - 2:0. Barça can only regret the lost moments of Rivaldo, Dugarry and their other leaders. Dynamo, on the other hand, played much more judiciously than in the previous round, when in a similar situation they lost a victory with Newcastle.
After the break, successfully playing on the score, the people of Kiev completed the job and added problems to van Gaal with an eye on the next round. After a successful diagonal from Rebrov, Ferrer missed Shevchenko behind him, so Hesp was forced to shoot down Andrey, who was already throwing the ball past - sending off and a free kick. The reserve goalkeeper Busquets, having replaced the center-half Oskar, took a place in the goal and watched the free-kick from Kalitvintsev with his eyes, then several defenders immediately rushed under the rebound. A few minutes later, Shevchenko generously passed from the flank to Kalitvintsev, who slowly approached Busquets and clearly shot past him into the near corner - 3:0. Sergio Busquets' father, by the way, was also forced to save Barça from the fourth goal, when Shevchenko closed Volosyanko's serve. At the same time, Rivaldo missed the chance for a prestige goal in the very end.
For the first time in four years, since the Champions League final, when AC Milan won 4-0 against Barcelona under Capello, the Catalans suffered a crushing defeat in the Champions League. With equality in shots on target (4:4) and even an advantage in possession of the ball (58% -42%), van Gaal's wards answered for the words of their coach. “Why should I be afraid of Lobanovsky? Just because he's older? Well, yes, this is not an indicator ... ”, Louis said at the pre-match press conference. After the game, the rhetoric was already different ...
“The people of Kiev are playing total football,” said Louis van Gaal. - I confess that after the draw, I identified Dynamo as the outsiders of the group, but after a thorough study I changed my mind. The game of Kiev makes a strong impression. This team has no weaknesses."
“It was a match in which we managed to realize our advantage in tactics, speed and performance skills. Therefore, I consider the result to be natural. I am grateful to all our players for the fact that in addition to the flawless execution of the game plan, in addition to their individual skills, they also managed to show the highest dedication. At the same time, you cannot say that such dedication was not observed on the part of the Barcelona players, ”summed up Valery Lobanovsky.
Protocol
October 22, 1997. 21:45. Kyiv. NSC "Olympic". 100 thousand spectators. +4C.
"Dynamo» (Kyiv, Ukraine) - "Barcelona» (Barcelona, Spain) — 3:0 (2:0)
goals: 1:0 Rebrov (6), 2:0 Maksimov (32), 3:0 Kalitvintsev (65).
Warnings: Kosovski (45), Rebrov (52) - Oscar (30), Sergi (35), Figo (57), Dugarry (68), Koutu (83), Rocher (83)
Removal: Hesp (62, foul of last resort)
"Dynamo": Shovkovsky, Luzhny (Volosyanko, 62), Golovko, Vashchuk, Dmitrulin, Gusin, Maksimov (Mikhailenko, 83), Kalitvintsev, Kosovsky, Shevchenko, Rebrov. Head coach: Valery Lobanovsky.
"Barcelona»: Hesp, Ferrer, Reiziger, Coutu, Sergi, Oscar (Busquets, 63), Figo (Cirich, 82), Rivaldo, Luis Enrique, Roger, Dugarry (Pizzi, 80). Head Coach: Louis Van Gaal.
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It's one thing to knock out a favorite once. It is quite another thing to come for a rematch in his lair and repeat the execution, even with a more convincing result. Moreover, Barcelona at home was a lion. Leading the league, just on the eve of the match of the 4th round of the Champions League, van Gaal's wards beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu - 3:2. Rivaldo, Luis Enrique and Giovanni responded to the goals of Raul and Shuker. Figo gave two assists on the eve of his 25th birthday - who would have thought that in a few years he would move to Real Madrid with a scandal ... In the meantime, Luis convinced that he remembered Ukraine from the time of matches for the Portuguese national team and seeks revenge for the defeats of the club and his national team.
Meanwhile, the legendary Barça veteran Ronald Koeman warned in a pre-match interview: “Dynamo is not Real Madrid!” Strange as it may sound, the Dutchman turned out to be absolutely right. Moreover, Van Gaal's personnel situation was not encouraging - due to injuries and other circumstances, goalkeeper Hesp, defenders Abelardo and Reiziger, midfielders Guardiola, de la Peña, Roger and Luis Enrique, forwards Amunique, Anderson, Dugarry and Stoichkov remained out of the game. Out of desperation, even reservists from the youth team appeared in the reserve, including Carles Puyol, for whom this was one of the first hits in the application of the first team. Dynamo came to the game in fact in the optimal composition.
The hosts, striving for revenge, did not give the Ukrainians a warm welcome. At the airport, they were detained for several hours, the transfer bus was not delivered on time, the training main field was not provided, and the work of accredited media was delayed. Against this background, pre-match "caricatures" in the press and disparaging interviews with players looked like the slightest evil. However, the words of the same Giovanni, who promised the defeat of Dynamo, only additionally motivated the guests. Already in the debut, Kalitvintsev earned and filed a free kick, and Andriy Shevchenko successfully headed the ball — 0:1.
Rivaldo and Celades tried to level the score after a quick flank attack and a corner, but inaccurately. The Dynamo team found Gusin in advantageous positions several times. And it was he who cut the serve from the right flank to Shevchenko, who in a high jump headed past Vitor Bailly - 0:2. The courage with which Dynamo realized their potential was impressive. Their opponents obviously couldn’t keep up with their movements, and when Sergi knocked down Shevchenko in the penalty area, Andriy confidently beat the Portuguese goalkeeper from the 11-meter mark - 0:3. And this, by the way, is the first Dynamo hat-trick in the Champions League!
What Van Gaal was up to in the second half remained a mystery. Immediately after the break, in a simple situation, the already experienced defender Sergi ran into a removal, so Barca had to somehow win back three goals with ten men. Miracles happen, but at different addresses - in numerical superiority, Dynamo calmly brought the matter to defeat, multiplying it. When Baya passed to Ferrer, he did not expect a "setup" from the defender - and he, in fact, gave the ball to the opponent, and Rebrov from 30 meters immediately shot into the goal, into which Vitor had not yet had time to return.
Could Barça have lost less humiliatingly? The question was already there. The active Figo made Shovkovsky work hard, Amor, coming on as a substitute, shook the crossbar. However, this did not affect the outcome of the game in any way. The underdog of the confrontation, Dynamo won a historic victory over Barca, dropping the Cup Winners' Cup winner to last place in Group C. There is a temptation to write it off for a “critical day” for an opponent, for an accident, for a significant weakening of the former grandee. No: in 1997-98, van Gaal's Barca won the championship and the Spanish Cup, the UEFA Super Cup. No, we need to recognize the strength of Dynamo.
Valery Lobanovsky: “From the outside, it might seem that the victory was easy for us. But this is not so. Teams entered the field, not going to concede to each other in anything. The Spanish press thoroughly warmed up the atmosphere around the match. Some of the statements made by the Barcelona players were simply incorrect. Therefore, we didn’t have to set up our players, everyone was preparing in the most serious way. Among the reasons for the victory, I will note the main ones. First, we outplayed Barcelona tactically. Secondly, which is very important in such games, the guys played very well individually. The team has fully implemented the game plan.”
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Protocol
November 5, 1997 21:45. Barcelona. Camp Nou stadium. 52,000 viewers. +22С.
Warnings: Gusin (59) — Koutu (2), Sergi (33)
Removal: Sergi (47, re-warned)
"Barcelona» (Barcelona, Spain) - "Dynamo» (Kyiv, Ukraine) — 0:4 (0:3)
goals: 0:1 Shevchenko (9), 0:2 Shevchenko (32), 0:3 Shevchenko (44, penalty), 0:4 Rebrov (79).
"Barcelona»: Vitor Bahia, Ferrer, Reiziger, Coutu, Sergi, Oscar (Nadal, 71), Celades, Chiric, Figo, Giovanni (Amor, 53), Rivaldo. Head Coach: Louis Van Gaal.
"Dynamo»: Shovkovsky, Luzhny (Volosyanko, 59), Vashchuk, Golovko, Dmitrulin, Gusin (Mikhailenko, 60), Khatskevich, Kalitvintsev (Maksimov, 46), Kosovsky, Shevchenko, Rebrov. Head coach: Valery Lobanovsky.
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Europe is learning to pronounce Dynamo Kyiv, Shevchenko, Rebrov
Having tied with P.S.V. Eindhoven, the people of Kiev guaranteed themselves the first place in the group of death ahead of schedule. That's just Juve with Del Piero, Inzaghi, Zidane, Deschamps, Davids judiciously reacted to the main sensation of the Champions League. Marcello Lippi, paying tribute to the coaching genius of Lobanovsky, achieved success in Kyiv after a home draw. 1:4 - it was a very instructive defeat of the Dynamo team, which, nevertheless, did not stop their progress.
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It was Juventus who turned out to be the best team in Europe according to the UEFA football club rating of the 1997/98 season with almost 142 points. Barcelona was eighth at the end of the season, P.S.V. - tenth, Dynamo - 13th, Brondby - 51st, Newcastle - 57th, Shakhtar - 69th.
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In the future, Dynamo Kyiv played with Barcelona almost more often than with other giants of European football. Nevertheless, even after many years, those magical 7:0 in 1997 are remembered, which still remain on the list of the most bitter defeats of the Catalan club. It seems that "Vecherka" called its report on one of the fights "An hour and a half of happiness." So, those who watched these games from the stands and "blue screens" of their TVs experienced this one and a half hour twice - after Kyiv and after Barcelona.