The former defender of Madrid’s Atletico, Miguel Angel Ruiz, shared memories of the match between his former team and Kiev’s Dynamo (0:3) in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup for the 1985/86 season.
Miguel Angel Ruiz“Of the eleven players of that Dynamo who went out for the final against us, all were in the starting lineup of the USSR national team, except for the goalkeeper (Viktor Chanov, — editor’s note). It was a super team! They outplayed us in every way. It was only possible to avoid such a large score because until the last minutes of the game the score was 1:0 (the second and third goals were scored by Dynamo players in the 85th and 88th minutes of the match, — editor’s note).
Anyway, right after the match against us, Dynamo also beat Real with a score of 3:2 in the final of the Santiago Bernabeu Cup. An amazing team!
Now football is much more global than it was then, and we know all the teams in the world, but at that time Kiev’s Dynamo was not so well known in Europe. But it was definitely an elite team. In terms of player class, preparation, and level of teamwork. I remember Demyanenko, the captain, Blokhin, Belanov, Zavarov, who later transferred to Juventus, Baltacha... I remember them all. They were all impressive.
Moreover, we were also a serious team back then, which had an impressive Cup Winners' Cup that season. We were a team coached by Luis Aragones, a very strong team with great physical power. But Dynamo beat us in all aspects, both in gameplay and physically.
Dynamo was a very well-coordinated team that transitioned quickly from defense to attack and back. They attacked a lot, but thanks to the high physical fitness of all players, they always managed to return to defense. The Dynamo players were very practical and at the same time versatile. They knew how to handle the ball, knew how to change the tempo of the game. A very cohesive team.
It’s not that Dynamo surprised us; we were warned about the potential of this team. But when the game started, we immediately felt how prepared this team was on all levels. In every single confrontation, we had to show a lot of courage, bravery, and strength to win the argument.
And it’s not that they had the game of their lives and defeated us. Their victory was a result of what a team they were at that time. And I repeat, their squad consisted exclusively of experienced players, all of whom were in the main lineup of the USSR national team. This was a strong, powerful team of the highest level,” said Ruiz, as reported by Relevo.
Translation and stylistic adaptation — Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using material hyperlink is mandatory!
