These days mark exactly 50 years since one of the iconic victories of Kyiv’s Dynamo in the European arena. This triumph is inscribed in golden letters not only in the biography of the capital’s club but also in Ukrainian and Soviet football as a whole. We are talking about the first UEFA Super Cup match where the Champions Cup holder Bayern Munich faced the Cup Winners’ Cup champion Dynamo.
In the match held at the legendary Olympic Stadium in Munich, the Kyiv team showcased their best qualities and managed to prevail in a tough and tense struggle. The Italian referee Sergio Gonella blew the final whistle when the scoreboard read 1:0 in favor of Dynamo. The author of the only goal was striker Oleg Blokhin, who, in a conversation with UA-Football, fondly recalled events related to both that memorable match and the goal he scored.
— That goal probably stuck in your memory for life?
— A goal is a goal. What made it memorable? I ran half the pitch, dribbled past four opponents and scored. That’s it.
— In the Bayern squad, which had won the European Champions Cup for two consecutive years, there were five active world champions — goalkeeper Maier, defenders Beckenbauer, Schwarzenbeck, midfielder Kapellmann, and forward Müller. Agreed, coming out victorious against such a company is a significant achievement...
— We were very determined to fight, as we were playing for the honor of the club and were a unified team. Although we understood it would not be easy, as four players could not play for various reasons: Veremeyev was suspended, and Matviyenko, Muntian, and Onyshchenko were injured. But the players who replaced them handled the task, and we won.
Of course, few could expect that Bayern, with such a lineup of masters, would lose on their home soil. But that happened, which gave us confidence before the return match in Kyiv. By the way, we also won that match — 2:0, and I was lucky to score a “double” against Maier. Unforgettable memories! A packed Republican Stadium, emotions after the final whistle, happy faces, the presentation of the Super Cup!
— Your scoring strike in the 67th minute of the Munich match, where you dribbled past Beckenbauer, Schwarzenbeck, as well as József Weiss and Udo Horsmann one after another, has been called both a “wonder goal” and even the “goal of the century.” Many believe that it became a significant moment in the France Football weekly’s voting to determine the winner of the “Ballon d’Or.”
— Perhaps, that is how it was. Although in the same 1975, Franz Beckenbauer was also a contender for that title. It was all the more pleasant to outpace the respected German and receive the “Ballon d’Or.” My success was due to the entire team and its head coach. Dynamo that year won nearly all the tournaments in which it participated — the USSR championship, the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Super Cup.
I remember the final match against Ferencváros and both Super Cup duels against Bayern. A week before New Year, I received a call from the editorial office of “Sovetsky Sport” and was informed that I had been recognized as the winner of the “Ballon d’Or.” At first, I thought it was a New Year joke, but then various people started calling me, after which I realized this was no joke.
— Do you occasionally rewatch your historic goal in the first match against Bayern on video?
— No. But if it’s shown on television, I watch it.
— And do you have a complete video recording of the Munich match for the Super Cup in your home collection?
— Yes. I got the video cassette many years after that match. I can’t remember exactly, but it was in the 90s. Someone abroad gave it to me as a gift.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
