Romanian football, however, prospered during such an oppressive time, but it was not without the help of Ceausescu's regime. In today's column, Adrian North looks at the rise of Steaua Bucharest and Romanian football during the 1980s, which culminated in the remarkable penalty shootout of the 1986 European Cup final. Fixed Odds & Multiples bets are placed with PPB Counterparty Services Limited which is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. Barcelona were essentially playing at home in front of 70,000 fans, only 1,000 of which were specifically chosen representatives of either Steaua or Ceausescu's communist party. What followed is surely the most remarkable shootout in European football history. Then Barcelona captain Jose Alexanko saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Duckadum. Barcelona had all of their spot-kicks saved by Steaua goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam, who was later dubbed "The Hero of Seville". Duckadam, who sported a moustache to rival Bruce Grobbelaar, had faced four penalties and saved all four. Nevertheless, the achievements of Duckadam and his 10 teammates remain as the European Cup's greatest underdog story. For customers in the UK, TSE Malta LP is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission, Licence Number: 000-039561-R-319411-005. But of those eleven Steaua players only one name is remembered today, that of their goalkeeper - Helmuth Duckadam.". 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Free from the meddling of their mentalist dictator and his son for Europe's elite competition in 85/86, Steaua played with a aura of freedom and confidence, dispatching Denmark's Vejle Boldklub in the first round before beating Budapest Honved, Cypriot minnows FC Lahti, and Anderlecht in the next three rounds. In today's column, Adrian North looks at the rise of Steaua Bucharest and Romanian football during the 1980s, which culminated in the remarkable penalty shootout of the 1986 European Cup final. A brilliant late goal by Manuel Trigueros gave Villarreal a nervy 2-1 win over Steaua Bucharest on Thursday that took the Spanish club into the last 32 of the Europa League.... more » 24.08.2016 22:41 For any queries relating to Betting.Betfair, e-mail Copy@betfair.com. After a potentially winning goal for Steaua in the last minute had been ruled out for offside Valentin ordered the players to abandon the match in protest, sparking an altogether bizarre series of events over the next 24 hours. Duckadam became immediately known as 'The Hero of Saville' and back in Bucharest 30,000 fans took to the streets in celebration before marching to the airport to greet their heroes the following morning. "After 120 minutes this team of 11 Romanians, all of whom very few football fans had ever heard of, had muffled a Barcelona side containing many regular Spanish internationals along with legendary German midfielder Bernd Schuster and Scottish striker Steve Archibald. All rights reserved. Gabi Balint then made it 2-0 to Steaua to put Barcelona on the precipice. No goalkeeper before or since has ever saved four penalties in the final of any of football's major tournaments. Barca's Pichi Alonso was next, but Duckadam dived to the right for a third time in a row, knocking the ball past the post. Thankfully, Steaua and Dinamo have since denounced that entire event and no champion currently exists for the 1988 Romanian Cup. He eventually assumed total power from the rest of Romania's state council in 1974 and began to embark on a program of urban systemisation, which included policies such as banning contraception and abortion, and most horrifically exporting almost all of Romania's grain reserves, which in turned led to levels of poverty and hunger not seen in Eastern Europe since the days of Stalin. Valentin proceeded to commercialise Steaua by signing sponsorship details with both Ford and FIAT. Mercury Music Prize 2020: Can Moses Boyd complete the upset? Slowly, and with the backing of his father's regime, and the support of a referee here and there Steaua wrestled Romanian footballing power away from Dinamo, their favour with the regime being no more apparent than in the 1988 Romanian Cup final when both rivals met. To help personalise content, tailor your experience and help us improve our services, Betfair uses cookies. The military, political, and economical disparity between East and West had become all too apparent by 1986, and the same sentiment was expected to translate to the football pitch. Secondly, and far more importantly, the nationalist sentiment created by Steaua's triumph in 86 leant more to the side of revolution rather than in support of Ceausescu, as in the grand scheme of things the Romanian people realised football was largely irrelevant compared to finding something to eat for dinner. Steaua's Mihail Majearu went first and tamely hit his penalty straight at Barca keeper Urruti. Following the death of his predecessor Gheorge Gheroghiu-Dej in 1965, who had ruled Romania since the end of the Second World War, Ceausescu proceeded with a plan of rampant industrialisation as he sought to turn Romania from one of most rural and agrarian Eastern Bloc nations into an economic superpower. SPOTY Betting: Hamilton poised to overtake Fury on final straight? before lining up to face the might of Barcelona, managed at the time by England's very own Terry Venables. First, it was the catalyst for an unprecedented 104-game unbeaten run in the Romanian league that Steaua would embark upon over the course of the next three years, which also saw the emergence of Romania's greatest ever talent in Gheorghe Hagi who led Steaua to one more appearance in a European Cup final in 1989, where Arrigo Sacchi's great AC Milan were simply too good. But Dinamo were never able to challenge Western Europe on the pitch and the tide turned in 1983 when Dinamo's biggest rivals, Steaua Bucharest, a club controlled primarily by the Romanian army appointed Valentin Ceausescu, Nicolae's son, as general manager. Correspondence Address: Triq il-Kappillan Mifsud, St. Venera, SVR 1851, MALTA. BETFAIR ® and the BETFAIR logo are registered trade marks of The Sporting Exchange Limited. 1986 European Cup Final Barcelona 0-0 Steaua Bucharest. And three-and-a-half years after the greatest moment in Romanian footballing history, Communist Europe was being dismantled, Bucharest was in flames, and Ceausescu and wife were executed on Christmas day 1989. After two hours of terribly boring football Steaua and Barcelona lined up for only the second penalty shootout in a European Cup final. WE ARE A SECURE OPERATOR | 18+ Gambleaware.co.uk But his rule eventually became marked by severe and brutal oppression in just about every walk of civilian life. Nicolae Ceausescu pictured just one month before he was executed by a firing squad after a military coup. Ceausescu was an utterly loathsome figure. The Securitate, which were of a particularly brutal and sadistic disposition, even by Eastern European standards, watched over the prospering of Dinamo Bucharest during the 70s and 80s. By navigating our site, you agree to allow us to use cookies, in accordance with our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy. Hagi continued entertaining millions and Romania were the most exciting team at USA 94, but as the Berlin wall came crumbling down, so too did Steaua, perhaps Romania's solitary beacon of success amidst Ceausescu's reign. Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville. During a time when opposing the rule of Ceausescu could earn one the death penalty football remained one of the only ways the average Romanian could maintain a sense of individuality. Betfair International Plc is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. Then the referee presented Dinamo with the trophy in the dressing room before Valentin and Nicolae went on national TV the next morning saying that the goal will stand and Steaua were the winners of the cup. In the words of David Goldblatt it was "the single greatest outpouring of emotion in Romania since the Second World War". May 7, 1986 - Steaua Bucharest 0-0 Barcelona, (Steaua won 2-0 on penalties). The 1986 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Seville, on 7 May 1986 that saw Steaua București of Romania defeat Barcelona of Spain in a penalty shoot out after 120 minutes of play could not separate the two sides. Ceausescu himself had no interest in the sport, but realising the importance it held in the nation's heart he promptly went about blatantly fixing the results of his home town club FC Olt Scornicesti so they could achieve promotion to the first division and meanwhile, he had his secret police, called the Securitate take charge of Dinamo Bucharest. ©The Sporting Exchange Limited. Steaua's incredible victory was two-fold in its importance. But as the game dragged on with each Barcelona attack being stifled by Steaua's well-drilled defensive line people began to suddenly see Steaua as the real deal. But of those 11 Steaua players only one name is remembered today, that of their goalkeeper - Helmuth Duckadam. He faced down Duckadam, his metaphorical executioner, and hit one of the worst penalties I've ever seen straight at the Romanian. This last point is perhaps no more evident than with Steaua Bucharest, a side which thanks to the influences of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu would conquer the footballing world in May 1986. Upon completing David Goldblatt's The Ball is Round and Jonathan Wilson's Behind the Curtain (both exceptional reads) I have come to learn that the history of post-war eastern European football can only be described as a complete madhouse. Barca's winger Marcos slowly walked to the spot with all the enthusiasm of a man walking to the guillotine. Licence Number: MGA/CL2/294/2006 12 March 2013, and for customers in the UK, licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission, Licence Number: 000-039439-R-319330-007. Even the army and the Securitate, having been forced to work together could not prevent the march of Steaua fans to the airport the next day. First, Dinamo defender Ioan Andone took off his shorts and waved his genitals in the direction of Valentin's box. Adrian North looks at the 1986 European Cup final where Steaua pulled off a grand upset. Licence Number: MGA/CL3/454/2008 17th March 2015, Triq il-Kappillan Mifsud, St. Venera, SVR 1851, MALTA. Steaua then missed again, Laszlo Boloni's tame penalty hit into the lap of Urriti.

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