Oleg Blokhin: The anniversary of the victory in the Cup Winners' Cup 1975 will be celebrated in the family circle

14.05.2020 13:00

Photo of UAF press service

Today marks 45 years since the day when Dynamo Kyiv won the European club trophy for the first time in history - the Cup Winners' Cup. On May 14, 1975, the team led by Valery Lobanovsky defeated Hungarian Ferencvaros 3-0 in the final match in Basel, Switzerland. 

Volodymyr Onyschenko scored twice in that match (in the 18th and 39th minutes) and Oleh Blokhin scored once (in the 67th minute). It is symbolic that both the authors of the goals, as well as another participant in that triumph, Volodymyr Troshkin, are currently working for the benefit of domestic sports in the Ukrainian Football Association. Blokhin is the co-chairman of the UAF Strategic Development Council, Onyschenko is the coaching staff of the national team of Ukraine, and Troshkin is a leading specialist of the UAF Committee on the Status and Transfer of Footballers.

Photo by fcdynamo.kiev.ua

Recalling 1975 and the victory in Basel, Volodymyr Onyschenko connects the success of Dynamo with the ideas of Valery Lobanovsky and Oleg Bazylevych, which the team was able to embody on the football field: became the first in the USSR to win a significant European trophy. At that time, of course, we were not sure that we would reach the final and win it. We played from match to match, went to this goal step by step. All the fights on the way to the finals were different, with their own story and plot. As for the final itself, we managed to implement the setup given to us by Valery Lobanovsky. There was no special pumping before the match. The most important thing was that the coaches studied Ferencvaros in detail, we knew all its strengths and weaknesses, which we took advantage of. The success of Dynamo was that we became the leaders of the ideas laid down by Valery Lobanovsky and his assistant Oleh Bazylevych. Therefore, I congratulate Dynamo fans who still remember this date, and I hope that our Ukrainian football will also achieve such high goals, and we will believe and expect that it will happen in the near future. "

"I remember the 1975 Cup final first of all because I played it with an injury, as, by the way, and then the 1986 final," recalls Oleg Blokhin of the historic event. - Probably, the final of 1975 did not cause much excitement in the European press at that time, because in the decisive match the teams from the socialist camp - the USSR and Hungary - came together. The poster was not as loud as it could be, for example, if Liverpool, Real Madrid took part in it ...

However, I think at that time our final was a match of the level of the current Champions League. The match took place in Basel, at a small stadium. I remember that he, despite the score 3: 0 in our favor, turned out quite difficult. Ferencvaros also had a good team, which did not reach the final by accident. Before we scored the first goal, the game was even, and the Hungarians also had moments. After Volodymyr Onyschenko's first goal, it became easier to breathe. But we believed in the victory only when the score became 3-0, and then the final whistle sounded. "

Oleg Blokhin recalled how the team was met in Kyiv after the victorious final: “Of course, at home, in Kyiv, we were greeted as real winners. We returned by charter flight, the airport had a red carpet, bread and salt. The leadership of the republic arrived. It was a huge success for domestic football. "

By the way, after winning the Cup Winners' Cup final in 1975, Oleg Blokhin soon received the prize for the best player in Europe - the Golden Ball. "I didn't know I would win the Golden Ball, but that year the season turned out golden for our whole team. We won all the tournaments then, "Blokhin said.

Today, 45 years after the historic victory, the two-time Cup Winner and quarterfinalist of the 2006 World Cup as head coach of the national team of Ukraine admits that he will celebrate this date at home: "Now quarantine, so you can not gather with friends. Of course, in the family circle we will note a little. Still, this day is associated with pleasant memories. "