Soviet Union national football team

Soviet Union
Nickname(s) Red Army
Association Football Federation of USSR
Most caps Oleg Blokhin (112)
Top scorer Oleg Blokhin (42)
FIFA code URS
Highest Elo ranking 1 (1963, 1966, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-88)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away colours
First international
Flag of the Soviet Union USSR 3 - 0 Turkey Flag of Turkey
(Moscow, USSR; 16 November 1924)
Last international

Flag of Cyprus Cyprus 0 - 3 USSR Flag of the Soviet Union
(Larnaca, Cyprus; 13 November 1991)
Biggest win
Flag of the Soviet Union USSR 11 - 1 India Flag of India
(Moscow, USSR; 16 September 1955)
Flag of Finland Finland 0 - 10 USSR Flag of the Soviet Union
(Helsinki, Finland; 15 August 1957)
Biggest defeat
Flag of England England 5 - 0 USSR Flag of the Soviet Union
(London, England; 22 October 1958)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (First in 1958)
Best result Fourth place, 1966
European Championship
Appearances 5 (First in 1960)
Best result Winners, 1960
Olympic medal record
Men’s Football
Gold 1956 Melbourne Team
Bronze 1972 Munich Team
Bronze 1976 Montreal Team
Bronze 1980 Moscow Team
Gold 1988 Seoul Team

The USSR national football team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist on the break up of the Union. FIFA considers the CIS national football team (and ultimately, the Russia national football team) as its successor team[1] allocating its former records to them; nevertheless, a large percentage of the team's former players came from outside the Russian SFSR, mainly from the Ukrainian SSR, and following the break up of the Soviet Union, some such as Andrei Kanchelskis from the former Ukrainian SSR continued to serve in the new Russia national football team.

The Soviet Union failed to qualify for the World Cup only twice, in 1974 and 1978, and attended seven finals tournaments in total. Their best finish was fourth in 1966, when they lost to West Germany in the semifinals, 2-1. The USSR qualified for five European Championships, winning the inaugural competition in 1960 when they beat Yugoslavia in the final, 2-1. They finished second three times (1964, 1972, 1988), and fourth once (1968), when, having drawn with Italy in the semi-final, they were sent to the third place playoff match by the loss of a coin toss. The Soviet Union also won the gold medal in the 1956 and 1988 Summer Olympics, the inaugural World Youth Championship in 1977, and the Under-16 World Championship in 1987.

Contents

History

The first international match played by a Soviet team came in August 1923, nine months after the establishment of the Soviet Union, when a Russian SFSR team beat Sweden 2-1 in Stockholm.[2] The first formally recognised match played by the Soviet Union took place a year later, a 3-0 win over Turkey. This and a return match in Ankara were the only officially recognised international matches played by the USSR prior to the 1952 Summer Olympics, though several unofficial friendlies against Turkey took place in the 1930s. The 1952 Olympics was the first competitive tournament entered by the USSR. In the preliminary round, Bulgaria were defeated 2-1, earning a first round tie against Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia led 5-1, but a Soviet comeback in the last 15 minutes resulted in a 5-5 draw. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3-1.[3]

The USSR entered the World Cup for the first time at the 1958 tournament, following a qualification playoff against Poland.[4] Drawn in a group with Brazil, England and Austria, they collected three points in total, one from England and two from Austria. USSR and England went to a playoff game, in which Anatoli Ilyin scored in the 67th minute to knock England out. The USSR were then eliminated by the hosts of the tournament, Sweden, in the quarter-finals.

The inaugural European Championships in 1960 marked the pinnacle of Soviet footballing achievement. Easily progressing to the quarter-finals, the team were scheduled to face Spain, but due to the tensions of the Cold War, Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union, resulting in a walkover. In the semi-final, the Soviet team defeated Czechoslovakia 3-0 and reached the final, where they faced Yugoslavia. In the final, Yugoslavia scored first, but the Soviet Union, led by legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, equalized in the 49th minute. After 90 minutes the score was 1-1, and Viktor Ponedelnik scored with seven minutes left in extra time to give the Soviets the inaugural European Championship.

In the 1962 FIFA World Cup, the Soviet team was in Group 1 with Yugoslavia, Colombia and Uruguay. The match between USSR and Colombia ended 4- 4; Colombia scored a series of goals (68’, 72’, 86’). Star goalkeeper Lev Yashin was in poor form both against Colombia and Chile. His form was considered as one of the main reasons why USSR team did not gain more success in the tournament.

In 1964, the USSR attempted to defend their European Championship title, defeating Italy in the Eighth-finals (2-0, 1-1) and to reach the quarter-finals. After two matches against Sweden, the Soviet side won on aggregate (1-1, 3-1). The USSR team went to Spain where the finals were held. In the semi-finals, the Soviet Union defeated the Danes 3-0 in Barcelona but their dreams of winning the title again were dashed when they lost the final against Spain, the hosts.

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the tournament which the USSR team reached their best result by finishing the cup as the fourth. USSR was in the Group 4 with North Korea, Italy and Chile. In all three matches, the USSR team managed to defeat their rivals. The Soviet team then defeated Hungary in the quarter-finals thanks to the effective performance of their star, Lev Yashin but their success was ended by two defeats on 25 and 28 July, against West Germany in the semi-finals and Portugal in the third place play off match, respectively. The 1966 squad was the second best scoring Soviet team in the World Cup history, scoring 10 goals.

For the 1968 European Championships, the qualification competition was played in two stages; a group stage (taking place from 1966 until 1968) and the quarter-finals (played in 1968). Again, only four teams could reach the finals which were held in Italy. The semi-final match between USSR and Italy ended 0-0. It was decided to toss a coin to see who reached the final, rather than play a replay. Italy won, and went on to become European champions. On 8 June, the Soviets were defeated by England in the third place match.

The 1970 FIFA World Cup started with the match between Mexico and the USSR. The Soviet team became the first team to make a substitution in World Cup history in this match. Other opponents in their group were Belgium and El Salvador. The Soviet team easily qualified to the quarter-final where they lost against Uruguay in extra time. This was the last time the USSR reached the quarter-finals.

The final tournament of the 1972 European Championships took place between 14 June and 18 June 1972. Again, only four teams were in the finals. Soviets defeated Hungary 1-0, a second half goal. The final was between West Germany and USSR. The match ended with a victory of the German side thanks to the effective football of Gerd Müller. This tournament was one of the two tournaments in which the USSR finished as runner-up. The rest of the 1970s were bleak for the Soviets, who were disqualified from the 1974 FIFA World Cup as a result of refusal to play Chile in the aftermath of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, and failed to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup or the 1976 and 1980 European Championships.

The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the USSR's first major tournament appearance for a decade. The USSR was in Group 6 with Brazil, Scotland and New Zealand. Goals by Socrates and Eder marked the defeat of the Soviet side against Brazil in the first group match, and they were eventually eliminated in the Second Round by finishing the group in second place, when they defeated Belgium only 1-0 and drew Poland, 0-0. In 1984 the Soviets again failed to qualify for the European Championships, but succeeded in qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. USSR were in Group C with Hungary, France and Canada. Soviet team enjoyed a successful group stage by scoring nine goals and finishing the group in the first place. It seemed like the Soviet side managed to forget their unsuccessful performance in 1982, but they lost to Belgium 3-4, amid referee controversies, in the round of 16. Despite their poor performance in the cup, USSR team was the best scoring Soviet team in the World Cup history, by scoring 12 goals.

After failing to qualify for three consecutive times (1976, 1980, 1984), the Soviets managed to qualify for the 1988 competition, the last time the USSR national football team took part in the European Football Championship. The finals were held in West Germany. Eight teams were participating this time. USSR finished Group B as leaders above the Netherlands and reached the semi-finals. There, the Soviets defeated Italy 2-0. In the final between USSR and the Netherlands, rival of USSR from Group B, the Netherlands won the match with a clear score and became the European champions.

The final major championship contested by the Soviet team was the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where they were drawn in Group B with Argentina, Romania and Cameroon. The only success of USSR in the whole tournament came when they managed to beat the group leaders, Cameroon by 4-0. The Soviet team lost their other matches and failed to qualify from the group. The USSR qualified for Euro 92, but the breakup of the Soviet Union meant that the finals place was instead taken by the CIS national football team. After the tournament, the former Soviet Republics competed as separate independent nations, with FIFA allocating the Soviet team's record to Russia.

Notable players

Armenia

  • Flag of the Armenian SSR Arkady Andreasyan
  • Flag of the Armenian SSR Eduard Markarov
  • Flag of the Armenian SSR Khoren Oganesyan
  • Flag of the Armenian SSR Nikita Simonyan

Azerbaijan

  • Flag of the Azerbaijan SSR Anatoli Banishevskiy

Belarus

  • Flag of the Byelorussian SSR Sergei Aleinikov
  • Flag of the Byelorussian SSR Eduard Malofeyev

Georgia

  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Revaz Dzodzuashvili
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Alexandre Chivadze
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR David Kipiani
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Murtaz Khurtsilava
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Mikheil Meskhi
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Slava Metreveli
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Ramaz Shengelia
  • Flag of the Georgian SSR Tengiz Sulakvelidze
 

Russia

  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Vsevolod Bobrov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Fedor Cherenkov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Igor Chislenko
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Rinat Dasaev
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Vladimir Fedotov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Galimzyan Hussainov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Anatoli Ilyin
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Valentin Ivanov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Yuri Gavrilov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Dmitri Kharine
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Vagiz Khidiatullin
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Evgeni Lovchev
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Igor Netto
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Aleksei Paramonov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Viktor Ponedelnik
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Albert Shesternev
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Eduard Streltsov
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Vladimir Veremeev
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Valeri Voronin
  • Flag of the Russian SFSR Lev Yashin
 

Ukraine

  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Sergei Baltacha
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Igor Belanov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Vladimir Bessonov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Oleg Blokhin
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Leonid Buryak
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Anatoli Byshovets
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Anatoly Demyanenko
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Vladimir Kaplichniy
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Viktor Kolotov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Anatoli Konkov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Gennadiy Litovchenko
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Alexei Mikhailichenko
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Vladimir Muntyan
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Vladimir Onischenko
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Oleg Protasov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Vassili Rats
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Evgeni Rudakov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Yozhef Sabo
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Viktor Serebrianikov
  • Flag of the Ukrainian SSR Aleksandr Zavarov
 


National teams of the former Soviet republics

Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan National team U-21 team UEFA (AFC:1992-2002)
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Kyrgyzstan National team U-23 team AFC
Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Russia.svg Russia National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Tajikistan.svg Tajikistan National team U-23 team AFC
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan National team U-23 team AFC
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine National team U-21 team UEFA
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan National team U-23 team AFC

World Cup record

Year Round Position P W D L GF GA Scorers
1930
Did not enter
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1934
Did not enter
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1938
Did not enter
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1950
Did not enter
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1954
Did not enter
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1958
Quarter-finals
6th
5
2
1
2
5
6
Simonyan, A. Ivanov, Ilyin (2), V. Ivanov
1962
Quarter-finals
6th
4
2
1
1
9
7
V. Ivanov (4), Ponedelnik (2), Chislenko (2), Mamykin,
1966
Semi-finals
4th
6
4
0
2
10
6
Porkuyan (4), Malofeev (2), Chislenko (2), Banishevskiy, Metreveli
1970
Quarter-finals
5th
4
2
1
1
6
2
Byshovets (4), Asatiani, Khmelnitsky
1974
Disqualified[5]
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1978
Did not qualify
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1982
Round 2
7th
5
2
2
1
7
4
Bal, Gavrilov, Blokhin, Baltacha, Chivadze, Shengelia, Oganesian
1986
Round 2
10th
4
2
1
1
12
5
Belanov (4), Yaremchuk (2), Yakovenko, Aleinikov, Rodionov, Rats, Blokhin, Zavarov
1990
Round 1
17th
3
1
0
2
4
4
Protasov, Zygmantovich, Zavarov, Dobrovolski
1994
Succeeded by Russia
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total
Best: Semi-finals
Best: 4th
30
14
6
10
52
34
Top scorer: V. Ivanov (5)

European Championship record

Notes

  1. FIFA
  2. "Soviet Union - International Results 1911-1935". RSSSF. Retrieved on 13 January, 2007.
  3. "Yugoslavia National Team List of Results 1950-1959". RSSSF. Retrieved on 13 January, 2007.
  4. "1958 - Qualifying competition". Planet World Cup. Retrieved on 13 January, 2007.
  5. Refused to play the return leg of a play-off in Chile in the aftermath of that country's 1973 military coup

See also

External links

Titles

Preceded by
Inaugural Champions
European Champions
1960 (First title)
Succeeded by
1964 Spain Flag of Spain