For them, it was their only option. If Red Star played their regular attacking game, Marseille most likely would have won. Olympique should have reached the final in 1990 when Enzo Francescoli was with them but Benfica scored with eight minutes to go and from what I've read, the goalscorer Rudi Vata, was offside. AC Milan would have been threatened more if Marseillle were in final instead of Benfica.
I also want to add that Real were a very good side but I'd prefer Gerets, Ronald Koeman and Van Aerle in my defence than Chendo, Sanchis and Solana. Also Van Breukelen was a better goalie than Buyo.
So were Liverpool. The 1988 Liverpool side was perhaps the best ever Liverpool side. The best team I've ever seen who didn't/couldn't win the EC. Also Borussia Moenchengladbach (take your pick which year. They were good enough to win FIVE Bundesliga titles during the 1970s. More than Munchen) and Leeds United. Everton were also a very good side between 1985 and 1987.
1977. A case could be made for 1972 because they were robbed against Inter. Roberto Boninsegna got hit by a firecracker and the initial 7-1 result had to be replayed. Everton probably would have won in 1986 and they did have Gary Lineker in their team.
Red Star Belgrade though walked away with the trophy whereas Brugge didn't win and needless to say, Liverpool scored and won.
I second that. The late 80's Dynamo Kiev team, or the USSR team of that period which was basically the same, was brilliant and was one of the sides that made me love the game. It was the passing game at its best, and they showed that counterfootball can be great to watch. Looks like that kind of football is pretty much dying out now, now that Ukrainian football is ruled by men with big wallets.
Doesn't really seem to be many of those tricky and technically gifted eastern European sides anymore. There were a fair few in the 1970s and 1980s.
We can thank Bosman and Uefa's anti-East Europe bias for that... Dynamo Kiev 99' was the last in all likelyhood.
UEFA is not biased, they'd run all the player limitations they could if they didn't contravene EU legislation. If EE players think they are being short-changed, they can take their case to the courts. For example, Rustu (Barcelona) has gained EU status because Turkey has special work visa arrangements with the EU, so he took it to the courts and won it. I know of Eastern European basketball players in the Spanish league that have done the same. Also, it'd be nice to look at the kind of ppl that run the place in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. I don't think it is UEFA's fault that Abramovich is so rich he can populate CSKA with Brazilians and other foreigners.
Those Dynamo Kiev players had powerful shots but even their passes were powerful and from those passes, they could still manage to control the ball with ease. Dynamo were great as team but as individuals they were very good and they don't seem to get enough recognition. Belanov, Zavarov, Ratz and Mikhailichenko, just to name a few. It's a pity that Lobanovsky is dead. He was a great influence on Soviet and Ukrainian football. Maybe he could have formed one more great Dynamo side. He developed at least three and he should won a European trophy during Shevchenko's time there.
CSKA Sofia in the early 80s were a very good Eastern European side. In 1981, they eliminated Nottingham Forest in the first round and they went to the quarter-finals but Liverpool gave them a 5-1 hiding at Anfield with Souness getting a hat-trick. In 1982, they made it to the semi-finals and they defeated some very good sides on the way. CSKA nearly made the final but they blew it in the second leg. CSKA's result's in 1982: CSKA Sofia - Real Sociedad 1:0 (0:0) (Yonchev 89) Real Sociedad - CSKA SOFIA 0:0 CSKA Sofia - Glentoran Belfast 2:0 (2:0) (Dimitrov 8, Zdravkov 35 p) Glentoran Belfast - CSKA SOFIA 2:1 (0:0, 2:0, 2:0) (Cleary 67, Manley 71 - (Aliocha 115 o)) That was their easiest opposition on paper. In the quarter-finals: Liverpool - CSKA Sofia 1:0 (0:0) (Whelan 65) CSKA SOFIA - Liverpool 2:0 (0:0, 1:0, 2:0) (Mladenow 77, 101) Their semi-final: CSKA Sofia - Bayern München 4:3 (3:2) (G. Dimitrov 7, Yonchev 13, 49, Zdravkov 18 - Durnberger 27, D. Hoeness 82, Breitner 83) BAYERN München - CSKA Sofia 4:0 (1:0) (Breitner 41, 46 p, KH Rummenigge 64, 76)
Slightly off-topic, but not only did CSKA end Forest's reign as European champs, they did the same to Ajax in the '74 tornament.
They nearly made the final in 1967 but Inter got UEFA to make them play their semi-final playoff in Bologna and Inter made the most of that advantage.
Inter 1967: G. Sarti - Burgnich, Guameri, Picchi (c), Facchetti - Bedin, Mazzola, Bicicli - Domenghini, Cappellini, Corso
INTERNAZIONALE in 1989: Zenga ; Bergomi , Brehme ; Matteoli , Ferri, Mandorlini; Bianchi Alessandro, Berti , Diaz , Matthaeus, Serena; Klinsmann, Giuseppe Baresi , Verdelli, Fanna, Morello, Galvani , Malgioglio , Rivolta , Rocco A very good list of players but they got knocked out in the first round to Malmo of Sweden. Freaky.
From the past 12 years or so... Dynamo Kiev 98\99 Juventus 97\98 and 02\03 Are the ones which come to mind...
Messed up the title of this thread, I thought it meant teams that Never won the big cup in europe when your talking about specific teams in specific years that may already have a title or titles under their belt.
Borussia Monchengladbach---1972, 1974, 1977 Hamburger SV---------------1980 Bayern Munchen-------------1999 Bayer Leverkusen 04---------2002
Too bad for them that they went out in the first round. IFK Gothenburg from Sweden topped their group and even Barca couldn't jump on top of the Swedish in the group.