1986: Steaua sunk by River Plate
Sunday 14 December 1986
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Antonio Alzamendi scored the only goal of the 1986 final (©Getty Images)
CA River Plate 1-0 FC Steaua Bucureşti
CA River Plate succeeded where their Buenos Aires rivals Argentinos Juniors had failed 12 months earlier and reclaimed the European/South American Cup for South America by defeating European champions FC Steaua Bucureşti in Tokyo.
Costly misses
The only goal was scored by River's Uruguayan forward Antonio Alzamendi after 28 minutes, nodding in at the second attempt after his initial shot had returned to him via the post and Steaua goalkeeper Dumitru Stângaciu. The Romanian side's first-choice goalkeeper, European Champion Clubs' Cup final hero Helmut Ducadam, was injured, as was Steaua playmaker László Bölöni, whereas River featured three FIFA World Cup winners in goalkeeper Nery Pumpido, defender Oscar Ruggeri and midfielder Héctor Enrique. That trio became global champions at club level too, largely as a result of Steaua's inability to take their chances in front of goal. Anghel Iordănescu's team dominated the second half but, as in Seville against FC Barcelona several months earlier, lacked precision in the final third. This time, however, there was no penalty shoot-out to come to their rescue.
'Lost concentration'
Iordănescu, who had taken over as Steaua coach from Emerich Jenei in the autumn, bemoaned his team's bad luck. "We lost concentration for a second and it cost us the match," he said referring to Norberto Alonso's quickly taken free-kick that led to the winning goal. Elated River president Hugo César Santilli said: "This victory means so much to us in Argentina, but we will not rest on our laurels. We want to become the first team to win twice in Tokyo."
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