Shades of '56 for old sparring partners

Galatasaray AŞ and FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti meet for the fifth time in their history on Thursday, some 53 years after the two clubs made their European competition debuts against one another.

Dinamo success
That encounter came in the preliminary round of the 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup and Dinamo came out on top. The Romanian side won 3-1 in Bucharest on 26 August 1956 to progress despite a subsequent 2-1 loss in Istanbul. Both teams have since become European regulars – Galatasaray playing 227 UEFA matches to Dinamo's 164 – but as they renew their rivalry, memories of that first tie have been revived.

Voica double
In 1956, Dinamo had been in existence for little over eight years, but they had benefited from the additions of Vasile Anghel, Ion Nunweiller, Gheorghe Voica, Florian Anghel and goalkeeper Iuliu Uţu to lift their first Romanian title in 1955. Against Galatasaray, Voica scored twice – after 10 and 67 minutes – in the first leg to delight the 85,000 crowd in Bucharest. Although Güngor Okay replied for the visitors, Alexandru Ene made it 3-1 with six minutes remaining.

'Behind the wall'
Dinamo's coach of the day, Angelo Niculescu, who later led Romania to the 1970 FIFA World Cup, recalled the occasion: "We had not had as much contact with the rest of Europe as the Turkish side, because the Communist regime kept us behind the wall, but we prepared as well as we could and sprung a surprise.

Goalscoring fox
"Gheorghe Voica scored two important goals," the now 88-year-old added. "Prior to August 1956 he had played for a team called Dinamo VI, the fire department's team. He was a very exciting player – one of the few Romanian players who scored volleys. He was like a fox in the box, and that's how he scored his goals in Bucharest in front of a fantastic crowd."

Goalkeeper impresses
Sweltering 36C temperatures did not help Galatasaray – whose players received ice treatment at half-time – but one visiting player in particular caught the eye: goalkeeper Turgay Şeren. Romanian Football Federation president Dumitru Petrescu reportedly said of Şeren, now presiding over Turkey's players' association: "It would have been five if it wasn't for him."

'A bit unlucky'
Galatasaray's coach Gündüz Kılıç, who died in 1980, said of the first game: "It was obvious Dinamo were better prepared than us. They had held a training camp near Bucharest while we had a difficult journey to Romania. They had also played six games in their domestic league which gave them some form. But we were a bit unlucky with our finishing."

Late winner
Galatasaray were determined to do better when Dinamo visited Istanbul on 30 September 1956. Though they had been written off by local reporters, a pre-match speech from Kılıç gave his players heart. While they conceded to Ioan Suru after 31 minutes, Kadri Aytaç equalised three minutes before half-time and Metin Oktay's overhead kick won the match late on.

'Upset'
Niculescu continued: "We conceded in the last minute and, almost immediately after the goal, the referee blew the final whistle. We were very ambitious and despite having won the tie, we left the stadium upset by the defeat." Dinamo would be eliminated by PFC CSKA Sofia – then CDNA Sofia – in the next round, yet their European adventures, like Galatasaray's, were far from over.