The Soviet Attack That Conquered Europe

By Admin LookbookJan 7, 2020

Henri Delaunay had been toying with the idea of creating a continental competition for all European nations as far back as the 1920s. At the time, the Copa América had already made waves in South American football, while the old continent hosted the Central European International Cup. That tournament, however, was limited to central European nations: Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia.

Despite all his efforts and enthusiasm, the French administrator's proposal didn't bear fruit for nearly three more decades. UEFA was founded in June 1954 and he was named its secretary general — a post he held until his death from an incurable illness in 1955, aged 72. His son Pierre succeeded him, and under his tenure the European Championship finally became a reality — the first edition held in 1960, with the final staged in France. As the driving force behind the tournament, UEFA named the trophy the Henri Delaunay Trophy in his honour.

As with any new competition, the early stages were far from smooth. The organisers were dealt a blow when powerful sides such as Italy, West Germany, Sweden and England all declined to enter the 1960 European Championship. Despite those absentees, the competition was thrown wide open, with France, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the USSR among the favourites.

The Soviet squad at the European Championship

The USSR, who had reached the quarter-finals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, had a giant between the posts in Lev Yashin and were managed by Gavriil Kachalin — a former Dynamo Moscow player who had won gold at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Up front, the attack combined penetration, quality and a genuine nose for goal. The Soviets deployed a highly mechanised but effective style of play. The Western press described their football as laboratory-produced — programmed and scientific. Little flair and barely any spontaneity, with power and physicality dominating, combined with precision in the attacking third. In that area you found Valentin Ivanov, Valentin Bubukin and the youngsters Slava Metreveli, Viktor Ponedelnik and Mikhail Meskhi, none of them over 24.

From the right wing, Metreveli of Torpedo Moscow was a magnificent tormentor — pacey, skilful, sharp in close control, with a keen dribble and the audacity to take players on. In the inside-right role, Ivanov — a one-club man at Torpedo Moscow — was an extraordinary player, considered one of the greatest in his country's history. An unpredictable genius who produced the unexpected and found gaps where none appeared to exist. An exceptional creator, with tremendous clarity of passing and perfect execution. Centre-forward Ponedelnik of SKA Rostov lacked raw pace but possessed fine technique and enormous physical presence, positioning himself well in the box and getting his shot away quickly and without fuss. To his left, Bubukin of Lokomotiv Moscow was another fine playmaker — somewhat slow, but he compensated with mental agility and technique. He had survived a 1950 incident in Indonesia where he was clinically dead for a period after being struck by a ball in a friendly. Finally, Meskhi of Dynamo Tbilisi played as left winger, standing out for his dazzling, beautiful, destabilising and creative style — which earned him the nickname "the Georgian Garrincha".

Metreveli, Ivanov, Ponedelnik, Bubukin and Meskhi.

This iconic forward line made its debut just a couple of months before the European Championship, in a friendly against Poland. In that match Kachalin already glimpsed an attack capable of bringing enormous joy to the country. Poland were put to the sword 7–0 in Moscow — three from Ponedelnik in succession, two from Ivanov, one each from Bubukin and Metreveli. But it was in the semi-finals — after eliminating Hungary in the first round and Spain in the quarters — against Czechoslovakia, who would go on to be World Cup runners-up two years later, that the quintet truly established themselves. Metreveli and Meskhi on the flanks proved unplayable for their markers Šafránek and Novak, and that's where the USSR took control. Ivanov sealed his stamp on the game with a low first goal past Schrojf and a second after rounding the keeper to slot into an empty net.

In the final at the Parc des Princes they faced Yugoslavia — a brilliant side featuring Dragoslav Šekularac, Milan Galić, Dražan Jerković and Fahrudin Jusufi, and the analysts' pre-match favourite. On the pitch, however, they couldn't contain Soviet force. Yugoslavia went ahead, and the Soviet manager had to trust his leaders to turn it around. After the break the USSR swept the Balkan side aside — Metreveli pouncing on a rebound from goalkeeper Vidinic after an Ivanov shot to equalise. Despite further Soviet pressure and several squandered clear chances, the match went to extra time. And it was there that "the Georgian Garrincha" produced an excellent surging run down the flank.

The attacking quintet remained fixtures in the national side for two more years, playing a crucial role in qualifying for the World Cup in Chile. Their finest performance came in the double-header against Norway. In Moscow they won 5–2 — Bubukin scoring twice, Metreveli, Ponedelnik and Meskhi one each. In the Norwegian capital they flew to victory with goals from the two wingers and the centre-forward.