1976 Soviet Cup final

1976 Soviet Cup Final
Event1976 Soviet Cup
Date3 September 1976
VenueLenin's Central Stadium, Moscow
RefereePavel Kazakov (Moscow)
Attendance45,000

The 1976 Soviet Cup final was a football match that took place at the Lenin's Central Stadium, Moscow on 3 September 1976. The match was the 35th Soviet Cup final and it was contested by defending champions Ararat Yerevan and Dinamo Tbilisi.

Goals from David Kipiani, Piruz Kanteladze and Revaz Chelebadze helped Dinamo Tbilisi to a 3–0 as the won the cup for the first time. It was the first time that a team from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic had won the cup and the fourth successive season in which a team from outside the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic won the competition.

Background

Ararat Yerevan had reached the Soviet Cup final twice before, defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2–1 after extra time in 1973 and Zaria Voroshilovgrad 2–1 in 1975. They were the defending champions and the only team from the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic to reach a final.[1]

Dinamo Tbilisi had reached the final on four previous occasions but had never won the competition before. The were the only team from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic to reach the final.[1]

The proceeding three tournaments had been won by Ararat (2) and Dynamo Kyiv (1) meaning this would be the fourth season in a row that a team from outside the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic won the competition.[1]

Previous encounters

Previously these two teams met each other three times in the competition. Dinamo knocked–out opponents two times, while Ararat have done it once. The club from Tbilisi progressed in 1937, winning the game 4–1 and in 1971 competition 0–0, 2–1, while the club from Yerevan eliminated the opponent in 1975 winning the game 3–1.[2]

Road to Final

All sixteen Soviet Top League clubs including Dinamo and Ararat entered the competition in the second round.[3]

Dinamo Tbilisi

In the second round Dinamo defeated Metalurh Zaporizhya 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw after extra time. They then defeated Zenit Leningrad 3–0 to advance to the quarter-finals. A 2–1 win against Karpaty Lviv saw them into the semi-finals where they defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2–0.[3]

Ararat Yerevan

After defeating SKA Rostov-on-Don 1–0 in the second round, Ararat required extra time to over come Lokomotiv Moscow by the same score line in the third round. In the quarter-finals they defeated CSKA Moscow 2–1 before defeating Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk by the same score line in the semi-final and advancing to the final.[3]

Dinamo Tbilisi

Round 2 Metalurh Zaporizhya 1–1 a.e.t.
4–5 pen.
Dinamo Tbilisi
Round 3 Dinamo Tbilisi 3–0 FC Zenit Leningrad
Quarter-final Dinamo Tbilisi 2–1 Karpaty Lviv
Semi-final Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 Dinamo Tbilisi

Ararat Yerevan

Round 2 SKA Rostov-on-Don 0–1 Ararat Yerevan
Round 3 Lokomotiv Moscow 0–1 aet Ararat Yerevan
Quarter-final Ararat Yerevan 2–1 CSKA Moscow
Semi-final Ararat Yerevan 2–1 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Match details

Dinamo Tbilisi3–0Ararat Yerevan
Kipiani 27'
Kanteladze 64' (pen.)
Chelebadze 68'
[4]
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Pavel Kazakov (Moscow)
Dinamo Tbilisi:
GK David Gogia
DF Nodar Khizanishvili
DF Piruz Kanteladze
DF Shota Khinchagashvili
DF Zorbeg Ebralidze
DF Aleksandre Chivadze
MF Manuchar Machaidze (c)
MF Revaz Chelebadze
MF Vladimir Gutsaev
MF David Kipiani  75'
FW Vakhtang Kopaleishvili
Substitutes:
FW Zurab Tsereteli  75'
Manager:
Nodar Akhalkatsi
Ararat Yerevan:
GK Avetis Hovsepyan
DF Sanasar Gevorgyan
DF Armenak Sargsyan (c)
DF Alexander Mirzoyan
DF Norayr Mesropyan
MF Samvel Petrosyan
MF Artyom Parsadanyan
MF Khoren Oganesian  89'
FW Alexander Keropyan
MF Nazar Petrosyan
FW Robert Halaydzhyan  46'
Substitutes:
FW Nikolay Ghazaryan  46'
MF Armen Azaryan  89'
Manager:
Eduard Markarov

Soviet Cup 1976 Winners
Dinamo Tbilisi
First title

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Stokkermans, Karel (24 January 2013). "USSR (Soviet Union) - List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  2. ^ "USSR Cup, Dynamo (Tbilisi) – Ararat (Yerevan)". WildStat. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Balitskiy, Andrei; Dreiman, Theodore (11 July 2013). "Soviet Union 1976". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Кубок СССР 1976" [USSR Cup 1976] (in Russian). FC Dynamo. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2025.