WON CHAMPIONSHIPS

The golden generation from 1967.

Standing from the left: Slaven Zambata, Zlatko Škorić, Branko Gračanin, Filip Blašković, Rudolf Belin, Danijel Pirić Squatting: Krasnodar Rora, Marijan Čerček, Marijan Brnčić, Mladen Ramljak, Josip Gucmirtl; Stjepan Lamza played for the winning team also. Coaches: Branko Zebec and Ivica Horvat

  Dinamo from Zagreb was the only Croatian club that won the European Championship. After they had lost the finals Vs Valentia (1:2 and 0:2), the players: Škorić, Belin, Braun, Bišćan, Marković, Perušić, Kobešćak, Zambata, Knez, Matuž, Lamza with the coaches Branko Zebec and Ivica Horvat played their “rhapsody in blue” and won The Major Cities Championship on 6^th September, 1967./ also known as Uefa Cup from 1971.)

- Vlatko Marković

                 It was the season of brilliant scores. Zambata scored and Dinamo won Milan (Schnellinger, Rivers, Amarillo, Sormani) in the finals of the Middleeuropean Championship in November 1966. In Februarry 1967., Zambata scored again and Dinamo won the friendly game Vs Celtic (1:0) in Glasgow in front of 65000 Scots (this very Celtic became European Champion only four months later). After that, “the blue team” broke Juventus (3:0) in the quarter finals of The Major Cities Championship, as well as in semifinals where they beat Eintracht (4:0) and triumphantly won the finals Vs Leeds United (2:0). “The old lady” could barely get out of scrape in Torino. The team from Zagreb was leading 2:1 with two scores of Jukić. The result was confirmed in semifinals by scores of Novak (4^th minute), Mesić (66^th minute) and Belin (75^th minute); thus giving the hard blow to Juventus on the European football scene.

- Bruno Belin

        

Eintracht from Frankfurt was leading 2:0 already after the first two minutes of the semifinal match on the Wald Stadium, and came to Maximir with 3:0 advantage. There, the team, that held the fourth position in the German National Leaque, met catastrophe. Slaven Zambata and Marijan Novak scored in the 14^th and 16^th minute and the dream about the finals came true. In the 87^th minute Josip Gucmirtl brought the overtime, and Rudi Belin, after knocking down of Stjepan Lamza, scored with penalty kick the result of 4:0in the 102^nd minute. This triumph over Eintracht was realized by: Škorić, Blaškov, Brnčić, Mesić, Belin, Ramljak, Novak, Gucmirtl, Zambata, Lamza I Rora on 14^th June, 1967.

The great Leeds United was also beaten in the finals with Sprake, Bremner, Gray, O’Grady and Jackie Charlton. Marijan Čerček, the young 19-year old player, outwitted Sprake and Charlton in 39^th minute and Krasnodar Rora scored next one in the 59^th minute. It was on 30^th August, 1967. The score in the re-match was 0:0 and Leeds, even on his own terrain, wasn’t able to break the “blue defense” with Zlatko Škorić, Mladen Ramljak and Filip Blašković…

Sir Stanley Rous, the president of Fifa, handed the Cup to Slaven Zambata, the captain and the best scorer of the Blue Club… Zagreb was celebrating…Those were the times when many remembered the beginning of the season and the luck that followed the courageous and that helped Dinamo master the first round. After they had won Spartak from Brno with 0:2 and 2:0, the blue team was saved by the lot, i.e., a coin and the skill of the captain Zambata. They had hard times with Scottish Dumfermline (2:4, 2:0), were very anxious about Dinamo from Roumania (1:0 in Pitesti and 0:0 in Maximir) and after that they just threw down the greatest: Juventus, Eintracht, Leeds United by domino-effect. The next year the Cup moved to Leeds in U.K. It stayed on the Island for six years: 1968. Leeds, 1969. Newcastle United, 1970. Arsenal, 1971. Leeds again, 1972. Tottenham and 1973. Liverpool…

The winners of the Yugoslav National Championship in 1982.

Stipić, Ćalasan, Panić, Cerin, Hohnjec middle row: Čačković (physiotherapist), Ivković, Cvetković, Krnčević, H. Dragičević, E. Dragičević, Braun, Vlak Belin (coach assistant) sitting: Dumbović, Hadžić, Bručić, Kranjčar, Miroslav Blažević (coach), Zajec, Deverić, Mlinarić, Mustedanagić.

While they were traveling from Niš to Belgrade, Dinamo’s players got the message about the defeat of Crvena Zvezda in Osijek…”Putnik’s “bus exploded of joy, the players an the coach hugged and congratulated each other. Finally the title of the state Champion returned to Maximir after 24 years.

Zlatko Kranjčar                                Snješko Cerin

                               

Generation ’82. is unforgettable. The first place was achieved, two rounds before the end of the National Championship, by Marijan Vlak, Tomislav Ivković, Milivoj Bračun, Petar Bručić, Zvjezdan Cvetković, Zlatan Arnautović, Ismet Hadžić, Velimir Zajec, Đemal Mustedanagić, Dragan Bošnjak, Boro Cvetković, Stjepan Deverić, Željko Hohnjec, Snješko Cerin, Zlatko Kranjčar, Marko Mlinarić, Zoran Panić, Milan Ćalasan, Emil i Hrvoje Dragičević, Drago Dumbović, Marin Kurtela, Miroslav Stipić, Branko Devčić, Čedo Jovičević i Davor Braun.

Would a team like that have managed to reach the long expected result if there hadn’t been for Miroslav Blažević. They managed to achieve success thanks to popular Ćiro who brought the atmosphere of companionship and the spirit of harmony into the changing room, but that was not all. There was also the unanimous competitive synergie among the players and the coach. In Maximir in those times it was not surprising that Dinamo, in his “golden season” and against greatest rivals – Hajduk, Crvena Zvezda, Partizan and Sarajevo, won even 13 points out of possible 16. which means: five victories, three draws – without a single defeat. Only the team with the greatest respect and love for its coach were able to achieved such a results…The journey to Niš and the sweetest defeat in the history of the club will be written in golden letters in the history of Dinamo. Dinamo was crowned with the title of the National Champion while entering Velika Plana on Sunday 25^th April, 1982. It was a quarter past six p.m. The day before Cibona had won the match Vs Partizan and also won the title of the Champion. That was an unforgettable weekend, the whole Zagreb was celebrating on 2^nd May. The last match in the National Champions Leaque was the friendly match Vs Budućnost from Titograd (todays Podgorica), which the blue team won 1:0 but nobody cared for results any more. The stands of the stadium were packed with fans and banners from all over the country and from abroad. Loads of blue flags, dignifying behaviour of the fan’s together with singing made a memorable scene. The handing in of the Championship Cup was prevented by numerous fans who took hold of the whole pitch. Nevertheless nobody tried to prevent it. The whole Zagreb was celebrating the Champions.

Championship League Caps

Robert Prosinečki in action in the match Vs Ajax

The team from Maximir participated in the European Champions League, the most prestigious European football contest, for period of two seasons: 1998/99. and 1999/2000.They played only the qualification matches. In the first attempt to enter the Champions League in 1997/98. One of the first matches was played Vs Partizan in Belgrade, were Croatia lost 1:0, but in the re-match we won 5:0. Croatia lost Vs Newcastle 2:1in the second leg of qualifications, and owing to the unfair referee we played 2:2 in the re-match. The blue team didn’t succeed to enter the Champions League that year, but they got the opportunity to take part in the Uefa Cup where they successfully played throughout three legs and than got defeated by Atletico from Madrid.

In the 1998. qualifications Croatia managed to enter the European Champions League. Croatia defeated Porto with the score 3:1 in Zagreb and Ajax 1:0 in Amsterdam after it had lost Vs Olympiakos in Athens and Porto in Porto. Our team had achieved one of the biggest successes with the decisive shot of Josip Šimić. Unfortunately, Dinamo played only 1:1 Vs Olympiakos in the last duel of the Champions League in Maximir, thus saying goodbye to further contest.

Dinamo played again in the Champions League next year. He won over MTK from Hungary 2:0 in Maximir, and it was Josip Šimić who scored twice. Croatia played Vs Manchester United, Olimpique from Marseille and Sturm from Graz. The first match was played in Manchester and although the score was 0:0, the blue team got one point after a tough and competitive play. They won over Sturm in Maximir with 3:0 but were defeated in re-match in Graz (1:0).

The match Vs Olimpique and the end of the Championship League.

After that everything went wrong. Manchester United celebrated the victory over Dinamo in Maximir 2:1 and the match Vs Olympique was a draw 2:2 which was not enough to enter the second leg. Manchester United and Olympique went forward while Dinamo could only dream about the spring season in Europe. Hopefully that dream would come true.