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3 unusual facts about Soviet Union national football team


Aca Obradović

At the time, it happened that the best Czechoslovakian team Dukla Praha and Soviet Union were guests in the U.S. so Obradović got idea to form a four teams tournament with participants: Dukla, Soviet Union, San Francisco Clippers and Mexico (as a host of soon to be Olimpics).

José Carlos da Silva José

José Carlos represented the country at the 1966 World Cup in England: he appeared twice in the tournament, against England in the semifinals and the Soviet Union in the third-place match, the latter ending in a 2–1 triumph.

Tom Rüsz Jacobsen

He made his debut against Soviet Union on 24 September 1979, while he was still played for third-tier team Fram Larvik.


Andrei Gotsmanov

Andrei is the son of former professional footballer Sergey Gotsmanov, a four-time Belarusian Footballer of the Year who played for the Soviet Union at the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship.

Kurt Tschenscher

He was appointed to quarter-finals at both Euro 1968 and Euro 1972, and a semi-final at Euro 1968, as well as the opening group stage game between Mexico and the Soviet Union at the 1970 World Cup, which saw him become the first referee to show a yellow card in a match.

Sergei Baltacha, Jr.

Baltacha comes from a very athletic family — his father, Sergei, played football for the Soviet Union, his mother, Olga, was a pentathlete and his sister, Elena Baltacha, is the former British number one for Women's tennis.

Vyacheslav Koloskov

During his management of Soviet Union national football team was a runner-up of UEFA Euro 1988, Olympic champion of Seoul and bronze winner of Moscow Olimpic Games.


see also