“Blokhin’s goal was played in Europe for two years”

Former Dynamo defender Stefan Reshko recalled the legendary European Super Cup match against Bayern Munich in Munich exactly 45 years ago:

– Of course, these events are not forgotten, because there is only once in the life of a whole generation and in all of Soviet and Ukrainian football. After the Dynamo, no one in our country could repeat this achievement. That is why today I remembered our victory in the first game against Bayern. I can’t believe 45 years have passed, as if everything happened yesterday.

– It is strange that a match of this magnitude was not broadcast in the Soviet Union either on television or radio …

– Yes, in fact, it was not issued, and I know the reasons. The transmission rates at that time were not the same as now. Bayern sold the rights to broadcast the game to a local German television company, and everyone who wanted had to pay $ 80,000 to be able to broadcast our game as well, and the Soviet Union did not pay. But the Hungarians paid, so only Transcarpathian residents were able to watch our match.

After the match, friends and acquaintances from Uzhgorod and Mukachevo called me and congratulated me on my victory. My father did not have a television, so a neighbor brought him two blocks down so he could watch the game. Since Chop is nearby, and only 20 kilometers from the Hungarian border, it was possible to pick up the transmission over an ordinary cable, which served as an antenna. Therefore, all Transcarpathia saw the game. They understood that if we won away, we will not let the victory go home. Shcherbitsky was always present at the game, and we ran around the field like crazy (smiles). He was called the “father” of Kiev “Dynamo”.

I also remember that there were not so many spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, only 35-40 thousand. And that we approached the game with personnel casualties: Muntian, Matvienko and Onishchenko could not play due to injuries, and Veremeyev was disqualified. We slightly rearranged the game on defense, we played Zuev, Damin and Slobodyan, not only did they not spoil anything, but they even strengthened our game.

– In one of your interviews you said that of all the forwards, it was the most difficult for you to play against Gerd Müller from Bayern, why?

– The most important for me was the match against Bayern for the European Super Cup, when I played against Gerd Müller, one of the best scorers in the history of football, whom they called the “man-goal”. He scored seven goals for the USSR national team in three matches: at the opening of the Olympic Stadium in Munich (4: 1), at the 1972 European Championship (3: 0, Muller scored 2 goals) and in a friendly match before of the World Cup in Moscow in 1974 (1: 0). There was a very important game against Bayern, a special preparation. Valery Lobanovskiy summoned me to his place, instructed me: “Today you are not interested in the ball, you need to repeat all of Mueller’s movements, to be his shadow. If he doesn’t score, no one will score. “For the Germans, in fact, the whole game was built through him, scoring out of thin air. Then Valery Vasilyevich added:” Muller on the bench, and you on the bench. the journalists changed: “Muller – in the shower – and you in the shower. And scratch his back.” And there was also a case where Lobanovskiy was asked on the eve of the Bayern game: “How are you going to deal with Muller?” To which he replied: “We have our own Stirlitz in his Müller.”

– And how did you manage to neutralize it?

– Yes, so Blokhin scored a super goal, which was then played in Europe for two years. I even have a picture of that match in Kicker magazine: Muller sits on the field and addresses the referee in outrage, and I’m right next to him, and the caption: “Stopper Reshko put Muller in fifth place, and Dynamo – Bayern. I really like this photo. Mueller was not without reason outraged: I played hard, personally, and I didn’t let him breathe. Now, probably, I would have acted differently, because in the academy of the Ministry of the Interior I studied the combat section of sambo (smiles), and then he was indignant and angry because he could not do anything. Now the defenders are playing in the zone, so it is much easier to act in attack. In wrestling, I always put my arms to the sides and down, as the Hungarian coaches taught; then the judge will see that you are not breaking the rules if the opponent wants to pretend. And now, even in the best clubs, Real, Barcelona, ​​national teams, the defenders hit their eyes with their elbows, it’s horror.

And our match was judged by Sergio Gonella, who in 1974 worked in the World Cup final, then in the UEFA Super Cup, received the “golden whistle” and was almost the only referee who served in the Championship finals. of the World and of Europe. He then showed Mueller a yellow card out of outrage, and I came out of the water clean. These moments remain in the memory for life.

But in fact, I admit that I remember the return leg on October 6 in Kiev more.

– With what?

– 105,000 spectators came to the stadium: 100,000 in the stands and five more in the corridors of the stands. The fate of the Super Bowl was decided precisely in the home game, it was nice to do a lap of honor. And ticket applications from all over Ukraine received 500 thousand (!). They called me from Transcarpathia, they said they were going to order a special train, they asked me to organize 2-3 thousand tickets. I say, “Are you crazy? I can’t even get 10 tickets for those closest to me. “

– After that, did you still meet Gerd Müller?

– Yes, in 1990 or 1991, when the GDR was still there, we came to Germany with veterans on vacation, the leader of our group was Jozsef Szabo. When we arrived at the Bavaria base, Müller greeted us and shouted: “I want to see Reshko and Rudakov.” We hugged, asked why exactly we, and Gerd replied: “I scored seven goals in three games against Rudakov, and Reshko did not allow me to score in the Olympic stadium.” In short, there is something to remember.