FC Dinamo Tbilisi

took place just two months later, with a 1-0 defeat against Dynamo Baku. Dinamo were admitted to the Soviet top division in 1936 and drew their first league game, 2-2 against Dynamo Kyiv. Dinamo's first league victory came against Spartak Moscow in Autumn 1936. Spearheaded by the legendary goal-machine Boris Paitchadze, the club reached the Soviet Cup final in 1936 (losing 2-0 to Lokomotiv Moscow) and in 1937 played their first ever game against foreign opponents. Dinamo lost that game 2-0 to Basconia of Spain but learnt a great deal from the Basque club's technique and passing movement. Despite going close, Dinamo never claimed a title during the 1930s and 1940s, earning the club the nickname of "The Crown-less Champions" across the region. In the 1940s and 1950s Dinamo were inspired by two important people who would start to shape the club that we know today. One was the outstanding Avtandil ‘Basa’ Ghoghoberidze, whose 14 years at Dinamo saw him hold the record of games played (341) and goals scored (127) for the club - both of which still stand. A visionary coach and selector, it was his foresight and determination that laid the groundwork for Dinamo's successes over the following 20 years. Such is Zhordania's stature that the club's training base is named after him in the Dighomi Massive district of Tbilisi. It was both Zhordania’s and Ghoghoberidze’s misfortune that they were not present for the birth of Dinamo’s first truly great side, the “Okros Gundi” or “Golden Team.” This side reached their zenith in 1964 when Dinamo Tbilisi won the Soviet title for the first time ever. Built around the majestic talents of Slava Metreveli, Mikheil Meskhi and Ilia Datunashvili amongst others, the team finished joint top of the league with Torpedo Moscow. A play-off took place in Tashkent (modern day Uzbekistan) between Torpedo and Dinamo. Despite Torpedo scoring first, Dinamo scored four times to win 4-1 and claimed the title as Champions of the Soviet Union. A measure of how good they were came from the famed sports magazine “France Football” who wrote, “The Dinamo team has great players. Their technique, skills and playing intellect enables us to name them the best Eastern representatives of 'South American Football Traditions'… If Dinamo were able to participate in the UEFA Champions Cup, we are certain, they would bring the hegemony of Spanish-Italian teams to an end.” Sadly for Dinamo, the Soviet Union declined to send representatives to play in UEFA competitions until the following year, meaning the world could only guess at how well Dinamo would have fared in European competition. Whilst the 1960s produced a golden team (and many great footballers, including the exceptional defender Murtaz Khurtsilava), it was during the 1970s and early 1980s that Dinamo became a force in Soviet and European football. Dinamo’s first European title was secured in 1973, when the club defeated Atletico Madrid and Benfica to win the Columbus’s Caravela trophy. The first UEFA European campaign also began in 1973, when Dinamo defeated their opponents FC Twente Enschede of The Netherlands 3-2 but sadly lost 3-4 on aggregate. Although the team would be knocked out a year later by Tottenham Hotspur in the 1973-74 UEFA Cup, the early forays into Europe taught Dinamo some valuable lessons that they would put into devastating effect over the next decade. By 1976, Nodar Akhalkatsi was appointed coach of Dinamo Tbilisi. It culminated in the “Great Team”, who followed success with success during the period from 1976-1982. Dinamo’s style was based on a quick tempo which could be executed perfectly by technically-gifted players. Whether through design or serendipity, the club was blessed with, and made the most of, the players at their disposal. The first title that the “Great Team” achieved was the Soviet Cup, which Dinamo won by defeating Ararat Yerevan 3-0 in the final. A Davit Kipiani goal, a penalty from Piruz Kanteladze and a third from Revaz Chelebadze secured the cup for Dinamo. At the same time, the remodeled Dinamo Stadium was opened with Welsh side Cardiff City competing in the first game against Dinamo. The crowd, intoxicated by success, regularly filled the stadium to capacity during these years. Two years after their first cup success, Dinamo secured a sensational second league title, finishing four points clear of nearest rivals Dynamo Kyiv in 1978. In August 1979 Dinamo claimed the Soviet Cup for a second time, defeating Dynamo Moscow on penalties 5-4 after a 0-0 draw. In 1979, Dinamo played one of their most famous games which is still talked about today. In the European Cup Dinamo drew English powerhouse Liverpool. Few gave them a chance but Dinamo defeated the Anfield club 3-0 in Tbilisi to go through 4-2 on aggregate. Although German club Hamburger SV knocked Dinamo out in the quarter finals, the blue-whites would not have to wait long for European glory. On 13th May 1981 Dinamo Tbilisi won the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the single greatest achievement by a Georgian football team. On route they played some scintillating football, beating Greek club Kastoria; Irish side Waterford, English FA Cup holders West Ham United and Dutch giants Feyenoord Rotterdam. The 4-1 victory at West Ham is still considered as one of the finest performances seen by West Ham’s fans and led to a healthy respect for Dinamo in particular, and Georgian football generally, in England. In the Cup Winners’ Cup Final, Dinamo faced East German club Carl-Zeiss Jena. Dinamo were jolted into life after conceding a goal to Gerhard Hoppe on 63 minutes. Vladimir Gutsaev restored parity four minutes later before Vitali Daraselia won the cup with a goal in the 86th minute to give Dinamo the title. Sadly Daraselia died just months after the final, and the club named the youth academy training base posthumously in his honor. The Cup Winners’ Cup side contained a solid goalkeeper in Otar Gabelia; a strong back-line marshaled brilliantly by captain Aleksandre Chivadze and an attacking verve that excited fans and neutrals alike. When Davit Kipiani, Gutsaev, Daraselia and Ramaz Shengalia were all on form, very few teams in the world could handle them. Unable to agree dates with European Champions Liverpool for the two-legged UEFA Super Cup Final, Dinamo were desperate to win the title again and test themselves against the European Champions. Sadly, the defense of the Cup Winners’ Cup ended in the semi-final against Standard Liege the next season. After that, the side began to decline due to a variety of reasons, with Dinamo qualifying twice for the UEFA Cup before the collapse of the Soviet Union but making limited progress both times. At the end of the 1980s Dinamo created more history. They played their final ever game in the Soviet Union championship, finishing with a 2-2 draw against Dynamo Kyiv in October 1989, a mirror image of Dinamo’s first ever league game. The club resigned from the Soviet League having never been relegated from the Soviet top division. By 1990, Dinamo Tbilisi were competing as a Georgian club in the first Georgian national football championship. On 30th March 1990, Dinamo played in its first match in the Georgian Championship against Kolkheti Poti. The match was a near sell-out at the Paitchadze Stadium where Kokheti withstood constant Dinamo pressure to claim a 1-0 victory in the historic game. Despite the loss, Dinamo bounced back to win the league, the first of ten consecutive championship titles. In 1992, Dinamo won their first Georgian Cup, defeating Tskhumi Sokhumi 2-0 in the final. Dinamo would win the trophy six years in succession, making them the first club to win six consecutive league and cup doubles. In 1996, Dinamo performed a historic treble, lifting the league, cup and Georgian Super Cup all in one season, becoming the only Georgian club ever to do this. Dinamo’s initial success brought longer term problems though. Despite winning their first ever European tie as a representative of Georgia against Northern Irish side Linfield, the cup were initially barred from European football for two years by UEFA. This, combined with Dinamo’s domestic dominance, caused many players to leave the club for fresh challenges. The Arveladze brothers; Temuri Ketsbaia, Giorgi Kinkladze and Kakha Kaladze all won titles with Dinamo during the 1990s before showcasing their skills in western Europe. Since the turn of the millennium, the story of Dinamo has been interwoven with the story of two businessmen. First, Badri Patarkatsishvili purchased Dinamo Tbilisi and immediately turned them into champions both domestically and internationally. After winning the Georgian title and cup, Dinamo won the CIS Cup in Moscow during 2004, defeating Latvian club Skonto Riga in the final 3-1. The 2004-05 season saw Dinamo qualify for the UEFA Cup group stages for the first time. They defeated BATE Barysaw of Belarus, Czech club Slavia Prague and Polish team Wisla Krakow to enter the group stage. There they competed against Greek side Panionios; Sporting Clube de Portugal, FC Sochaux-Montbeliard of France and English club Newcastle United. Further sporadic league and cup successes followed before in January 2011, Roman Pipia became the club president and rejuvenated Dinamo. Dinamo is the most successful club in Georgia with 19 titles, 13 Georgian Cup victories and 8 Georgian Super Cup wins.