1986 Intercontinental Cup — 1986 edition of the Intercontinental Cup association football competition
River Plate won the 25th Intercontinental Cup, defeating Steaua București 1–0 in Tokyo to claim their first and only title in the competition.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 25th Intercontinental Cup
- Date
- 14 December 1986
- Venue
- National Stadium, Tokyo
- Attendance
- 62,000 spectators
- Winning goal scorer
- Antonio Alzamendi (28th minute)
- Final score
- River Plate 1–0 Steaua București
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
River Plate of Argentina and Steaua București of Romania each qualified for the Intercontinental Cup by winning their respective continental tournaments for the first time — the Copa Libertadores and the European Cup — setting up a meeting between two first-time entrants in the 25th edition of the competition.
The match was played on 14 December 1986 at the National Stadium in Tokyo before a crowd of 62,000. The only goal came in the 28th minute when Antonio Alzamendi headed in a rebound from a free kick taken by Norberto Alonso. A Steaua goal by Miodrag Belodedici in the 16th minute was controversially ruled offside, and the Romanian side failed to equalise in the second half.
River Plate secured a 1–0 victory, earning the club its first and only Intercontinental Cup title. The disallowed Belodedici goal remained disputed, with both Belodedici and captain Tudorel Stoica publicly maintaining it was a valid goal wrongfully disallowed by assistant referee Shizuo Takada.