River Plate's only Intercontinental Cup: when they won it and against which opponent
In times where the Club World Cup As River Plate seeks to crown a new world champion, it's worth looking back and remembering the only time River Plate reached the global summit. It was on December 14, 1986, in Tokyo, when the Intercontinental Cup —the trophy that pitted the Libertadores champion against the European champion—was still being played.
On that cold and windy morning in Japan, more than 62,000 people filled the National Stadium to watch River Plate take on the surprising Steaua Bucharest side, who were fresh off a victory over Barcelona . Although a minority, Millonario fans made their presence felt from the moment the teams walked onto the field.
The 11 players from the Argentine team who took to the field wearing the red stripe were Nery Pumpido, Oscar Ruggeri, Hector Enrique, Jorge Gordillo, Nelson Gutierrez, Alejandro Montenegro, Américo Gallego, Norberto Alonso, Raúl Roque Alfaro, Antonio Alzamendi and Juan Gilberto Funes.
From the start, Héctor "Bambino" Veira 's River Plate didn't back down against the Romanians, who had won the European Cup that same year by defeating Barcelona. Despite their respect for their opponent, River Plate was quick to strike.
At 28 minutes into the first half, Norberto Alonso took the ball and unleashed a shot that challenged the Romanian goalkeeper. The rebound floated down and Antonio Alzamendi appeared to head it in and score the only goal of the match .
The ball bounced off the post before going in, as if fate wanted to put a stop to glory. Goal. Tokyo exploded. Millionaire hearts exploded in Argentina. "The chemistry between Alonso and Alzamendi was fundamental," River Plate states on its official website.
Alzamendi celebrates his goal (center) for River Plate, the 1986 Intercontinental champion.
El Millonario dominated the rest of the match. There was a scare, though: Steaua managed to score a goal , but it was ruled out for offside , a move that sparked some murmuring but didn't change the course.
Without any major complications, the Argentine team held on to the result. The defense, led by Ruggeri and Gutiérrez , was a wall of strength. In goal, Nery Pumpido exuded confidence with every save. Thus, for the first time in its history, River Plate won the world's top club competition and the triple crown: Copa Libertadores, the local championship, and the Intercontinental Cup .
River Plate celebrating the Intercontinental Cup in 1986. Historical photos from the La Razon newspaper's news book.
As if glory were not enough, three players from that team had already experienced another golden chapter: Pumpido, Ruggeri and Héctor Enrique were part of the squad of the The Argentine national team had won the World Cup in Mexico in 1986 , just a few months earlier. The year ended with a flourish for them and for millions of fans in Argentina who woke up early to see their team touch the sky.
Clarin
