The encounter
River Plate won the Intercontinental Cup · Steaua 0–1 River Plate
Match cassette · results and dates
Romanian club’s score first.
- 14 December 1986 · NeutralSteaua București 0–1 River Plate (Argentina)
From Seville to Tokyo
Winning the European Cup brought Steaua București a place in the 1986 Intercontinental Cup against South American champions River Plate. The match took place at Tokyo’s National Stadium on 14 December 1986.
Alzamendi makes the difference
Antonio Alzamendi scored the only goal in the 28th minute. Steaua could not find an equaliser, and River Plate claimed the trophy with a 1–0 victory.
Champions from two continents
Seville had made Steaua champions of Europe; Tokyo brought a different test against the champions of South America. River Plate’s single goal was enough to decide the Intercontinental Cup. The match is remembered as an international final reached through Steaua’s European triumph, even though the trophy travelled back to Argentina.
A final beyond Europe
The defeat was a disappointment, but the appearance itself marks an exceptional chapter: a Romanian club representing Europe against the champions of South America. This story records the occasion and its outcome alongside Steaua’s European triumphs, without treating a final appearance as a trophy win.
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Sources & image credits
Match results and dates follow the archive records. Reference pages:
Club crest: the image already stored in the club archive, used as a visual identifier rather than a photograph of this encounter.
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