Belgium II Division

 

Belgium – ranked 5^th by UEFA. Familiar champion and perhaps more intrigue at the bottom of the top leagues than anything else.

Second Division. Two teams promoted, as usual, but only the winner directly promoted. The second promotion was decided in a tournament between the teams ending at 2^nd - 5^th place. At the lower end of the league a bit of a surprise: a team not long ago playing in the European tournaments was now in the relegation zone.

K. Berchem Sport – used to play top league football, but now down on luck: last with 18 points.

RFC Seresien – or FC Seraing - 15^th with 21 points. Not long ago playing in Europe, now going down to third level... such is life, ups and downs.

KSK Tongeren - 14^th with 23 points.

K. Stade Leuven - 13^th with 23 points.

Racing Jet Wavre - 12^th with 24 points.

S.K. St-Niklaas – or K. St.-Niklase SK Excelsior - 11^th with 25 points.

KSK Eendracht Aalst - 10^th with 26 points.

Patro Eisden - 9^th with 30 points.

FC Verbroedering Geel - 8^th with 30 points.

K. Th. Diest – 7^th with 32 points.

FC Eeklo - 6^th with 33 points.

KFC Lommel – or FC Lommelse SK - 5^th with 35 points and qualified to promotion play-offs.

KRC Genk – or K. Racing Club Genk - 4^th with 36 points and qualified to promotion play-offs.

FC Zwarte Leeuw - 3^rd with 36 points and qualified to promotion play-offs.

K. Boom FC - 2^nd with 42 points and qualified to promotion play-offs.

RWD Molenbeek – they won the championship with 46 points: 18 wins, 10 ties, only 2 lost games, 56-17, and 46 points. Going back to the top division, where they played and often successfully for so long was great.

The Promotion play-offs – a round robin tournament in which every team played twice against the others.

K. Boom FC – last with 5 points.

FC Lommelse SK - 3^rd with 5 points.

FC Zwarte Leeuw - 2^nd with 6 points.

KRC Genk did very well when mattered most: 4 wins and 2 losses propelled them back to First Division. They did not play all that great during the regular season, but when it came to promotion, it was another story. Back to top flight.

KRC Genk was promoted, but as second team – the champions, earning direct promotion deserve one more look. The star from the 1970s Hugo Broos was coaching a good for Second Division squad – no really famous players here, but goalkeeper Joszef Gaspar was a Hungarian national team player, Dirk De Vriese used to play for Anderlecht, Michael Emenalo was Nigerian national player, and the import from Zaire Kolokota Kobla was good enough.

Spain the Cup

 

The Cup final opposed the arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. Real seemingly had the edge, given their dominant season, but predictions about such a derby are just for laughs: no matter what, the arch-enemies clash heavily, so much pride and hatred is involved, that the outcome could destroy any 'obvious' expectations. Barcelona was not in great shape yet, but it had Johann Cruijff as a coach, who was determined to to build great team – still not ready, but taking shape. And his team won 2-0 – the great scorers Real had were left with plain 0 goals! Barcelona triumphed.

Real Madrid was prevented from winning a double this season. Standing from left: Miguel Porlán »Chendo«, Francisco Buyo, José Miguel González »Michel«, Bernd Schuster, Óscar Ruggeri, Fernando Hierro; Front: Rafael Gordillo, Emilio Butragueño, Hugo Sánchez, Manuel Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez.

Some irony or misfortune for Bernd Schuster: many a time Real prevented him with lifting a trophy when he played for Barcelona, now Barcelona prevented him from the winning the Cup with Real.

Barcelona won its 22^nd Cup and it was a sweet victory over the most hated enemy. The season finished with a trophy in their hands, which was fine, but the most important thing was that Cruijff showed he was leading the team in the right way: he came back to win and he delivered, thus securing his position and getting time to work out his ideas and to build the squad he wanted. The victory gave him comfort with the fans – their old beloved hero remained a hero, they could trust him, and with the president Nunez too, for patience is always short in clubs like Barcelona – they demand immediate success. For real success Cruijff needed still some time and some new players. To a point, winning the Cup gave him the opportunity to make the team he wanted and thus Barcelona to achieve great and lasting real success, to climb above Real Madrid.

Spain I Division

 

First Division – Primera Division. 20 teams in the league, the last 2 directly relegated, the 16^th & 17^th going to promotion/relegation play-offs against the 3^rd &4^th in Segunda Division. The season was entirely dominated by Real Madrid.

Rayo Vallecano (Madrid) quite predictably finished last with 19 points and was relegated.

Celta (Vigo) was also relegated - 19^th with 22 points.

Tenerife finished 18^th with 26 points and went to promotion/relegation play-offs. Luckily, they prevailed over Deprotivo (La Coruna) after 0-0 at home and 1-0 crucial away victory and kept their place in the top league.

CD Malaga was 17^th with 28 points and going to promotion/relegation play-offs. No luck there – they met the 5^th in Segunda Division, Espanol (Barcelona), and lost dramatically the shoot-out 5-6, after the games ended 0-1 and 1-0. Malaga was relegated.

Real Valladolid survived - 16^th with 30 points.

Cadiz - 15^th with 30 points.

Castellon - 14^th with 32 points. Top row from left: Alejandro, Manchado, Romo, Bonhoff, Martínez Puig, Alfredo, Emilio, José, Fernández. Middle row: Antonio, Ugbade, Víctor, Luiche, Domingo Tárrega, Heredia, Octavio, Moisés, Ibeas, Felices. Front row: Pelletti, Raúl, Cabrera, Escobar, Javi, Ximet, Ayúcar, Trigos, Alcañiz.

Sporting (Gijon) - 13^th with 34 points.

Weak season for Athletic (Bilbao) - 12^th with 37 points.

Real Oviedo - 11^th with 39 points.

Mallorca - 10^th with 39 points.

Real Zaragoza - 9^th with 40 points. Chilavert was with the club as well, but the Paraguayan goalkeeper was neither the famous star yet, nor he impressed – Cedrun was the principle first choice. There was another misfortune – the newly bought Bulgarian star striker and great scorer Nasko Sirakov got an injury so heavy, he practically did not play for the club, leading to something like demanding compensation from his former club and getting another player, who also failed to satisfy.

Osasuna (Pamplona) - 8^th with 40 points.

Logrones - 7^th with 41 points.

Sevilla - 6^th with 43 points and homesick Rinat Dassaev, unable to get in terms with professional life in the West.

Real Sociedad - 5^th with 44 points.

Atletico (Madrid) - 4^th with 50 points.

Barcelona - 3^rd with 51 points.

Valencia – looked like comeback: 2^nd with 53 points. Strong, but not strong enough to challenge the dominant leader. In passing, the club benefited by the changes in Eastern Europe – they acquired the young Bulgarian scorer Lyuboslav Penev, something impossible only a year ago, because of age restrictions in his home country. Eastern European was hot market and came in flocks to Western clubs, but sometimes the relatively cheap to buy players were not a great enforcement: Penev's countryman Nasko Sirakov suffered heavy injury and Real Zaragoza was practically unable to use him, Rinat Dassaev had great difficulties adjusting to new life and was not great in Sevilla – Valencia, however, was lucky with Penev.

Real Madrid had no rival this season – they finished 9 points ahead of Valencia. They scored over 100 goals, the team was flying under the guidance of John Toshack. 26 wins, 10 ties, only 2 lost games, 107-38, and 62 points. A nice 25^th title. There was no problem with Bernd Schuster, who was Barcelona's star for years before joining Real. Hugo Sanchez was at his best, a genuine scoring machine, complimented by Butragueno. World Cup champion with Argentina Ruggeri was not disappointment either, commanding strong defensive line with rapidly ascending to stardom Fernando Hierro. Talented Martin Vazquez played along with Schuster in midfield – the squad was well balanced, well coached, ambitious, playing entertaining attacking football and scoring tons of goals, thus delighting the demanding fans. Perhaps goalkeeping was not equal to the rest of team, but it was no major problem – Real not only had very strong defensive line, but lethal strikers always capable to outscore any opposition, at least in Spain. Dominant season, one more title, high expectations for the future... the usual kings of Spain.

Spain II Division

 

Second Division – Segunda Division. Last 4 teams – relegated, the top 2 – directly promoted, and the next 2 teams (if legible for promotion) going to promotion/relegation play-off against the 16^th and the 17^th in the First Division. 20 teams played in the league.

Atletico Madrileno – Atletico Madird B – last with 19 points and relegated.

Recreativo (Huelva) - 19^th with 29 points and relegated.

Castilla CF – Real Madrid B - 18^th with 31 points and relegated.

Racing (Santander) - 17^th with 33 points and relegated.

SD Eibar - 16^th with 34 points.

Levante UD - 15^th with 36 points.

Elche CF - 14^th with 36 points.

UD Salamanca - 13^th with 36 points.

UE Figueras - 12^th with 36 points.

Sestao - 11^th with 36 points.

Xerez CD - 10^th with 38 points.

Real Murcia - 9^th with 38 points.

Palamos CF - 8^th with 40 points.

CE Sabadell FC - 7^th with 40 points.

UD Las Palmas - 6^th with 40 points.

RCD Espanol (Barcelona) - 5^th with 42 points. Qualified to promotion/relegation playoffs, thanks to ineligibility of Athletic Bilbao's B team for promotion. There they faced Malaga, won the first leg at home 1-0, lost the second away 0-1, but managed to prevail in the penalty shoot-out 6-5 and thus return to top flight.

Deportivo (La Coruna) - 4^th with 44 points and qualified to promotion/relegation play-offs. No luck there – Deportivo managed highly optimistic 0-0 draw away in the first leg, but lost at home 0-1 to Tenerife and had to stay in Second Division.

Bilbao Athletic – Athletic Bilbao B – ended 3^rd with 45 points, but as a second team of First Division club they were ineligible for promotion, which benefited greatly Espanol.

Real Betis finished 2^nd with 47 points. They missed first place by little, but it was not very important – Real Betis was promoted and that mattered most: return to First Division was the achieved aim.

Real Burgos won the championship with 50 points from 18 wins, 14 ties, 6 losses and 53-24 scoring record. Not really dominating the league, but still the best teams.

One more photo of the Second Division champions, happy to return to First Division.

So, the newly promoted were old top-league members all: Real Burgos, Real Betis, and Espanol.