Late Eighties Decline – Dynamo Kiev v Celtic, 1986

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·20 gennaio 2026

Late Eighties Decline – Dynamo Kiev v Celtic, 1986

LATE EIGHTIES DECLINE- DYNAMO KIEV v CELTIC, 1986…

Celtic 3-0 Dinamo Kiev. ECWC, 12 January 1966. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Jimmy Johnstone in action during the Celtic v Dynamo Kiev, ECWC match on 12 January 1966. Press cutting from The Celtic Wiki

OneFootball Video

Prior to their European clash in 1986, Celtic had twice been drawn against Dynamo Kiev in European competition. Both previous occasions were eventful for entirely different reasons. In season 1965/66 when the two clubs met for the first time in the Quarter Final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. A 3-0 win at Celtic Park was followed by a 1-1 draw in Tblisi. The match was moved there from Kiev because of the severity of the Ukrainian winter.

Although Celtic won the tie comfortably, the journey home from Tblisi was a nightmare. Long delays in Tblisi and Moscow were followed by an unscheduled stopover in Stockholm due to freezing rain. The exhausted players finally arrived at Prestwick on Friday night and, unsurprisingly, lost to Hearts at Tynecastle a few hours later.

Bobby Lennox scores in Kiev. Photo: The Celtic Wiki

The second meeting came in 1967/68, when Kiev sensationally eliminated holders Celtic from the European Cup in the First Round. A totally off-form Celtic were a goal down after four minutes and two down after 30 minutes in the first leg at home. Despite a much better performance in the second half, Celtic could manage only one goal, losing 1-2 in their first defeat at Celtic Park in European competition.

A much-improved performance in Kiev was not enough to gain more than a 1-1 draw and Celtic were out in what was seen as a totally unexpected upset.

In 1966, events off the park had provided all the drama whilst in 1967 it was Celtic’s shock exit which had captured the news. Celtic’s third away match against Dynamo Kiev in November 1986 would also be eventful, again for reasons off the field of play but this time before a ball was even kicked.

06.05.1986 Decontamination of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant buildings – Chernobyl, Kiev region, Ukraine. Photo IMAGO

On 26 April 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the Ukraine, exploded. It caused 31 direct deaths, the forced evacuation of 115,000 people from Pripyat and its surrounding areas and let to widespread radioactive contamination across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and most of Europe. To date, it remains the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

Prypiat River Station A marina of the Prypiat River Station is in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Prypiat, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Volodymyr Tarasov Ukrinform), Credit:TARASOV Avalon Ukraine, Kyiv region, Prypiat, Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Photo: TARASOV /IMAGO/Avalon.Red

Prypiat River Station Old carbonated water vending machines are at the Prypiat River Station in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Prypiat, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Volodymyr Tarasov Ukrinform), Credit:TARASOV Avalon Ukraine, Kyiv region, Prypiat, Chornobyl Exclusion Zone: Photo TARASOV, IMAGO/Avalon.red

Prypiat River Station An old decoration is near the Prypiat River Station in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Prypiat, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025.(Photo by Volodymyr Tarasov Ukrinform), Credit:TARASOV Avalon Ukraine, Kyiv region, Prypiat, Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Photo: TARASOV/ IMAGO/Avalon.RED

Just over six months later, on 5 November 1986, Celtic were due to play the second leg of their second round European Cup tie against Dynamo Kiev. The city of Kiev is around 60 miles north of Chernobyl. Unsurprisingly, most Celtic players and officials had serious doubts about travelling to Kiev. The advice from the UK Foreign Office was quite clear: do not travel to Kiev unless absolutely necessary.

In direct contrast to the Foreign Office advice, UEFA in their infinite wisdom declared that it was safe for the match to be played in Kiev. Celtic demanded checks on radiation levels before travelling. Although reassured on this score, Celtic remained concerned about possible contamination of local foodstuffs, and the club therefore brought all its own food, drinks and a chef from Glasgow.

In respect of the Foreign Office advice, around 150 brave fans regarded supporting the Bhoys as “absolutely necessary” and travelled on a chartered jet to support the team. adapting a well-known chant to ‘Here We Glow, Here We Glow’.

The match itself was played on a bitterly cold night in front of a huge 100,000 crowd. Dynamo continued the form shown in Glasgow, combining sleek skills in passing with superb movement off the ball. It came as no surprise when Blokhin scored after 12 minutes from a brilliant free kick which gave Bonner no chance.

The real surprise came in how strongly Celtic responded. Having been dragged all over the park by Dynamo’s movement in the first leg, Celtic had learned their lesson and kept their defensive shape much more effectively. For long parts of the game, Celtic silenced the massive home support by their composed, disciplined display.

The Bhoys began to make a few well-planned attacks of their own and finally got their reward with an equaliser just after half time. A long run by Murdo MacLeod ended with a pass to Brian McClair on the right. His low pass across the penalty box was met perfectly by Mark McGhee who calmly slotted the ball home.

Dynamo were stung into action and regained the lead after 72 minutes when Yakovenko finished clinically from 12 yards. Realising that a second away goal would see them progress, Celtic again pressed hard for an equaliser and remained in the tie until the final minute of the match, when Dynamo broke away with lightning speed for Yevtushenko to score the clincher, much to the relief of Dynamo’s players and fans.

After the match, Kiev manager Valeri Lobanovski described Celtic’s performance as the best by any foreign team there in 21 years of European competition. In Graham McColl’s book Celtic in Europe, Peter Grant recalls, “Over in Kiev we did really well and deserved to get more out of the game than we did.” Brian McClair’s recollection is slightly less positive: “They played much, much better football than us, even though we did quite well on the night.”

The consensus in the Press was that Celtic deserved huge credit for their performance in Kiev, but, in the words of a correspondent from The Times, “they lost because they applied such exhuberant pressure that they left themselves open at the back in a dramatic second half in which they more than shared the honours”. Regardless of this praise, Celtic were once again out of Europe before Christmas. The Celts had lost 2-4 on aggregate and had failed to win either leg.

In the Quarter Final, Dynamo Kiev would hammer Besiktas 5-0 in the first leg in Turkey and win by 2-0 in the return. In the Semi Final, they would lose 1-2 to Porto in both legs to be eliminated 2-4 on aggregate. Porto effectively killed the tie early in the second leg in Kiev, scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes to leave Kiev needing to score FOUR to go through. Dynamo Kiev had lost their best chance of winning the European Cup. The Portuguese club would go on to win their first European Cup by defeating Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.

For Celtic, the away match against Dynamo Kiev would prove to be the swansong for several of the Celtic players who had performed so well on the night and indeed in the seasons immediately before.

Danny McGrain, Murdo MacLeod, Brian McClair, Mo Johnston and Alan McInally had all played their final European match for Celtic.

Added to this list, although unknown at the time, would be Davie Provan who would announce his retirement from football at the end of season 1986/87. Provan had to be substituted during a 0-3 defeat at Ibrox in November 1985, feeling unwell. This turned out to be ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), a long-term condition which leaves sufferers feeling physically exhausted on a near-permanent basis. He made several attempts to return to playing but eventually decided to retire in the summer of 1987.

The matches against Dynamo Kiev can be seen as marking the start of Celtic’s decline in Europe. Whilst Dynamo went on to reach the European Cup semi final, in the years that followed Celtic suffered successive early exits to less formidable opponents such as Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Partizan Belgrade. NONE of these sides progressed beyond the quarter finals.

It could also be argued that Celtic’s performances in both matches against Dynamo were their best of the season. Between the return from Kiev and the end of November, Celtic played six games and won five of them, albeit in an unconvincing manner. Celtic were however top of the league, seven points clear of Dundee United and nine clear of Rangers (who did have a game in hand).

Form continued to slide in December, with Celtic winning only one of their five matches. The real turning point of the season came, however, on New Year’s Day 1987, when Celtic lost 0-2 to Rangers. The scoreline did not reflect in any way the chasm which had now developed between the sides. Rangers completely dominated the game and, as David Potter states in Celtic in the Eighties, “Everyone knew within themselves that the game was up. Celtic were still three points ahead, but the death wish had descended..”

The season went from bad to worse. Unsettled players, general disharmony in the dressing room, the loss of form of key players and defensive frailties all combined to create the perfect storm. Despite good performances in the three Scottish Cup ties against Aberdeen, and a heartening 3-1 victory over Rangers in April, for most of the latter part of season 1986/87 Celtic resembled a dead man walking. Or, as David Potter so eloquently describes it in Celtic in the Eighties: “The ship, around about midwinter, began to leak, listed to one side after the New Year and sank by the spring.”

Celtic finished the season trophyless. In their next European campaign, the club would have a new team and a familiar face back as manager…

James McDevitt

All Books Now Half Price in the Celtic Star Books January Sale…

These books now available at at HALF PRICE in our January sale – click on image to order…

Order from Celtic Star Books HERE!

Please note that p&p is priced at £4.50 is only charged on ONE book so you can buy as many of our books as you like and the postage cost will remain the same. Why not expand your Celtic library today?