1936 Soviet Cup


The 1936 Soviet Cup was the first season of the Soviet Union.

Competition background

The first message about a new tournament, unknown in the Soviet Union, came in mid-March. Answering a question from a Krasnyi Sport correspondent, the All-Union Council on [Physical Culture and Sports|All-Union Council of Physical Culture] chairman Vasiliy Mantsev said: "During the break between the championship halves, the USSR Cup will be played with the participation of 40 teams playing according to the Olympic system."
On May 11, on the first page of "Krasnyi Sport" a medium-sized article appeared under a large heading: "FOR THE USSR CUP." It spoke in detail about... the upcoming championship. In the final lines, the newspaper reported that "the composition of the autumn championship of the Soviet Union will be determined depending on the results of the spring championship and the USSR Football Cup." Only a week later, the main sports body, realizing what was happening, separated the Cup from the championship. However, unrest among colleagues continued. On May 22, on the eve of the opening of the first union championship, one Leningrad newspaper stated: "Football games for the national championship will be held according to the Olympic system. The losing team is eliminated. All teams are divided into three groups - "A", "B" and "C".
Leading football specialist Mikhail Romm had to carry out explanatory work among the population those who were writing and reading. On June 1, on the pages of "Krasnyi Sport", he conducted a lesson on educational training and figuratively, in an accessible form, explained to the listeners that "championship in the "everyone with everyone" system is like a 5,000 meters race. It requires a "full lungs breathing", the ability to a stubborn and long-term tension, taking into account all chances. It allows even losses and draws but presupposes a high moral and sports form of the team throughout the long battle path." Romm compared the competitions of the Olympic system to the 100 meters race, where "you can't stall at the start line, that is, one or two meters in the middle of the distance. There are no draws here. Here there is either a defeat that knocks the team out of action, or a victory that allows you to advance one step towards the finish line." In the Olympic system, a team's ability to make a short, concentrated effort is revealed... The "everyone against everyone" competition reveals the truly strongest team. In the "Olympic" sometimes the weaker team wins but is able to compensate for the lack of class with temperament, tenacity, and the will to win over the course of several meetings."
The regulations developed were strict and grueling. In the event of a draw, half an hour was added to regular time: two halves of 15 minutes each. If there was no winner, another 15 minute was added until the first goal. Well, if the balls flew past the goal post, a replay was scheduled. And so on until one would turn blue in the face.
The starter fired on July 18, 1936. About two dozen matches took place that day. Due to the paucity of information, it is impossible to identify who scored the first Soviet cup goal.

Participating teams

For a long time, the authorities could not decide on the number of participants. In March, they were talking about forty teams: to the two dozen teams of masters they were going to add about the same number from the outside. Later the conditions were specified and announced in mid-May: "128 teams will fight for the Soviet Cup: 23 of them are participants in the Soviet football championship calendar and no more than 105 other teams from among those who have declared their desire join the Cup draw." The exact numbers of those who applied and played have never been established. During the tournament, right up to the final, they varied from 84 to 97... 93 teams promised to play, but 82 kept their word.
Source:
;Notes
  • Withdrawn teams : CDKA-2 Moscow, Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad, Krasnoye Znamia Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Gornyak Krivoi Rog, Dinamo Kuibyshev, Spartak Kuibyshev, Spartak Kalinin, Dinamo Baku, Dinamo Kiev, Dinamo Moscow, Avtozavod imeni Molotova Gorkiy, Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk
  • Dinamo Kiev squad was involved in creating the 1936 film Goalkeeper (1936 film)|Goalkeeper].

Competition schedule

First round

Arsenal Kiev 3-3 Krasnoye Znamya Yegoryevsk

BOLSHEVIK Kiev w/o CDKA-2 Moskva
Burevestnik Leningrad 2-6 DINAMO-2 Moskva
Burevestnik Rostov-na-Donu 0-3 INFIZKULT Moskva
DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa 2-1 Lokomotiv Voronezh
DINAMO Batumi 7-1 MedKombinat Alaverdi

DINAMO Chelyabinsk 3-1 Spartak Omsk

DINAMO Krasnodar w/o Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad
DINAMO Krivoi Rog 5-0 ZiI Mariupol
Dinamo Minsk 1-5 PROLETARSKAYA POBEDA Moskva

DINAMO Voronezh w/o Krasnoye Znamya Orekhovo-Zuyevo
DINAMO-TRUDKOMMUNA Bolshevo 5-0 Lokomotiv Leningrad
DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa 2-1 Lokomotiv Voronezh
KhPZ Kharkov 3-1 Sniper Podolsk
KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk w/o Gornyak Krivoi Rog
Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye 1-1 Lokomotiv Kharkov

MORSKOI ZAVOD Sevastopol 1-0 Lokomotiv Dnepropetrovsk

RECORD Moskva 3-2 Rodina Moskva
SERP I MOLOT Kharkov 3-1 Dinamo-TrudKommuna Lyubertsy
Spartak Ivanovo 1-6 LOKOMOTIV-2 Moskva

STAL Konstantinovka 3-1 Burevestnik Moskva

Zenit Izhevsk 1-11 DINAMO Sverdlovsk
ZiD Dneprodzerzhinsk 0-1 PRAVDA Moskva
ZiK Makeyevka 0-3 ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov
ZIM Nikolayev 3-0 Spartak Kiev
ZIP Dnepropetrovsk 10-0 Farforovy Zavod Baranovka
ZIF Konstantinovka 3-1 Burevestnik Moskva

DKA BVO Smolensk 4-1 Energiya Moskva

DINAMO Aktyubinsk w/o Dinamo Kuibyshev
DZERZHINETS Kolomna w/o Spartak Kuibyshev
TRUDOVAYA KOMMUNA Kungur w/o Spartak Kalinin

DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad 4-0 DonGosTabFabrika Rostov-na-Donu

First round replays

Arsenal Kiev 0-3 KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Yegoryevsk

Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye 1-1 Lokomotiv Kharkov

Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye 0-5 LOKOMOTIV Kharkov

Second round (Round of 64)

Bolshevik Kiev 2-6 DINAMO Odessa
DINAMO Gorkiy 4-3 Record Moskva
DINAMO Pyatigorsk w/o Pravda Moskva
DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu 6-2 Proletarskaya Pobeda Moskva
Dinamo Voronezh 0-2 SPARTAK Moskva

DINAMO-TRUDKOMMUNA Bolshevo 6-1 Lokomotiv Kiev
DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa 3-2 Krylya Sovetov Moskva

Dzerzhinets Kolomna 0-9 SPARTAK Leningrad
ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov 1-0 Stal Dnepropetrovsk

KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk 3-0 Ugolshchiki Stalino
KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Yegoryevsk w/o Dinamo Kiev
Morskoi Zavod Sevastopol 2-3 TRAKTORNY ZAVOD Kharkov

STAKHANOVETS Kadiyevka w/o Dinamo Moskva
Trudovaya Kommuna Kungur 0-7 LOKOMOTIV Moskva

ZIM Nikolayev 1-0 KinAp Odesa

DINAMO-2 Moskva 3-0 Vympel Kiev
Serp i Molot Kharkov 1-1 Stalinets Moskva


Dinamo Aktyubinsk 0-4 CDKA Moskva

HPZ Kharkov 0-2 ZIS Moskva

Kolkhoz Chapayeva Zolotonosha 0-15 SERP I MOLOT Moskva

Lokomotiv-2 Moskva 1-7 STALINETS Leningrad

ZiP Dnepropetrovsk 0-5 DINAMO Kharkov

DINAMO Kazan w/o Dinamo Chelyabinsk
DINAMO Sverdlovsk w/o GAZ Gorkiy
DKA Smolensk 2-3 KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad

INFIZKULT Moskva w/o Dinamo Baku

Dinamo Batumi 0-2 DINAMO Tbilisi

Dinamo Krasnodar 0-3 LOKOMOTIV Tbilisi
Dinamo Krivoi Rog 2-5 STROITELI Baku
DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad w/o Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk

Stal Konstantinovka 2-3 SPARTAK Kharkov

Lokomotiv Kharkov 2-2 Dinamo Leningrad

Second round replays

SERP I MOLOT Kharkov 2-1 Stalinets Moskva


Lokomotiv Kharkov 1-1 Dinamo Leningrad


Lokomotiv Kharkov 0-1 DINAMO Leningrad

Third round (Round of 32)

Dinamo Gorkiy 0-2 STALINETS Leningrad

Dinamo-TrudKommuna Bolshevo 0-2 KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad

SERP I MOLOT Kharkov 5-1 Traktorny Zavod Kharkov

SERP I MOLOT Moskva 3-2 Dinamo-2 Moskva

Stakhanovets Kadiyevka 0-2 ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov
ZiM Nikolayev 0-3 SPARTAK Leningrad

Dinamo Kharkov 0-1 LOKOMOTIV Moskva


Dinamo Kazan 1-2 ZIS Moskva

Krasnoye Znamya Yegoryevsk 0-4 KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk

DINAMO Tbilisi 3-2 Stroiteli Baku

Dzerzhinets Bezhitsa 0-3 DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad


SPARTAK Moskva 4-0 Spartak Kharkov


Dinamo Sverdlovsk 0-6 DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu


CDKA Moskva 1-2 DINAMO Pyatigorsk


Lokomotiv Tbilisi 2-2 Dinamo Odessa


InFizKult Moskva 1-4 DINAMO Leningrad

Third round replays

Lokomotiv Tbilisi 3-4 DINAMO Odessa

Fourth round (Round of 16)

LOKOMOTIV Moskva 3-0 Spartak Leningrad


SERP I MOLOT Kharkov 3-1 ElektroMashZavod Kharkov

Stalinets Leningrad 0-3 SPARTAK Moskva


Dzerzhinets-STZ Stalingrad 1-3 DINAMO Tbilisi


KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad 2-1 Dinamo Rostov-na-Donu

ZIS Moskva 4-2 Dinamo Pyatigorsk


DINAMO Leningrad 3-2 Serp i Molot Moskva


KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk w/o Dinamo Odessa

Quarterfinals

  • The Kharkiv team tried to protest the match result due to poor refereeing, but their appeal was declined. While not refereeing for this match, one of referees Viktor Ryabokon was the president of the Lokomotiv sports society.
  • The match was interrupted due to lack of lighting and its extra time never played. It was decided to replay the match on 20 August and this match was annulled.

Quarterfinals replays

Top goalscorers

Statistical data is incomplete and based on rounds starting from the fourth round.
ScorerTeamGoals
Viktor LavrovLokomotiv Moscow6
Boris PaichadzeDinamo Tbilisi5
Mikhail AslamazovDinamo Tbilisi4
Georgiy GlazkovSpartak Moscow4
Nikolay SomovDinamo Tbilisi3

Number of teams by union republic

;Notes
  • In the world of the Soviet football the teams from the RSFSR often were split into two/three categories: Moscow, Leningrad and the rest of RSFSR or Capital cities and the rest of RSFSR.
  • * The Moscow-based teams: 4, 3, 1, 10, 18
  • * The Leningrad-based teams: 2, 2, 2, 6
  • * The rest of RSFSR teams: 2, 2, 27, 31