They were able to obtain 5th place in the rankings which FIFA released in 1986. The Soviet Union national team also participated in number of Olympic tournaments earning the gold medal in the 1956 and 1988. The 1952 Olympics was the first competitive tournament entered by the Soviet Union. The Soviet XI scored a 4–1 victory over the Finns in Petrograd. During the Olympics, the Soviets primarily stayed on a yacht rather than in the Olympic Village. The Soviet team then defeated Hungary in the quarter-finals thanks to the effective performance of their star, Lev Yashin but their success was ended by two defeats on 25 and 28 July, against West Germany in the semi-finals and Portugal in the third place play off match, respectively. Soviets defeated Hungary 1–0, a second half goal. After being runners up at Euro 1972, the rest of the 1970s were bleak for the Soviets, who were disqualified from the 1974 World Cup as a result of refusal to play Chile in the aftermath of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, and failed to qualify for the 1978 World Cup or the 1976 and 1980 European Championships. The Soviet Union qualified for five European Championships, winning the inaugural competition in 1960 when they beat Yugoslavia in the final, 2–1. Westfield Matildas head coach Ante Milicic says the Cup of Nations has proven the depth in the squad ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup in June. Argentina last reached the World Cup final in 2014, where it lost 1–0 to Germany national football team. JAYFC 34,482 views. This was the last time the Soviet Union reached the quarter-finals. Argentina, led by Diego Maradona won again in 1986, a 3–2 victory over West Germany. The finals were held in West Germany, with eight teams participating. In 1984, the Soviets again failed to qualify for the European Championships, but succeeded in qualifying for the 1986 World Cup. In the preliminary round, Bulgaria were defeated 2–1, earning a first round tie against Yugoslavia. The Soviet team became the first team to make a substitution in World Cup history in this match. After the tournament, the former Soviet Republics competed as separate independent nations, with FIFA allocating the Soviet team's record to Russia. Note: The players above the line played at least one game in this tournament, the players below the line were only squad members. Furthermore, Boris Arkadiev, who coached both USSR and CDKA, was stripped of his Merited Master of Sports of the USSR title.[8]. In 1964, the Soviet Union attempted to defend their European Championship title, defeating Italy in the last 16 (2–0, 1–1) and to reach the quarter-finals. The Soviet team easily qualified to the quarter-final where they lost against Uruguay in extra time. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3–1. A 16 teams football tournament was played as part of the 1988 Summer Olympics. The Soviet Union failed to qualify for the World Cup only twice, in 1974 and 1978, and attended seven finals tournaments in total. Despite their poor performance in the cup, this team was the best scoring Soviet team in World Cup history, with 12 goals. It is considered as the main channel for the Special Broadcasting Service since its target audience is not limited to one specific demographic. Only "A" internationals are included. The following 16 teams qualified for the 1988 Olympics football tournament: Each country was allowed to enter a team of 20 players and they all were eligible for participation. as the Westfield Matildas embark on their campaign to take on the rest of the world. The Soviet Union were then eliminated by the hosts of the tournament, Sweden, in the quarter-finals. The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the tournament which the Soviet Union team reached their best result by finishing in fourth place. In May 1923, the Soviet team visited Finland and beat the Finnish squad 5–0. ... Then, on July 14, 1988, at a newly-opened Sydney Football Stadium, Australia’s finest donned the green and gold to face the world champions. Soviet Union and England went to a playoff game, in which Anatoli Ilyin scored in the 67th minute to knock England out.