in many ways, the 1986 uefa super cup was the first of the modern finals. it also marked the belated conclusion of a highly successful european season for fc steaua bucureşti. gheorghi hagi's 44th-minute goal was the first scored in the competition for over two years, after the 1985 edition had been cancelled, and it was all the romanian side would need to pick up their second european trophy in nine months.
steaua had defeated fc barcelona on penalties in seville to claim the european champion clubs' cup and were up against an fc dynamo kyiv side that had also overcome a primera división side, club atlético de madrid, to win the uefa cup winners' cup 3-0 at the stade de gerland in lyon.
rather than play the uefa super cup as the customary two-legged, home-and-away affair, steaua and dynamo decided to contest the fixture on a one-off basis, with uefa choosing monaco's stade louis ii as the neutral venue for the game, which took place on 24 february 1987. the same venue, of course, has hosted every uefa super cup since 1998.
hagi got the game's only goal shortly before half-time. oleh blokhin conceded a free-kick 25 metres out for a foul on tudorel stoica, and the future golden boy of the romanian national team gave a hint of what was to come in his career by curling a terrific left-footed free-kick into the dynamo net.
french sports paper l'equipe summed up the game neatly as a victory for the "legs, muscles and nerves" of the romanians over the "heads" of the ukrainians. their win was well deserved, and except for the first 25 minutes, the romanian side dominated. having played some sweet football in winning the uefa cup winners' cup, dynamo had gone into the game as favourites, but with defender vladimir bessonov injured, steaua assumed command. marius lăcătuş came close to doubling his side's lead after 66 minutes, but one goal would prove enough.
