1976 Soviet Top League

The 1976 Soviet Top League was the 38th and 39th season of the first tier football competitions in the Soviet Union.

Soviet Top League

Season	1976 (spring–autumn)
European Cup	Torpedo Moscow
Cup Winners' Cup	Dinamo Moscow
UEFA Cup	Dinamo Tbilisi Dinamo Kiev
← 1975 1977 →

By the end of the previous season, it was decided to shift to fall-spring calendar competition, but later in January the decision was reversed. However, it was decided to split competitions in the top tier in spring half and autumn half. According to the season's regulations, the split season championship was carried with consideration to the interest of the national team which was preparing for the 21st Olympic Games (1976 Summer Olympics) and the Europe Championship (UEFA Euro 1976).^[1]

Qualification for the European competitions and league relegation was based only on the autumn half portion (39th season). Qualification for the 1976–77 UEFA Cup was reserved for the 1976 spring Champion.^[1] This reservation was canceled after Dinamo Moscow, which already qualified for the European competition, won the title.

Spring

1976 spring

Champions	Dinamo Moscow
Top goalscorer	(8) Arkady Andreasyan (Ararat)

Overview

It was contested by 16 teams, and Dynamo Moscow won the championship.

League standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dynamo Moscow (C)	15	9	4	2	17	8	+9	22
2	Ararat Yerevan	15	8	3	4	22	13	+9	19
3	Dinamo Tbilisi	15	7	4	4	18	10	+8	18
4	Karpaty Lviv	15	7	4	4	25	19	+6	18
5	Shakhtar Donetsk	15	7	4	4	15	16	−1	18
6	Krylya Sovetov Kuibyshev	15	6	5	4	18	15	+3	17
7	CSKA Moscow	15	5	5	5	20	16	+4	15
8	Dynamo Kyiv	15	5	5	5	14	12	+2	15
9	Dinamo Minsk	15	6	3	6	17	18	−1	15
10	Chornomorets Odessa	15	4	7	4	14	18	−4	15
11	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	15	6	2	7	18	18	0	14
12	Torpedo Moscow	15	5	4	6	15	20	−5	14
13	Zenit Leningrad	15	4	5	6	14	15	−1	13
14	Spartak Moscow	15	4	2	9	10	18	−8	10
15	Lokomotiv Moscow	15	3	3	9	17	23	−6	9
16	Zaria Voroshilovgrad	15	2	4	9	9	24	−15	8

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Total points (If two or more teams have equal points for the first place, the winner is determined by additional match (matches) on condition and place determined by the Soviet Union Sports Committee); 2) Total goal difference; 3) Head-to-head goal ratio; 4) Total goals scored in away matches^[2]
(C) Champions

Results

Home \ Away	ARA	CHO	CSK	DNI	DYK	DMN	DYN	DTB	KAR	KRY	LOK	SHA	SPA	TOR	ZAR	ZEN
Ararat Yerevan		4–0	0–0		1–2			1–1			3–2	2–0	0–1	2–0
Chornomorets Odessa				2–1	1–1			0–1		1–1	2–0			1–0		0–0
CSKA Moscow		1–1			1–0	2–0			1–1	1–1	3–2		1–2		3–0
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	2–3		2–0			2–0	1–0		1–2			0–0			2–0	1–0
Dynamo Kyiv				2–0		0–0	0–1	-:+[a]	3–1	1–2	0–0				2–1
Dinamo Minsk	0–1	2–1						2–1	4–2	2–0	1–1		2–1	2–0
Dynamo Moscow	1–0	0–0	2–1			1–0		2–1				4–1	1–0
Dinamo Tbilisi			1–1	4–1					3–0	1–0			1–0	1–1	3–0
Karpaty Lviv	2–1	2–2					1–1			2–0		4–0	2–0	1–2	3–0
Krylya Sovetov Kuibyshev	1–1			1–0			1–0				3–0	2–2		0–0	4–2	2–1
Lokomotiv Moscow				2–0			2–3	0–0	0–1			1–2		2–3		2–1
Shakhtar Donetsk		1–2	2–0		0–0	0–0		1–0					1–0			1–0
Spartak Moscow		4–1		1–4	0–1					1–0	0–3			0–1	0–0
Torpedo Moscow			0–4	1–1	3–1		0–0					1–2			2–1	1–2
Zaria Voroshilovgrad	0–1	0–0				3–1	0–0				1–0	0–2				1–1
Zenit Leningrad	1–2		2–1		1–1	3–1	0–1	1–0	1–1				0–0

Source: Таблица результатов (Results table)
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:

1. The match between Dynamo Kiev and Dinamo Tbilisi resulted in a goalless victory for Tbilisi. The team from Kiev fielded an ineligible player.

Top scorers

8 goals

• Arkady Andreasyan (Ararat)

7 goals

• Nikolai Kazaryan (Ararat)

6 goals

• Ravil Aryapov (Krylya Sovetov)
• Vladimir Danilyuk (Karpaty)
• David Kipiani (Dinamo Tbilisi)
• Boris Kopeikin (CSKA Moscow)
• Anatoliy Shepel (Dynamo Moscow)

5 goals

• Lev Brovarsky (Karpaty)
• Anatoli Degterev (Torpedo Moscow)
• Sergei Grishin (Torpedo Moscow)
• Sergei Malko (Dnipro)
• Aleksandr Markin (Zenit)
• Yuri Smirnov (Krylya Sovetov)
• Pyotr Vasilevsky (Dinamo Minsk)

Autumn

1976 autumn

Champions	Torpedo Moscow
Relegated	Spartak Moscow, Dinamo Minsk
Matches played	120
Goals scored	252 (2.1 per match)
Top goalscorer	(13) Aleksandr Markin (Zenit)

Overview

It was performed in 16 teams, and Torpedo Moscow won the championship.

League standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Torpedo Moscow (C)	15	9	2	4	20	9	+11	20	Qualification for European Cup first round
2	Dynamo Kyiv	15	6	6	3	22	16	+6	18	Qualification for UEFA Cup first round
3	Dinamo Tbilisi	15	6	5	4	16	12	+4	17
4	Karpaty Lviv	15	6	5	4	22	19	+3	17
5	Zenit Leningrad	15	6	4	5	22	16	+6	16
6	Dynamo Moscow	15	7	2	6	15	13	+2	16	Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup first round
7	CSKA Moscow	15	5	5	5	21	16	+5	15
8	Lokomotiv Moscow	15	6	3	6	13	13	0	15
9	Chornomorets Odessa	15	7	1	7	14	20	−6	15
10	Shakhtar Donetsk	15	5	4	6	12	10	+2	14
11	Krylya Sovetov Kuibyshev	15	5	4	6	12	15	−3	14
12	Zaria Voroshilovgrad	15	6	2	7	12	17	−5	14[a]
13	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	15	6	2	7	12	17	−5	14[a]
14	Ararat Yerevan	15	4	6	5	14	20	−6	14
15	Spartak Moscow (R)	15	5	3	7	15	18	−3	13	Relegation to First League
16	Dinamo Minsk (R)	15	2	4	9	10	21	−11	8

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Total points (If two or more teams have equal points for the first place, the winner is determined by additional match (matches) on condition and place determined by the Soviet Union Sports Committee); 2) Total goal difference; 3) Head-to-head goal ratio; 4) Total goals scored in away matches^[2]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. Head-to-head goals ratio: Zaria advantage.

Results

Home \ Away	ARA	CHO	CSK	DNI	DYK	DMN	DYN	DTB	KAR	KRY	LOK	SHA	SPA	TOR	ZAR	ZEN
Ararat Yerevan		2–0	1–1						2–2	0–0		1–0	2–3	1–0
Chornomorets Odessa						2–0	2–1	2–1	0–1		1–1	2–0				2–1
CSKA Moscow		4–0					2–1	0–0	1–1	5–1		1–0	1–2	0–2
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	0–0	1–2	1–0						1–0	3–1		0–3	1–0	1–0
Dynamo Kyiv	3–2	1–0	1–1	1–3						2–0			3–1	3–2
Dinamo Minsk	1–2		2–1	2–0	0–3					0–0	0–1			0–1	1–2
Dynamo Moscow	0–0			3–0	1–0	2–0					1–0				1–0	2–1
Dinamo Tbilisi	1–1			1–0	0–0	2–0	3–1				0–0				3–0	1–0
Karpaty Lviv					2–2	2–2	2–0	3–1			4–1				3–1	0–3
Krylya Sovetov Kuibyshev		2–0					1–0	1–2	3–1			0–0	1–0			2–0
Lokomotiv Moscow	3–0		1–0	2–0	2–1					0–0			1–3	0–1	1–0
Shakhtar Donetsk					0–0	2–1	0–1	3–1	0–0		1–0				0–0	3–1
Spartak Moscow		0–1				1–1	1–0	0–0	0–1			1–0				1–2
Torpedo Moscow		4–0					1–1	1–0	2–0	1–0		1–0	2–2
Zaria Voroshilovgrad	1–0	1–0	0–1	2–1	1–1					1–0			2–0	0–2
Zenit Leningrad	5–0		3–3	0–0	1–1	0–0					1–0			1–0	3–1

Source: Таблица результатов (Results table)
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

13 goals

• Aleksandr Markin (Zenit)

8 goals

• Vladimir Danilyuk (Karpaty)
• Boris Kopeikin (CSKA Moscow)

6 goals

• Mikhail Bulgakov (Spartak Moscow)

5 goals

• Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv)
• Fyodor Chorba (Karpaty)
• Yevgeni Khrabrostin (Torpedo Moscow)
• Nazar Petrosyan (Ararat)
• Aleksandr Pogorelov (Chornomorets)
• Vladimir Sakharov (Torpedo Moscow)
• Pyotr Yakovlev (Dnipro)
• Andrei Yakubik (Dynamo Moscow)

Status of Spartak Moscow

After Spartak's relegation, there were some figures in the Soviet government who believed the team should be allowed to stay in the first division due to its size and history, but this idea was opposed by Leonid Brezhnev, himself a Spartak supporter, and was ultimately discarded.^[3]