1988 Soviet Top League

The 1988 season was the 51st completed season of the USSR Football Championship: Top League. Spartak Moscow, the defending 11-times champions, placed fourth this season.

Soviet Top League

Season	1988
Dates	March 7 — November 19, 1988
Champions	Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk (2nd title)
Relegated	Neftchi Baku Kairat Alma-Ata
European Cup	Dnipr Dnipropetrovsk
Cup Winners' Cup	Torpedo Moscow
UEFA Cup	Spartak Moscow Dynamo Kiev Žalgiris Vilnius Zenit Leningrad
Matches played	240
Goals scored	526 (2.19 per match)
Top goalscorer	(16) Aleksandr Borodyuk (Dynamo Moscow), Yevhen Shakhov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
← 1987 1989 →

Teams

Promoted teams

• FC Chernomorets Odessa – champion (returning after a season)
• FC Lokomotiv Moscow – 2nd place (returning after seven seasons)

Location

350km
217miles

Chernomorets

Torpedo

Spartak

Dynamo

Lokomotiv

Dynamo T

Neftchi

Metallist

Žalgiris

Shakhter

Dnepr

Zenit

Kairat

Dynamo Mi

Ararat

Dynamo K

   

Locations of teams in the 1988 Top League

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (C)	30	18	10	2	49	23	+26	46	Qualification for European Cup first round
2	Dynamo Kyiv	30	17	9	4	43	19	+24	43	Qualification for UEFA Cup first round
3	Torpedo Moscow	30	17	8	5	39	23	+16	42	Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup first round
4	Spartak Moscow	30	14	11	5	40	26	+14	39[a]	Qualification for UEFA Cup first round
5	Žalgiris Vilnius	30	14	7	9	39	35	+4	35
6	Zenit Leningrad	30	11	9	10	35	34	+1	31
7	Lokomotiv Moscow	30	10	12	8	35	29	+6	30[b]
8	Shakhtar Donetsk	30	9	10	11	30	28	+2	28
9	Ararat Erevan	30	9	9	12	21	28	−7	27
10	Dinamo Moscow	30	9	8	13	32	38	−6	26
11	Metalist Kharkiv	30	8	10	12	29	36	−7	26
12	Dinamo Minsk	30	7	11	12	29	34	−5	25[a]
13	Chornomorets Odessa	30	9	6	15	24	37	−13	24
14	Dinamo Tbilisi	30	9	5	16	28	37	−9	23
15	Neftchi Baku (R)	30	5	7	18	28	46	−18	17	Relegation to First League
16	Kairat Alma-Ata (R)	30	6	4	20	25	53	−28	16

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) Total points (If two or more teams have equal points for the first place, the winner is determined by additional single round-robin play-off on condition and place determined by the Federation); 2) Total wins; 3) Head-to-head results (3.1. points 3.2. goal difference 3.3. goal scored); 4) Total goal difference; 5) Total games scored; 6) Draw lots
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. No draw limit for Spartak M and Dinamo Mn
2. 2 points deducted (10 draw limited)

Promotion

• Pamir Dushanbe ( Tajik SSR)
• Rotor Volgograd ( Russian SFSR)

Results

Home \ Away	ARA	CHO	DNI	DYK	DMN	DYN	DTB	KAI	LOK	MKH	NEF	SHA	SPA	TOR	ŽAL	ZEN
Ararat Yerevan		1–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–1	3–1	1–0	0–0	2–0	0–0	1–0	1–0	0–2	1–0	1–0
Chornomorets Odessa	2–1		1–3	2–1	0–0	1–1	2–0	1–0	0–1	1–1	1–0	1–1	0–1	0–2	1–0	1–2
Dnipro	3–0	2–1		0–0	4–3	2–0	0–0	3–0	2–1	1–1	3–2	4–2	0–0	2–2	3–1	1–1
Dynamo Kyiv	2–0	1–0	2–0		1–1	2–1	1–0	3–0	1–0	3–0	3–0	0–0	1–2	3–0	3–1	2–0
Dinamo Minsk	0–0	2–0	0–1	1–2		0–0	0–0	3–1	3–2	1–1	3–1	1–0	0–2	1–1	0–1	1–1
Dynamo Moscow	1–1	1–3	1–2	1–2	2–1		0–0	4–3	2–0	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–2	2–0	0–0	3–2
Dinamo Tbilisi	1–2	2–0	0–1	1–1	2–1	3–1		3–1	0–0	1–2	2–0	2–0	1–0	0–1	2–1	0–1
Kairat Alma-Ata	1–0	1–1	0–2	0–1	1–2	2–1	2–0		1–1	1–0	2–1	0–1	1–3	2–1	1–2	1–1
Lokomotiv Moscow	1–0	2–0	0–1	1–1	0–0	2–2	2–1	3–0		1–1	1–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–0
Metalist Kharkiv	1–2	0–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–0	2–0	1–1	1–0		1–0	1–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–1
Neftçi Baku	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–1	1–0	4–2	1–1	1–1		2–2	1–2	1–1	1–2	1–2
Shakhtar Donetsk	2–0	0–1	0–0	1–1	0–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	0–1	3–0	0–2		0–0	0–0	5–1	1–0
Spartak Moscow	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–0	4–2	1–0	3–0	2–0	1–1	2–1	2–0	2–2		0–0	1–1	1–1
Torpedo Moscow	2–0	2–0	1–0	2–0	1–0	2–1	1–0	2–0	2–1	1–0	3–1	2–0	2–0		2–2	2–1
Žalgiris Vilnius	1–0	2–1	2–2	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–1	2–0	1–2	2–1	2–0	1–0	2–0	2–2		2–0
Zenit Leningrad	2–1	2–0	0–1	1–1	0–0	0–1	5–4	2–1	3–2	2–1	2–0	0–0	0–0	2–0	1–2

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

16 goals

• Aleksandr Borodyuk (Dynamo Moscow)
• Yevhen Shakhov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

15 goals

• Mikhail Rusyayev (Lokomotiv Moscow)

12 goals

• Sergei Rodionov (Spartak Moscow)

11 goals

• Oleh Protasov (Dynamo Kyiv)

10 goals

• Mashalla Akhmedov (Neftchi)
• Ihor Petrov (Shakhtar Donetsk)

9 goals

• Sergei Dmitriyev (Zenit)
• Vladimir Grechnev (Torpedo Moscow)
• Gija Guruli (Dinamo Tbilisi)
• Volodymyr Lyutyi (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
• Arminas Narbekovas (Žalgiris)
• Andrei Rudakov (Torpedo Moscow)

Clean sheets

14 matches

• Valeri Sarychev (Torpedo Moscow)

12 matches

• Valeriy Horodov (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

11 matches

• Stanislav Cherchesov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
• Aleksandr Podshivalov (Ararat Yerevan)
• Viktor Chanov (Dynamo Kyiv)

10 matches

• Rinat Dasayev (Spartak Moscow)

9 matches

• Otar Gabelia (Dinamo Tbilisi)
• Andrei Satsunkevich (Dinamo Minsk)

7 matches

• Mikhail Biryukov (Zenit Leningrad)

Medal squads

(league appearances and goals listed in brackets)

1. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Goalkeepers: Valeriy Horodov (25), Serhiy Krakovskyi (4), Igor Tyuterev (1). Defenders: Sergei Bashkirov (29 / 1), Ivan Vyshnevskyi (28), Oleksandr Sorokalet (27 / 1), Oleksiy Cherednyk (24 / 3), Serhiy Puchkov (22), Volodymyr Gerashchenko (7), Peter Neustädter (4), Serhiy Bezhenar (3), Oleksandr Chervonyi (1 / 1), Petro Buts (1), Oleh Fediukov (1). Midfielders: Volodymyr Bahmut (28 / 2), Mykola Kudrytsky (27 / 3), Anton Shokh (22 / 1), Vadym Yevtushenko (20), Vadym Tyshchenko (6), Viktor Rafalchuk (2), Yevhen Pokhlebayev (1). Forwards: Eduard Son (29 / 8), Yevhen Shakhov (28 / 16), Volodymyr Lyutyi (21 / 9), Igor Shkvyrin (10 / 2), Andriy Sydelnykov (8 / 1), Oleh Taran (4), Vasyl Storchak (2), Oleh Koshelyuk (1 / 1), Konstantin Yeryomenko (1), Yuriy Leonov (1), Valentyn Moskvyn (1). Manager: Yevhen Kucherevskyi. Transferred out during the season: Vadym Yevtushenko (to FC Dynamo Kyiv reserves), Peter Neustädter (to SC Tavriya Simferopol), Vasyl Storchak (to FC SKA Karpaty Lviv).

2. FC Dynamo Kyiv

Goalkeepers: Viktor Chanov (25), Aleksandr Zhidkov (5). Defenders: Anatoliy Demyanenko (30 / 1), Oleh Kuznetsov (26 / 1), Andriy Bal (23), Serhiy Shmatovalenko (21), Volodymyr Bezsonov (19), Ihor Korniyets (13), Sergei Baltacha (12), Vladimir Gorilyi (11 / 1). Midfielders: Vasyl Rats (30 / 2), Hennadiy Lytovchenko (29 / 7), Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko (23 / 6), Oleksandr Zavarov (18 / 4), Ivan Yaremchuk (11), Andrei Kanchelskis (7 / 1), Pavlo Yakovenko (6 / 1), Serhiy Pohodin (3), Mykhaylo Stelmakh (1). Forwards: Oleh Protasov (29 / 11), Ihor Belanov (27 / 8). Manager: Valeriy Lobanovskyi. Transferred out during the season: Oleksandr Zavarov (to Juventus).

3. FC Torpedo Moscow

Goalkeepers: Valeri Sarychev (26), Aleksei Prudnikov (5). Defenders: Aleksandr Polukarov (29), Valentin Kovach (26 / 1), Sergei Prigoda (15), Sergei Bodak (3), Maksim Cheltsov (3), Dmitri Chugunov (2). Midfielders: Sergey Agashkov (30), Vladimir Grechnyov (29 / 9), Oleg Shirinbekov (29 / 2), Gennadi Grishin (27 / 1), Nikolai Savichev (25 / 6), Sergei Zhukov (19), Aleksei Yeryomenko (9 / 1), Sergei Shustikov (1). Forwards: Vadim Rogovskoy (29), Nikolai Pisarev (19 / 1), Andrei Rudakov (18 / 9), Yuri Savichev (17 / 6), Aleksandr Gitselov (13 / 2), Vladimir Kobzev (8 / 1), Yuri Tishkov (1). Manager: Valentin Ivanov. Transferred out during the season: Aleksei Yeryomenko (to FC Dynamo Moscow), Vladimir Kobzev (to FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don).

Number of teams by union republic

Rank	Union republic	Number of teams	Club(s)
1	RSFSR	5	Dinamo Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Torpedo Moscow, Zenit Leningrad
	Ukrainian SSR		Chernomorets Odessa, Dinamo Kiev, Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk, Metallist Kharkov, Shakhter Donetsk
3	Armenian SSR	1	Ararat Yerevan
	Azerbaijan SSR		Neftchi Baku
	Belarusian SSR		Dinamo Minsk
	Georgian SSR		Dinamo Tbilisi
	Kazakh SSR		Kairat Alma-Ata
	Lithuanian SSR		Zhalgiris Vilnius

See also

• 1988 Soviet First League
• 1988 Soviet Second League