This first Soviet Union Vintage post gathers retro player and team images from the 1960s, the decade that Soviet football tentatively emerged from self-imposed isolation to make its mark on the world game.

With goalkeeper Lev Yashin as its iconic leader, the Soviet national team won the inaugural European Nations Cup in 1960 and finished runner’s up four years later. The World Cup of 1966 and the 1968 European Nations Cup saw further strong performances and semi-final appearances, the latter lost to hosts Italy only on the toss of a coin.

Soviet clubs were late to the European competition table and Dynamo Kiev made the first strong statement of intent when eliminating holders Celtic from the 1967-68 European Cup.

Stalino Donetsk, 1961

Lev Yashin, FIFA game at Wembley 1963

Torpedo Moscow

Eduard Markarov, Soviet Union 1966

Dynamo Moscow 1966

Slava Metreveli, Soviet Union 1966

Lev Yashin 1966

Lev Yashin in London, 1966

Soviet Union 1966

Anatoly Banishevsky, Neftchi Baku 1967

Hurcilava, Soviet Union 1968

Torpedo Moscow 1968

Torpedo Moscow, 1968