BIOGRAPHY

This section contains a short summary of the book "Eduard Markarov" from the series "Idols of National Football" (480 pages, ISBN 978-5-9903790-1-5, Russian/Armenian). You can find the full text in the electronic version of the book.

EDUARD MARKAROV

Watch out, goalkeeper, strikes - Markarov is coming

Fans' chants

They say Markarov can hit the ball even in the eye of a needle

From conversations in the stands

Artem Agalarovich was a modest person and never stuck out his "I". In this respect (and not only in this), his son Edward is an exact copy of his father.

Here are just some of the statements of players, sports journalists, fans - people who knew Markarov's father and son well:

"Rejecting the purely external similarity of these two masters, I involuntarily catch myself thinking that Markarov the father and Markarov the son are strikingly similar on the field: almost the same gait, the ability to "read the game from a sheet", outstanding improvisation and filigree pass.

"... And today I look at the son of Artem Markarov. How much Edik adopted from his father: technique and speed, feint and stroke."

“I remember the day when Markarov was congratulated on the birth of his son. What can you wish a good football player when his son is born? Grow a real athlete out of him. After the war, Artem Markarov came to the stadium with a little boy. It seemed that this set his father up. , still devoted himself entirely to football and spent 90 minutes on the field with purely youthful indefatigability. And ten years later I saw his son on the field for the first time. Eduard inherited a lot from his father that made his name so noticeable so quickly."

“Artem Markarov was a man of the highest standard. He didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t use foul language. In everyday life and on the football field he was very polite. Edik is an exact copy of Artem, his blood.”

“Veteran fans remember the bright game of Markarov’s father. Smart, technical, prudent. In the teams of Baku’s Tempo, Yerevan’s Dynamo, in the Transcaucasus national team. And now, watching the actions of Markarov’s son, you notice he has a lot in common with his father "This, for example, refers to dribbling, which his son, perhaps, is even more perfect. But Edik still does not have a combination instinct, the ability to "lead" the game, which Artem Markarov was so famous for. This comes with years, with experience And it will come!"

“In the way of playing, the younger Markarov resembled his father. He also owned the ball, chose the same place, also felt the distance between himself and the defender and owned the same set of various tricks that helped him, without repeating, beat the guardians. And Markarov somehow with a special "panoramic" vision he saw everything that happens on the field. He touched the ball and almost never gave it a look. Eyes were needed for something else: to know who and how to outwit, because they boil down to this simple task, in in the end, all the efforts of such a striker as Markarov. At first he played along with others. Then they began to play along with him. And he became the main forward of the country."

Chapters 9 - 20

1966-1968 USSR national team

1960-1971 Oilman (Neftchi), Baku

CHAPTER 9

1960 "Zernosovkhoz" (Armavir). Artem Markarov - coach

1960 "Zernosovkhoz" (Armavir). Eduard Markarov - player

Already being a famous football player, Eduard Markarov recalled:

"The football atmosphere has surrounded me since childhood. As far as I can remember, the words "football", "goal", "boots" were constantly heard in the house. Of course, my father wanted me to become a good player. Still, the only son. But he never forced: if you want to play, if you don’t want to, it’s your business. I learned to play in the yard and I am still convinced that technique can only be learned by myself. Father was an excellent technician and everyone thought that he taught me from an early age, shared secrets. But he took me in only when he saw that I had learned a lot in the yard. He coached the club team of the Baku Lokomotiv. He brought me to the stadium, put me on a bench near the gate and said: "Watch and learn." Three years later, I myself when I was a kid in our backyard, I used to go to the matches of Lokomotiv, where my father continued to play in. He worked with the players of Lokomotiv and paid almost no attention to me, he wanted me to do the same thing as everyone else: God forbid, someone he would think that he was training his son to the detriment of the cause, and he knew for sure that only he who who wants to learn. After these Lokomotiv games, we staged football performances in our yard. These fights have become a real fighting school for me. Residents of neighboring yards came to watch our games and, like at real matches, they cheered for us, cheered, and sometimes scolded us. We spent whole days in the yard: we played, learned tricks, shots, learned strokes, dribbling, passing. We competed for the best performance, so the technique was instilled in us.

Having played enough for the day in the yard, the guys and I were looking forward to the evening. It was then that the most interesting thing began for us. Arriving from work and changing clothes, grown-up guys and men came out into the yard with a ball. It was a real show! In the first post-war years in Baku, Yerevan, Tbilisi, football was played in every yard. Almost the entire male population. So imagine a small courtyard in Baku in the Armenian district of the city, where everyone knows each other, where hot battles take place in the evenings, and even with fans!

Our area was considered in the city to be quite "thieves". There was more than enough crime, many were in trouble with the law. In some ways, it even resembled a kind of conveyor belt: one of the neighbors was leaving prison, the other was sitting down ... You see, home education is one thing, and street education is completely different. On the street, I was brought up in a rather tough regime.

The harsh morals that prevailed in the yard companies hardened me. The rule here is very simple: so that no one can offend you, you must be strong. And it is very good that I managed to understand this from an early age.

Being strong on the football field means playing smarter, faster, smarter than your opponent. Surpass him in the game. Why does anyone have to be better than me? And if you are inferior in something, work tirelessly to eliminate the shortcomings. And it is also very important to understand: skill from the sky will not fall to you. Even if the Lord has endowed you with some abilities, you won’t become a player without difficulty in training.

I must say that our regulars in prisons and penitentiary colonies also liked to play football. It happened, it came to "international" matches - the team of one region against the team of another. Both in one and in the other, "thieves in law" often ruled. They themselves played. At the same time, the order on the court and around it was provided almost exemplary: no fights, to prevent somehow or even more so to disrupt the match if the "thieves" compete - an unthinkable thing! Everyone played - both repeat offenders, and ordinary punks, and normal guys.

Among the criminals, there were guys capable of football. True, regular departures to "places not so remote" did not allow them to improve their skills. I must say that it was our "thieves" who soon drew attention to my game, realized that I could fly high, and took a kind of patronage over me. Imagine a picture: a southern evening, a company is gathering - a guitar, "thieves" songs ... Around a few boys catch all this "romance". Then one of the "godfathers" sends the boy to the nearest stall for cigarettes. And the schist, proud of the trust rendered, rushes there with all his might. How did they choose him from all of them! I was completely exempt from such assignments. “Kings of the Gateway”, apparently, quickly realized that my vocation was football, and began to patronize in their own way. They cared, for example, about my safety (having found themselves in a "foreign" area of the city, it was easy to get into trouble), and in the evening, when we stayed up late, at a certain time one of them, looking at his watch, would say: "That's it, Edik, it's already ten o'clock - go to bed. Tomorrow you have to train."

... I first learned about this match of children's teams forty years ago from an article by A. Alexandrov in the weekly "Football." The eminent journalist believed that he was talking about a match that was unlikely to go down in the annals of sports. But he was wrong. And this happened through the “fault” of Eduard Markarov, who, with his brilliant career as a football player, “forced” the master of sports journalism Alexander Kiknadze to recall that distant match:

"Many years ago, an old acquaintance Murad Mursalov, the director of the children's football school, invited me to see his team. Mursalov was convinced that young men were growing up at the school, who were destined to raise the glory of Baku football to heaven in the very near future. He understood well what kind of - the suffering city will honor the one who will help the unfortunate team get out of the group in which it has been vegetating for several years. "th outpost. Believing in the easy victory of his fellows, Mursalov invited the leaders of the city department of public education to the game. Lemonade and sandwiches were distributed free of charge along the rows, for which the hospitable director paid before the start. He wanted everyone to have a good present A close friend of the principal was refereeing the match, and this close friend did not count the first goal scored against the school team by a tiny ma little boy in a faded T-shirt that slipped off his shoulders. The referee resolutely ran up to the gate and stopped three meters from them, raising his hand. This meant: offside, although there was actually no offside, the boy who scored the goal looked sadly at the referee and said nothing, only held his hands under his nose and ran to the center of the field.

The first half ended two-nil. It was better not to look at poor Murad. Everything in this world was turned upside down in his mind. He could not understand anything, what happened to his beautiful team? What happened to his hopes? What will happen to his school? Who needs a football school with its own budget and its own staff, if the team of this school is losing to some completely unknown backyard team? Finally, who is this objectionable and fast forward in a T-shirt falling off his shoulders? He scored both goals, which the referee could no longer count off, damn it, where did the defenders go or are they not on the field at all? Okay, from the very beginning, they could not pay attention to shorty. But then, then, they should have realized that for some reason the whole team was playing on him, and that he knew how to dribble and shoot on goal. After all, it was not in vain that Mursalov sent his assistant to the gate and he shouted at the top of his voice to the defenders: do not let him play, this, like him, shorty! During the break, the director hurried to his. He returned to the podium calm. "Now everything will be all right," he said not so much to others as to himself. Twenty minutes before the end, he got up from his seat and, casually nodding goodbye to the director of the school, a specially invited comrade from the city administration left the stadium. And someone else left. And the director lowered his head and did not look at the field. And I did not see how the fourth ball flew into his goal. It, like the three previous ones, was scored by the same small forward in a big T-shirt from someone else's shoulders.

I don’t know if it was because the school team lost, or maybe for another, more compelling reason, but the football school was still closed, and its director, who “did not provide leadership,” was transferred somewhere to a low job. By the way, then, at the stadium, before parting, he asked me if I knew the boy who scored four goals? I replied that I didn't know.

- This is the son of Artyom, - Mursalov said without much tenderness.

And then something became clear.

Young Edik received his first award - a certificate of honor for sports success at the age of 13 in the pioneer camp of the Shoe Factory. A. Mikoyan.

A year later, the first "gold" medal will appear in his collection of awards - for the victory in the Baku Cup among children's teams. The favorites of this draw were the teams of young football players of the stadium named after Stalin (now named after T. Bakhramov) and TsDSSH (Central Children's Sports School). But it so happened that the first place was taken by an unknown team of house management ¹ 511. It won all the matches with a “dry” score, and its captain and center forward Edik Markarov received a challenge prize.

The following year, Edik was included in the youth team of the republic, in which he took part in the VI All-Union Spartakiad of students in Moscow.

First, the Uzbeks were defeated - 4:0, then the Lithuanians - 3:0 and the Labor Reserves team - 3:2. In the last match, the decisive goal was scored by the team leader Edik Markarov with a beautiful fall over himself. The score for "all-Union" goals with a "scissors" kick was opened! How many more dozens of times will the opponent's goalkeepers have to take the ball out of their own goal after this Mar-karov's trademark strike!

Then the winners of the subgroups were divided into two groups. The Baku team beat the team of the Ministry of Railways - 2:1 and tied with the players of the RSFSR and Ukraine. One of these draws deprived Baku residents of the opportunity to fight for gold medals. They took second place in the group, and the Ukrainians reached the final, where they won the title of champions after beating (2:0) Muscovites. Edik Markarov became the author of nine goals at the Spartakiad and was among the 33 best young football players of the USSR.

When Edik was returning home, he dreamed on the train that he was the best scorer in the country. No wonder they say, sleep is in the hand. I only had to wait three years. Upon his return to Baku, he was, as they say, taken off the train and sent to Armavir to his father. It turns out that Artem Agalarovich, who had previously worked as a second coach at Spartak Nalchik for several months, was appointed head coach of the Armavir Zernosovkhoz team.

And Edik began to play in the adult team in the championship of the Krasnodar Territory. He scored a lot and started talking about him in the local press. By chance (is this word applicable to a footballophile?) I happened to have several issues of the Armavir Commune newspaper dated 1959-60, and I will gladly quote fragments from some football reports of these newspapers:

"Zernosovkhoz" (Armavir) - "Spartak" (Stavropol) - 2:1.

"... And at the end of the game, the left winger Markarov, who replaced Cherkasov, brought the state farm athletes ahead. As a drawback in the game of our players, we must consider the fact that the attackers played little on the fast and technical left wing Markarov."

"Zernosovkhoz" (Armavir) - "Trud" (Maikop) - 5:1.

"... The fourth goal is scored by the young football player Markarov, who replaced Krapivenko in the second half... A few minutes before the end of the match, Markarov quickly takes the lead and sends the fifth ball into the net of the guests' goal with a shot on the move... This meeting is exceptionally good the players Markarov and Delanchyan have proven themselves."

"Zernosovkhoz" (Armavir) - "Khimik" - 4:1

"... The young player Markarov entered the field instead of Dikanchyan. It was with his filing that Pitskeria opened the scoring. Soon, Markarov's breakthrough again ends with a goal scored by the guests. -tat up to 4:1".

In 1960, the Zernosovkhoz team achieved the honor of playing in the final of the Cup of the Krasnodar Territory.

And the following year, the paths of the father and son of the Markarovs parted for the first time. Edik ended up in the team of masters of the Baku Neftyanik, playing in the top division of Soviet football, and Artem Agalarovich headed the Maikop Trud team. The fact is that in February 1961, the Neftyanik came to the control matches, led by the legendary coach Boris Andreevich Arkadiev. An outstanding theoretician and practitioner of football just accepted the Baku team and brought it to the Kuban to get ready for the new season. In Armavir "Neftyanik" played two matches with local teams "Torpedo" and "Zernosovkhoz". Arkadiev liked the nimble and technical Markarov, and Edik "had" to pack his bags.

This was not the first invitation to the team of masters. Edik was also called to Spartak Yerevan. Once, in a conversation with me, Sergey Zatikyan told me about how Artem Markarov came from Armavir to Rostov for the calendar game of the Yerevan Spartak. After the match, he took the whole team to his place to taste the chickens (after all, he coached the state farm team). It was there that the Yerevan football players liked the sparkling game of young Edik. But Artem Agalarovich was adamant.

CHAPTER 10

1961–1962 Youth Team of the USSR. Eduard Markarov

1961-1962 "Oilman" (Baku). Eduard Markarov

1961 "Labor" (Armavir). Artem Markarov - coach

1962 "Spartak" (Armavir). Artem Markarov - coach

I took Edik to Neftyanik almost as a boy - he was small, but fighting. I immediately saw that he was a great dribbler, master of dribble. And what a great football player he grew up to be!

Boris Arkadiev, Soviet footballer and football coach. 1961-62 Oilman coach

People are bells. It happens that a certain bell is cast as it should, and shines all over, and the sound is as if they hit cast iron. Another is small and inconspicuous, but touch it - it will sound like a dawn is spreading over the earth. This is the link.

Anatoly Ivanov

So, true to the rule of doing everything in detail and solidly, Arkadiev, thinking ahead, was looking for young football players.

And there was someone to choose from. For two years in a row, the young men of "Neftyanik" under the leadership of A. G. Falyan became winners of the USSR championship, and the national team of the republic, trained by A. L. Ter-Markaryan, won gold medals at the All-Union Spartakiad of schoolchildren.

Several wonderful football players fluttered out of the "Falyanovsky" nest, who then adorned the colors of various Soviet teams and the country's leading clubs:

- Anatoly Banishevsky, who played in the national team

USSR and "Neftyanik".

- Yuri Melkumov (Melkumyan), youth and junior team-

nye USSR, "Oilman", "Kairat".

- Leonid Pakhomov - "Torpedo" Moscow.

- Nikolay Bogdanov - "Oilman", "Dnepr", "Dynamo" Kyiv,

"Zenith".

- Sergey Melkumyan - Ararat, Neftyanik, Pakhtakor.

- Vladimir Astapovsky - national team of the USSR, CSKA.

- Vladimir Brukhtiy - "Oilman", the youth team of the USSR.

- Yuri Padiyan - "Ararat".

- Alexander Semin - "Ararat", "Oilman".

- Vladimir Volkov - "Ararat".

- Vyacheslav Shekhov, Boris Galoyan, Viktor Zabrodin, Yuri

Oganyan, Valery Fedortsev, Boris Kevorkyan, who also played in various clubs in the country, the list could be multiplied and multiplied.

In addition to Markarov, several more young football players selected by Arkadyev were invited to the first home training session of Neftyanik: Eduard Mangasaryan, Alexander Semin, Yuri Padiyan, Alexander Trofimov. There were no experienced Robert Chanchaleishvili, Marcel Javakhyan, Yuri Kuznetsov, Eduard Avakyan, Adamas Golodets, who completed the course of treatment.

Markarov came to the team with his pronounced "I". His individualism had to be put at the service of the whole team. And this was achieved by Arkadiev. Before Edik, he set the task: to play witty, work out the pass, show invention. It worked, but not right away. Let us, however, give the floor to Eduard Markarov himself:

“ I can honestly say that I was lucky, because I met with the wisest football teacher Boris Andreevich, who then headed the Baku Neftyanik. Half a season of internship in the doubles, and since 1962 I have been in the main team. I remember, Arkadiev, entrusting me with a place center forward, said: "Edik, football must be played effortlessly, with a smile." And I tried to play with a smile and at the same time score as many goals as possible. Then I was intoxicated with success. And only about a year later I realized, thanks to why a young, albeit technical, feeling, as they say, a goal situation, the guy moved into the scorers.The point was that next to me were big, real masters - Yuri Kuznetsov, Alekper Mamedov, Adamas Golodets (each of them had previously passed excellent school in the Moscow "Dina-mo"), who were considered great football players in Baku. Not only had they spent many years in football by the time I arrived, they all turned out to be thin, sincere people. Kuznetsov could give the ball with his eyes closed in the very point where I was at that moment, and he did it without processing, as they say on the move. In general, it seemed that the ball itself goes to your feet. After such transfers to score, of course, is relatively easy. I am grateful to them, first of all, for the patience and tact that they showed in training. It is clear that we young people still didn’t really know how to pass and open up properly in the game, but not once (I emphasize - not once!) Neither Kuznetsov, nor Mamedov, nor Golodets shouted: “What are you doing, kid? What football do you play?" All remarks were expressed in a delicate manner. It used to be that Yura Kuznetsov would choose a moment when no one was around and say: "In this episode, Edik, you made a mistake. You should have played like this ...". He will tell, then he will show what needed to be done to make the attack more acute. The tone is instructive, not hysterical. It was not only pleasant to hear, but also brought benefits to me: I caught literally every word of our "classics".

If you want to learn how to play well, be like a sponge: pay attention to everything, absorb the useful, discard the unnecessary. These players taught me a lot in football: they instilled a taste for the combination game, gifted me with technical tricks, and helped develop football thinking. In a word, these were the highest football courses for me."

The debut of Eduard Markarov took place in Moscow on April 26, 1961 at the Dynamo stadium in a match with Torpedo. In a review of the next round, Mikhail Yakushin wrote: "Neftyanik had a somewhat weakened line-up - instead of A. Golodets and A. Mamedov, young V. Filatov and E. Markarov performed." "Neftya-nik" lost 2:3, but E. Markarov, who "weakened" the squad, scored his first goal in his first game.

The stadium buzzed deafly and alarmedly: the champion of the country - "Torpedo" loses to "Oilman" - 0:1. Moreover, the southerners are not going to give way to the home team and attack. Here they are in the box. The ball flies to the left at a frail black-haired boy. Silently, sensing danger, he rushed across, but too late: the ball, slipping under him, got stuck in the net.

The impassive voice of the announcer was muffled by the noise of applause:

- The second goal against "Torpedo" was scored by Eduard Markarov - number eleven!

This is how the young footballer from Baku left his first "calling card" in the national championship, this is how he made his first acquaintance with the exacting Moscow audience.

A true fan, and even more so a specialist, will not be surprised by a beautifully scored goal. He makes an opinion about this or that football player, having comprehensively discussed his advantages and disadvantages. I can’t say what impression Edik’s game made on the audience, but he played, although he scored a goal, clearly worse than he could.

Where did the lightness go, I would say, the familiarity with which the young football player handled the ball, his soft, as if sneaking movements, then unexpectedly sharp, like an explosion, feints, when the defender, without even understanding what was happening, sees in front of him no longer the concentrated face of the athlete, and the number of measures on his T-shirt.

Outwardly, everything seemed to be normal. The debutant, it seemed, not embarrassed by the high-profile titles of Muscovites, often took the game upon himself, but ... in vain. The tricks didn't work. Yes, the confidence was purely external. In fact - excitement and nervousness. Probably, everyone who makes his debut at the capital's stadiums or stages experiences this.

And with all this, an experienced eye could notice hidden potentialities in a beginner, sparkles of talent.

- "Raw" yet, but will play, - they said in the box of the USSR Football Federation. And in the notebook of the senior coach of the national youth team of the country, Alexei Paramonov, a laconic entry appeared: "Eduard Markarov, Neftyanik, Baku." And a month later he invited Markarov to the national team for a match with the teams of Poland and Czechoslovakia. This was not Edik's first call-up to the youth team. A year before, according to the results of the All-Union Spartakiad of schoolchildren, Konstantin Beskov compiled a team that traveled to Poland and defeated the youth team of this country. At those training camps, Eduard Markarov and Alexander Kovalenko from Spartak Yerevan met for the first time.

And this time the Soviet team played away. The match took place in the city of Radom on July 16. For some reason, Markarov was put up for play on the left flank of the attack. The USSR national team lost - 0:1.

But a month later, in Ceske Budejovice, our players outplayed the Czechoslovaks with a score of 2:1. The goals were scored by Georgy Sichinava and Eduard Markarov.

Three days later, the team under the flag of the Moscow "Spartak" played at the XIII international traditional tournament for youth teams in San Remo (Italy). In the subgroup, our players beat the Yugoslav "Hajduk" - 3:1 and tied with the Italian "Carlins Boys" - 0:0. In the semi-finals, the Soviet youths lost to the Italian Juventus - 2:4, and in the match for 3-4 places they beat Torino - 1:0.

Forwards Valery Reingold and Eduard Markarov were recognized as the best in our team. “For the 18-year-old Valerka Reingold, the famous Juventus, they say, gave a million dollars,” Gennady Logofet, the defender of the national team and Moscow “Spartak”, recalled many years later. “He ran faster than the wind! Edik Markarov passed him on the go, and Reingold easily left any defender, he scored a lot of goals in the tournament then.

... The flag of the national championship of 1962 soared solemnly. Already matured, matured and strengthened, Edik enters it. Athletic training affected: like all his comrades, he went through a good football improvement school under the guidance of a senior coach. In a number of control and international friendly matches, he demonstrated a bright and productive game. After the game with Lokomotiv Moscow, which ended in a 3-2 victory for the Baku team, Nikolai Morozov, head coach of Muscovites (two years later he will be appointed head coach of the USSR national team), said that Tuaev and Markarov made a good impression on him. And here is what one of the newspapers wrote: “Technical Markarov beat the defender with a brilliant trick“ in the style of Meskhi ”, but failed to break through on goal ... During one of the attacks, which Morgunov started this time, Filatov clearly passed the ball to Markarov , who found himself in the place of the right welterweight. He quickly left the two defenders of the Muscovites and scored a goal. "

"Neftyanik" won in these matches "Pakhtakor" (twice), "Kairat", "Builder" (Ashgabat) and the Kirov-Bad teams "Testilshchik" and "Dynamo", and Markarov scored a bunch of balls in them.

Successfully Edik played matches with the Romanian "Progressul" (Bucharest) - 3: 4, the Polish "Zaglembe" (So-snovets) - 1: 1 and the Bulgarian "Spartak" (Plovdiv) - 2: 2. Here are some quotes from the newspapers of the time. “Everyone remembered well, probably, the moment of the game, when Markarov, who actively held the competition, successfully passed the opponents’ penalty area, beating several Poles in the process. But since there were no partners near Baku, this attack bogged down .. ."; "Markarov, having received the ball in place of the right semi-middle, rushed to the left, beating two Bulgarian defenders on the way, and sent the ball into the net past Stankov from the bottom." As for the match with the Romanians, despite the loss, Edik scored twice. And Markarov scored a goal for the Bulgarians, circling four defenders and the goalkeeper.

But then one match of the championship passed, followed by the second, the third ... And the coaches do not let Markarov into the starting lineup. Five matches without him, the team cannot score a single goal. A reporter from one newspaper even sadly asked: "Are there any attackers in Neftyanik?"

Something was missing. It was also necessary to constantly learn something during the official games, to "invent" something, to play new combinations.

Here is how Eduard Markarov recalls this time:

“Our coach Boris Andreevich Arkadiev built the team’s game in different ways, depending on the specific opponent. Sometimes we played, as they said then, in two “pins” - Golodets and I took a position at the forefront of the attack, and Kuznetsov and Mamedov acted There was another option: Tuaev and I are ahead, and Mamedov and Kuznetsov are a little behind. Both Arkadiev and our then prime ministers perfectly understood that Markarov, who was put forward at the forefront of the attack and regularly scored, was much more useful than Markarov, who worked out in the middle of the field. The "oil industry" of that time had a group of "workers" players and there were those who mainly soloed. For example, Yuri Kuznetsov could not perform such a huge amount of work as Sasha Trofimov, but he knew how to bring his partner to an ideal position like no one else And I was also lucky in one thing: our head coach was an intelligent person! Paradoxical as it may sound, he even knew how to swear culturally. It is known that coaching is a continuous stress, sometimes not the team has a game in the first half, it loses. We're going to the locker room for a break. Arkadyev starts scolding us. And here's what's interesting, even his obscene expressions sounded somehow intelligent. And no one was offended, although quite a few Caucasians already played in the team, and this is not accepted in our country. I also remember that he often told us: if you want to learn how to play well, read more."

Five rounds "Neftyanik" in the absence of Markarov did not know victories, five matches and not a single goal scored. "Burst" in Tashkent against the local "Pakhtakor". And he helped to destroy the “drought” for the first time in the season, young Markarov, who plays for the main team. Of the three goals scored against the Tashkent team, two fell on him. “This young football player, along with good technique, also has determination. He, without hesitation, takes on the game in the opponents’ penalty area and, with the help of a stroke, solves the main task - scoring a goal ,” wrote one of the sports journalists.

Personal account is open! And then everything went as expected. The most experienced defenders no longer have time for his jerk. Frequent, like a rolling step, carries him forward. At high speed, he creates ingenious combinations, and his deceptive movements are so believable that they cannot be trusted.

The victory over Pakhtakor is also notable for the fact that it was in Tashkent that the Kuznetsov-Markarov tandem "talked" in full voice. The account was opened by Markarov with the filing of Kuznetsov. He also scored the third goal against Pakhtakor, again from Kuznetsov, who had previously scored a goal himself.

A few more matches passed, and the tandem of Baku residents was already heard in many cities. The coaches, giving instructions for the game with "Neftchik", dwelled in particular detail on measures to neutralize the impact force of the Baku team.

CHAPTER 11

1962 "Oilman"

Eduard Markarov - the best scorer of the USSR (Prize of the newspaper "Trud")

The year 1962 was marked by the birth of a remarkable tandem of center forwards Kuznetsov-Markarov, where the great combinational gift of the experienced Kuznetsov was supplemented by the assertiveness and charge on the gate of the young Eduard Markarov.

When Markarov has the ball, he is somewhat reminiscent of K. Beskov. His deceptive body movements, misleading opponents, his feints at high speed make you remember the youth of Dynamo. There is something from the game of A. Mamedov in him - the ability to feel the situation and apply an unexpected feint in single combat with two or even three defenders. But most of all he has from his father. And the manner, and fast running, and technique.

A. Alexandrov

And the rapid ascent of Markarov to the prize of the newspaper "Trud" began - the cherished dream of all Soviet forwards.

June 6th "Neftyanik" - "Spartak" (Moscow) - 2: 2

“Baku started the meeting with an attack. In the first minutes, our athletes played brilliantly. Multi-way combinations, accurate passes, sometimes virtuoso dribbling, attacks on a wide front ... In less than two minutes, an explosion of applause shook the stadium. Ovation was addressed to Yuri Kuznetsov and Eduard Markarov. Kuznetsov accurately passed the ball to Markarov. Muscovites' goalkeeper Ivakin ran out to meet Markarov, but he scored a goal from a difficult situation ... "Tandem" Yuri Kuznetsov-Eduard Markarov, cleverly, clearly interacting, "torments" the Spartak defense. to emphasize the teamwork and mutual understanding of the prudent conductor, soul and organizer of the attacks - the experienced Yuri Kuznetsov and the fervent, impetuous Eduard Markarov. Kuznetsov scored the second goal from the filing of Markarov ... "

June 23rd. "Neftyanik" - "Dynamo" (Leningrad) - 5:0

"Markarov's breakthrough and the score becomes 3-0... Having received the ball literally a stone's throw from the goal, Markarov freely processed it and sent it into the net. 4-0..."

5'th of July. "Neftyanik" - "Vanguard" (Kharkiv) - 4:0

Markarov scored the first two goals. In the first case, he used the inconsistency in the actions of the goalkeeper and the defender (Maryenko) of Kharkiv, intercepted the ball and sent it to the goal net. "Markarov showed enviable composure in those moments. He stayed ahead, and when the ball hit him, a sharp jerk and good dribbling allowed the Bakuvian to break through to the opponents' goal. Then Markarov shot hard past Ugraitsky..."

July 16. "Oilman" - "Dynamo" (Tbilisi) - 1:1

Eduard Markarov was again the author of the only goal of the Baku team.

August 16th. "Oilman" - "Torpedo" (Kutaisi) - 4:0

It was Markarov's ninth league goal, now he was one ball behind Andrey Biba.

22 August. "Oilman" - "Wings of the Soviets" (Kuibyshev) - 2:1

"Kuznetsov beat three defenders in the center of the field and accurately passed Tuaeva, who, in a jump, threw the ball to Markarov. The left insider of the Baku team, being in a difficult position, managed to circle the goalkeeper and send the ball into the far corner."

Like the previous one, the championship of the 62nd year was held in two stages. Initially, 22 teams were divided into two equal subgroups. Then, the top six each made up the "golden dozen", which played out for the championship title.

So, at the finish of the first stage in the second subgroup, where "Neftyanik" performed, the struggle for the "test" sixth place flared up between Baku and Minsk residents. And it so happened that the issue had to be resolved in a head-to-head match in Baku.

On September 19, the whole city was preparing for this "historic" meeting. I studied then on the second shift and had to ask the teacher for a day off from the last lesson. As a schoolboy, I never missed a single match of my favorite team. And if the "Oilman" lost, then the next day he walked in black. From school, I hurried to my father at the factory. A passionate football lover, he not only adored this game, but also "kept" the team that played in the city championship. The engineering and technical staff of the plant, knowing that their director is an ardent football fan, also became addicted to football. They understood that on the stadium podium, sitting next to the director, in moments of general jubilation, one could communicate with him familiarly. Very strict in production, the father was transformed at the stadium.

Republican Stadium. Lenin was crowded. Designed for 35 thousand spectators, it absorbed at least 50. People sat in the aisles, on the lamps and even on the football scoreboard. Then it was a shield, in the middle of which there was a rotating circle, shaped like a soccer ball. He was turned over when the score of the match changed. It was on these two scoreboards that the most fearless fans sat. By the beginning of the second half, they only had to spin the “soccer ball” once, and even then on the scoreboard with the inscription “Belarus”. "Oilman" was losing, but continued to attack. Their indomitable desire to win led to the fact that two goals were scored against the Minskers, and the score became 2:1 in favor of Baku. Goals by Adamas Golodets and Alexander Trofimov were welcomed by the stadium, as always, standing up. And when the referee Demchenko's whistle blew, announcing that the "Neftyanik" for the first time got into the top dozen teams of the Soviet Union, the stadium roared and began to resemble a burning bowl. Torches, torches from newspapers blazed in the hands of spectators distraught with happiness - His Majesty FOOTBALL...

The 4th of October. "Oilman" - "Moldova" (Chisinau) - 1:0.

Edward's eleventh goal. At the 59th minute of the meeting, he finished off the ball that bounced off the Moldovan goalkeeper.

October 24th. "Zenith" (Leningrad) - "Neftyanik" - 5:1

"Markarov walked along the edge, at full speed passed the ball to Kuznetsov, who, without stopping him, threw it to Eynullayev in one touch, the last to Markarov, and the referee fixes the goal."

28 of October. "Dynamo" (Kyiv) - "Oilman" - 4:1

The thirteenth goal of Eduard Markarov.

10th of November. "Neftyanik" - SKA (Rostov) - 2: 1

Already in the first minute of the match, having received a ball from Golodets across the entire field, Markarov passed with the ball through two defenders, circled the goalkeeper and shot into an empty net. In this match, two more episodes with the participation of Eduard were remembered. “... In the middle of the second half, the right winger “Neftyanik” Tuaev, going forward, made a hinged pass to the center, and Markarov shot on goal from 30 meters away. The bar shook. Where does this little football player come from? " And here's how the second goal was scored: Markarov makes a dash along the left side, then beats three defenders and makes a shooting pass, which was closed by Aleskerov.

November 14th. "Neftyanik"-CSKA -1:1

“Markarov made a dash and intercepted the ball, hit along the gate. Several people were in the air at once, including the goalkeeper. But in vain.

"The ball flew into the gates of Bauzhi almost from the front line, after some incomprehensible" clipping "of the ball."

"An excellent cut shot by Eduard Markarov. The ball was no more than half a meter from the ribbon, it is difficult to get into the goal in this case. And yet, the young forward managed to find a gap between Bauja rushing at him and the side post and send the ball into the net."

November 18th. "Neftyanik" - "Zenith" (Leningrad) - 1: 1

"The audience warmly welcomed the success of the young striker, who scored the 16th goal. Markarov could increase his fighting list. He had at least 2-3 more excellent goalscoring opportunities. But he did not use them. True, at one time it seemed that the ball Kuznetsov put his young partner in front, threw the ball over Vostroilov, who ran out to meet him, but at the last moment Meshcheryakov saved the situation, knocking the ball literally from the goal line. After a while, Markarov again finds himself alone with Vostroylov, but the ball again does not obey the striker.

It was his 16th goal. He brought him to the sole leadership. But not for long. A few hours later in Kyiv, Spartak's Y. Sevidov also scored his 16th goal - again from the penalty spot.

Fate was not very merciful to the Baku forward. At least twice in this match, he could still score a goal, but it didn’t work out. Even when he went around the goalkeeper and shot at an empty goal. But there suddenly appeared a defender and parried the blow.

The "Labor" prize was given to Markarov and Sevidov, but the moral advantage was on the side of the Bakuvian. Spartak scored 3 out of 16 goals from the penalty spot. Edward did not allow himself such a luxury.

Markarov scored 15 of his 16 goals in matches when Yuri Kuznetsov was next to him.

“Look at Markarov when he is off the ball. He closely follows the movements of his regular partner Yuri Kuznetsov. Young Markarov understands him subtly. Eduard's performance.

“Edik Markarov did not possess (and does not possess!) cannon strikes. He does not “ram” the opponents’ defense. No. His game is soft. It doesn't hit hard, but in most cases it hits exactly where the goalkeeper is no longer able to rush - in the most vulnerable spot.

Frankly, it is dangerous to write in enthusiastic terms about young athletes. It is they who are especially prone to star mania bacilli. "Bombardier #1!" It sounds right, doesn't it? This can make your head spin, so much so that it will unsettle you. I would like to believe that Eduard Markarov will be able to save himself from this dangerous disease.

I must say that some football businessmen do everything in order to ... instill the disease. Sixteen goals scored by Edik do not let some of the army clubs in Moscow and Rostov sleep. Telegrams are flying with tempting offers of foreign trips and other benefits, messengers are coming with the keys to a three-room apartment with all amenities, etc.

“During the last stay of the Neftyanik in Moscow, an unknown person approached Eduard Markarov and, handing him a piece of paper with a phone number, asked him to call Nikolai Starostin, the head of the Spartak team. Such requests are not new for Edik, and he immediately told the coaches about it and comrades. But not to call means to be ignorant. I called and was not mistaken: I received an invitation to Spartak.

“In the 60s, I was persistently invited to Spartak Moscow,” Markarov recalls. “Slava Ambartsumyan came to my house and urged me to go to Spartak. level. In addition, Muscovites at that time were coached by Nikita Simonyan, which was an additional argument in favor. It is also clear that from Spartak, if you play well, it is much easier to get into the national team. Neftyanik is in Moscow for a year I played only 5-6 matches, and the Spartak team, read, the whole season before the eyes of specialists. But ... My parents were categorically against it. Perhaps they remembered the unsuccessful transfer of my father to Dynamo Yerevan. I had just been born then. Dad was called in Yerevan, they promised an apartment. He played for Dynamo for two seasons, and the family lived in a hostel. The Dynamo leadership was in no hurry to fulfill their promise, and we, without waiting for housing, then returned to Baku. In general, this topic is rather sad. And about my failed transition to Spartak - you just need to know to learn the customs of the Caucasus. Our parents' word is law. After all, back then they called me to the Rostov SKA, and also to no avail.

The natural modesty of Eduard Markarov did not allow him to mention here the names of the famous Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan and Viktor Alexandrovich Maslov. The senior coaches of Spartak and SKA personally came to persuade Eduard.

That year the Markarov family and the Armenian delegation headed by Ghazaros Teknejyan also visited. But they were also refused. Berta Grigorievna suffered from bronchial asthma, and it was contraindicated for her to live in high-mountainous Armenia.

At the end of the year, sports specialists and journalists traditionally determined the best ten athletes of the republic. The main scorer in 1962 was the third in this honorary list.

CHAPTER 12

1963 Youth Team of the USSR

1963 "Oilman"

Everyone can envy Markarov's skill.

Evgeny Rubin

If anyone really reminds anyone, then, in my opinion, the Portuguese insider Eusebio and our Edik Mar-karov are very, very similar in their style of play. Both Eusebio and, to some extent, Markarova characterize the ease in receiving the ball, the desire for a clean beat, the ability to make explosive passes.

From a review of a documentary about the "match of the century" between the England national team and world team.

The 1963 season "Neftyanik" began without Boris Arkadiev, during which the talent of such players as Markarov and Tuaev was revealed. Under him, the foundation was laid for the "bronze" success of the team.

Arkadiev was replaced at the coaching helm by Alekper Mammadov, who had just completed his football performances at Neftyanik. Klim Khachaturyan, Vyacheslav Shekhov, Sergey Melkumyan, Yuri Melkumov were accepted into the team.

"Neftyanik" continued pre-season training in Kislovodsk, where he played twice with "Pakhtakor" - 3:3 and 2:1. In these matches, Markarov scored one goal each.

... April 10, 1963 Eduard Markarov remembered for the rest of his life. On this day, before the match with Dynamo Moscow, he, as the best scorer of last year's championship, was solemnly awarded the prize of the Trud newspaper. Yury Vanyat, a well-known journalist and columnist for Trud, flew in especially for this ceremony from the capital. The holiday didn't work. Muscovites, led by the legendary Lev Yashin (that year he was recognized as the best football player in Europe) won with a score of 2: 0, and Markarov was remembered in the episode when, in the 6th minute of the match , he “jeweledly beat the massive Kesarev near the sideline and immediately struck ... past the gate."

I remember this match as a duel between Markarov and Muscovites midfielder Valery Maslov, who, like a shadow, pursued the scorer ¹1 throughout the match. It got ridiculous. Once Markarov stopped at the edge of the field, defiantly showing that he was not playing. Maslov was right there, came up and began to whisper something in the ear of his counterpart.

The duel of these two remarkable masters (Maslov was an honored master of sports in football and bandy) lasted for many years. Their fights ended with varying success, the only constants in them were conversations among themselves during the match. Maslov was a great lover of anecdotes and all kinds of tales, and in this way he tried to distract and turn off the leader of the Baku people from the game. And when Markarov managed to escape from him, a pleading exclamation of a restless guardian was heard after him: "Where are you going, Edik? I didn't tell you!"

Only in the sixth match of the national championship, Eduard managed to open his personal account with goals scored. The only goal that decided the fate of the meeting with the “Wings of the Soviets” in Kuibyshev, Markarov scored already in the 8th minute: “The Kuznetsov-Markarov tandem flashed again with a prudent and dangerous game ... Impatient fans are admirers of Neftyanik from the very first match The Baku team was expected from the young Eduard Markarov to have the same productive performance as last season, when he won the Labor prize. Markarov was never able to score a goal, and now, finally, the "personal account" of the young football player is open!"

The next goal was scored in a match with Kutaisi "Torpedo". Markarov created it with a beautiful header.

Well, then there was a match with the people of Kiev, which football fans will remember for a long time. Dynamo players opened the account. The home team played very aggressively and, having earned a penalty, gave Kuznetsov the opportunity to restore the balance. Then the same Kuznetsov skillfully brings Markarov into the gap, and with the help of a series of elusive tricks, disorienting the defenders and the goalkeeper, he powerfully hits under the crossbar! 2:1. Shortly after the break, “Kuznetsov, this tireless leader of the Baku forwards, at speed bypassed the defenders, broke into the front and accurately (up to a centimeter!) Put the ball on the foot of Markarov, who was standing alone. Bannikov, with all his desire, parried the blow unable".

Here is what Eduard Markarov himself wrote about this game: “I remember the match with the people of Kiev. They are serious guys, many in the national team, Biba, Serebryanikov ... Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk were the most uncomfortable opponents for us. They most fully reflected the style of Ukrainian teams. With a large amount of work, the players are usually tough, athletic. Therefore, the most inconvenient style for Caucasian teams in the Union in terms of style was Ukrainian football. After all, we then played in the Brazilian manner - to stop the ball, beat the opponent, to give a pasik ... Nobody actually knew how to work on the field, and did not strive to learn. And Ukraine is power, speed, pressure. So, in that match with the people of Kiev, we lose 0: 1. Our Trofimov has the ball. He, as I said, the "shuttle" was excellent, but had problems with the pass. Trofimov makes a pass to Kuznetsov, but very inaccurate - the ball flies to the side, to the corner flag. Yura is trying his best to be in time, I was nearby and heard him grumble: “Where is such a pass? Have you forgotten how old I am?!" The Kievans didn't stop: they say, this Baku "old man" still won't catch up. And Yuriy caught the ball at the very len-point and made a pass to me in the penalty area past the dumbfounded defenders. As always, jeweler. I make a breakthrough, a kick - a goal. Then followed his second pass against two defenders - I had only to substitute my foot. He scored the third goal himself. We then defeated Kyiv - 3: 2. That's what Kuznetsov is "He knew how to make a game with one of his passes. To this day I do not see him equal in this. Yura Kuznetsov's passes were from the category of those that are called "on a silver platter". How many balls I scored from his passes!"

Immediately after the game with the people of Kiev, Markarov flew to Moscow for the training camp of the youth team of the Union. The national team played three friendly matches. At the beginning, she outplayed the youth team of the USSR - 3: 1 (Markarov scored the second goal with a spectacular heel strike), then in Leningrad she played with the strongest Brazilian club Flamengo - 1: 1, in the third match with her peers from Hungary she lost to them with a score 3:4.

" When the score was 2:2, Eduard Markarov left the field, having injured his leg, singing all the combinations in the attack, and our attack completely faded."

After that, in June 1963, Markarov was named a candidate for the USSR Olympic team.

The injury received in the national team turned out to be not serious and already in the match with Pakhtakor Eduard scored his next goal.

And the next goal was not long in coming. "The first acquaintance of Muscovites with Baku football players in the season turned out to be pleasant," summing up the results of the tour, Martyn Merzhanov wrote in "his" Football. and tried to attack at every opportunity, thanks to Y.Kuznetsov's tactical sense and the undoubted gift of the technical E.Markarov.

The score in the match, which ended with the victory of the Muscovites - 4:2, was opened by the right winger of the Spartacists Vyacheslav Ambartsumyan, and seven minutes later Markarov from Baku sent the ball into the "nine-ku" with a magnificent blow.

The next match in Moscow "Neftyanik" won against "Locomotive" with a score of 4:2, and Edik became the author of the fourth goal.

But in the match with Rostov SKA, I remember not the goal scored by Markarov from the penalty spot (Lyubartsev, having fallen on a feint, darted into the left corner, and the ball landed in the right), but his signature kick through himself: "Akhundov from the right flank crossed the ball to the far post. The Rostov defenders only had time to see the ball with their eyes, and the goalkeeper did the same. Only Markarov ventured to intercept. In a jump that any acrobat would probably envy, Edik reached for the ball, caught it and strongly passed Bewildered Lyubartsev was saved only by a "miracle", and this miracle was the crossbar.

After the match, Alekper Mammadov, Baku's coach, could not resist commenting: "As a football player, I could not help but admire Markarov's magnificent kick. In a high jump, he found the ball in the air with his foot and, falling, shot over his head at the goal. It's a pity that the ball hit the the crossbar, otherwise it would have been the most beautiful goal of the season. Markarov and 11-meter scored excellently. He beat him in the last seconds of the competition with a score of 1: 1. One can imagine how worried the young athlete was, because he, in essence, must was to decide the outcome of the match. Markarov deceived the goalkeeper, who rushed to the right corner, and calmly sent the ball to the left."

In the second round, Markarov managed to score "only" four goals - the capital's "torpedo" and "Dynamo", "Pakhtakor" and CSKA. The last goal was the most spectacular, when Eduard "dragged" the ball from the defender of the army team, beat the goalkeeper and shot into a completely empty net of the home team.

Two rounds before the finish of the championship, "Neftyanik" was in sixth place and only two points separated it from the third - bronze. Both matches ended in a draw.

In Kutaisi, with all diligence, nervousness failed, and in Baku in a match with Moscow "Spartak" ... the Caspian Nord. “According to the unanimous recognition of experts, the Baku team should have won the competition. The goal scored in the first half by Kuznetsov, as they say, untied their hands and instilled confidence in the favorable outcome of the meeting. The insidious Baku wind helped the Spartak team avoid defeat: it unexpectedly changed the direction of the ball and forced him to fly into the opposite corner from Kosenkov.

These two draws dropped the team, dreaming of a prize-winning place, from sixth to eighth. Summing up the results of the championship, Alekper Mammadov wrote: "Like last year, Eduard Markarov was the "champion" in our team in terms of goals. He scored 13 goals. But this gifted football player had a somewhat uneven season, especially at the end. It was clear that that he was rather tired. Markarov is still a very dangerous striker, this is well known by the coaches of other teams, who have always entrusted the guardianship of our forward to the most experienced defenders. not exhausted, and he will be of great benefit to us. The only pity is that Markarov often seeks to break through to the goal alone, although his partners open up in anticipation of the ball."

Markarov also played effectively in international matches of Neftyanik. He scored one goal against the Iranian club "Darai", three - against the Japanese national team and three more - during the Baku team's tour of Algeria. In this Arab country, "Oilman" won all three fights, and Markarov's virtuoso game even had an effect on the local gendarmerie chief: on the way back, when the train with Baku football players arrived at the station of the Algerian capital at six in the morning, an impressive-looking man approached their car the gendarme and, to everyone's surprise, asked me to show him Markarov. The law enforcement officer got up so early to thank Edward for the pleasure he had been given.

The match with the Japanese national team went down in football history with its two-digit result - 10:0. Adamas Golodets scored six goals. Eduard Markarov also held the meeting virtuously. "The point, of course, is not the goals scored, but the sharpness and technical literacy of the young fighter. Let's remember how he scored the ninth goal. Having received a pass on the left flank, he deceives one, and then the second defender with a complex interweaving of technical elements and a beautiful blow hits the ball under the crossbar.

CHAPTER 13

1964 "Oilman"

Markarov belongs to the d'Artagnans of football.

Oleg Popov

It's nice, damn it, to look at Markarov, how he effortlessly controls the ball and, deftly maneuvering, makes his way through the palisade of other people's legs.

Mark Peisel

At the end of 1962, Artem Markarov returned home to Baku. For the last two years he has been coaching the Maikop teams "Trud" and "Spartak". In 1961 "Trud" became the champion of the Krasnodar Territory. They did not want to let Markarov go, but in Baku Artem Agalarovich was waiting for his family. The son and daughter were on the outskirts of the sports Olympus. At first, Edik became the best football "sniper" of the state, and then Irina, as part of the Neftyanik volleyball players, became the bronze medalist of the Union Championship.

In October 1962, the 50th anniversary of the republican football was celebrated in Baku. Famous football players of the past came to the tournament of veterans of Transcaucasia: Paichadze, Dzhedzhelava, Antadze, Eloshvi-li, Makhoradze, Zazroev, Piraev (Georgia); Teknejyan, Karmiryan, Poladyan, Kapidi, Durgaryan Armenak, Kegeyan, Merkulov, Haykyan, Beglaryan, Zatikyan, Chalikyan (Armenia); Arzumanyan, Khlystov, Falyan, Shevchenko, Amirdzhanov, Shagarov, Zhamkochyan, Veliyev, Markarov, Abramashvili, Zharikov (Azerbaijan). The coach of the Baku team at this tournament was Konstantin Kuznetsov, and the captain was Artem Markarov. Those were unforgettable days. And could anyone then imagine, watching the impeccably accurate passes of Artem Agalarovich, that they see him on the football field for the last time.

On February 23, 1964, at the age of 57, the heart of the great football player stopped. Telegrams of condolences came from all over the Soviet Union. Three from Armenia: from Yerevan from the Sports Committee of Armenia, signed by Asatryan and Arakelov; from Kapan - from the team "Lernagorts" signed by Gayk Andriasyan and Grigory Hambartsumyan, and from Gandzak (Kirovabad) from Mikhail Israelyan, who for many years headed the football economy of the city. Returning from the Great Patriotic War, he became the founder and playing coach of the best football team in Kirovabad - Tekstilshchik. Mikhail Israelyan played in the team on the left flank of the attack. He had high speed and excellent ball possession technique. He was the post-war idol of Kirovabad. In addition to him and his younger brother Semyon Israelyan, who later defended the gates of Neftyanik and Dynamo Yerevan, Artem Safaryan, Alexander Bashirov, Ivan Aleksanyan, Georgy Gupalyan played in that team (he later played in the CSKA basketball team ), Alexander Lavrov, Sergey Bagdasaryan, Georgy Kakoev, Viktor Malkhasyan.

... On the day of the funeral, Edik's friend and favorite student of Markarov Sr., Kazbek Tuaev, flew in. He flew in from Mexico, where he played in the international tournament as part of the first USSR team.

“Over the years spent in the team, football players see many coaches. And each of them teaches. But not everyone who teaches can be called an educator. But there are people who only touched the young guy with their attention and care, and they are not forgotten are called teachers.

I am grateful to the father of Edik Markarov Artem Agalarovich, - said Kazbek Tuaev. - He instilled in us a love for technical football, for hard work. I don’t know to this day how he made me believe that a good football player could come out of me. Of course, we are still apprentices. And what a pity that even these of our successes he can no longer see with his own eyes.

What the old footballer Artem Agalarovich Markarov noticed in the young guys was not seen by others."

"... We were together all the time. Football was always present in our house. If my mother scolded me for an unsuccessful game after the death of my father, then my father simply did not talk to me in such cases. It became clear that he played wrong "as it was necessary. Father believed that one should always prove that you are the best. It is not necessary to show yourself, but you need to do everything for the team so that it is on top. If he felt that something was not working out for me, he didn’t like it, and then he became tough. And he could not talk to me for days and not pay attention to me. He always spoke only about my shortcomings. But once he said that he was happy - it was in 1962, when I managed to become the top scorer."

It was hard without a father, especially one who put his whole soul into you. But the mother remained nearby, who took over the powers of a mentor and friend.

... To the pre-season classes in 1964, "Neftyanik" started later than all the other leading clubs in the country. Almost a half-month break in training was with Tuaev (after the trip of the USSR national team to Mexico) and Markarov (the death of his father). The team played two control games in Kislovodsk against the local "Labor Reserves" and the Kalinin "Volga" without being in combat lineup and lost 0:1 and 0:3, respectively. By the next control match with the Riga "Daugava" Markarov joined the ranks. Baku team won the match -2:0. “The only striker from Baku, to whom the residents of Riga could not pick up the keys, was Markarov. He “walked” free all the time, received and processed the ball without interference, so his rushes to the goal were especially threatening. By the way, both goals were slaughtered by Edward."

"The best on the field, of course, was Eduard Markarov. His virtuoso game brought panic to the actions of the defenders of the Daugava. True, he can be reproached for his passion for dribbling. But be that as it may, Edik is now in excellent shape ... Already in the fifth minute, the Daugava defenders interfered with each other at the penalty line. The ball was picked up by Markarov and beautifully sent it into the net. A few minutes later, the defenders grab Markarov's hand, going one on one with the goalkeeper. The "injured" scores the second goal from the penalty spot."

In the first match of the championship "Neftyanik" played with the Leningrad "Zenith". Prior to this, the Baku team had never been able to defeat this team. The bad tradition was broken. “Neftyanik’s first goal was executed in excellent style. By some miracle, Kuznetsov managed to hide the ball from three Zenitites and pass Markarov’s head. .. Two minutes before the end of the game, Markarov launched an attack, which was continued by Tuaev and Kuznetsov.

“Oilman” won against “Zenith”, but it was, as they say, a Pyrrhic victory. Success unglued the players, made them so presumptuous that they lost the next two matches with a dry score to Moscow Spartak and Minsk Dynamo. Only at the end of the first round, in the match against Shakhtar, Baku residents were able to show their true potential. This match was of fundamental importance for the distribution of places in the standings. In case of success, Shakhtar returned to the top three, while the Baku team, having taken two points, left the danger zone "... This is how events unfolded in this game. "Kuznetsov takes Snegirev with him with a fin-tom, and Markarov bursts into the free zone. Having instantly processed the ball, he scores the long-awaited goal with an accurate blow ... Markarov, breaking through the edge, hits hard on the goal, but the angle of impact is small, the ball goes to the free. Soon Kuznetsov, with an accurate longitudinal pass, leads Markarov to the final blow, but alas ... Eliminating Khmelnitsky's breakthrough, Shekhov gets injured. He was replaced by young Kramarenko, who, due to a mistake by one of the defenders, was forced to concede a return goal... But no, the Baku people are not satisfied with a draw. Kuznetsov wins back the ball into the guests' penalty area, and then the Shakhtar defender grabs the ball with his hand. Penalty. Markarov comes up to the ball and, having coldly deceived the goalkeeper, scores a goal... Golodets finds Tuaev's accurate pass in the dump and carefully turns the "cheek"... Particularly pleased in the match was the offensive line, where Tuaev and Markarov acted aggressively."

Despite this victory, the position of “Oilman” remained unenviable.

"... The poor quality of the winter training affected soon. Even with the naked eye, lethargy was visible in the actions of the players, they quickly ran out of steam, they did not have enough strength to demonstrate technical skills, to follow the tactical instructions of the coaches.

Arrogance, generously diluted with a lack of strength, led to the fact that the basic law of football - taking other people's gates - was consigned to oblivion. “Oilman” began to play across the field, back and side passes, if they were put at the forefront.

No one thought about the gates of the enemy. “Oilman” conceded goal after goal, giving the impression that he was not going to win them back. The forwards tried to play longer with the ball, circle a couple or two defenders, and only after that go to the goal. The defense had to rely on itself... "Oilman" was losing points and prestige.

Naturally, there were disagreements in the team, old grievances surfaced. And then there's the frantic search for a squad capable of winning at least one match... In a word, the coach did not find a common language with one, the other did not like the coach himself, the third fell ill in difficult times. And it came!..

In the end, the patience of even the most zealous fans of Neftyanik, who at first believed in a "streak of bad luck", snapped. The team, its coaches and players were called to account and demanded an explanation."

Six rounds before the end of the championship "Neftyanik" was in the penultimate place. Having mobilized all forces, the team managed to outplay "Torpedo" from Kutaisi and "Moldova" from Chisinau. "... At the 24th minute, after a beautiful combination started by Kuznetsov, the leader of the Neftyanik attack brought Tuaev forward, followed by a quick pass to Markarov. A swift advance and the ball in the net ... Five seconds before the end of the match, Markarov scores the second ball.So Edik marked his 100th match in the national championships in class "A" with two goals.

Then, matches were lost on the road to Shakhtar and Dynamo Tbilisi. "Baku residents rushed to the attack from the very first minutes. Their assault ended at the 12th minute. Markarov, passing along the left side, bypassed Rekhviashvili and shot low on the goal. Kotrikadze seemed to parry the blow, but released the ball from his hands. Hajiyev took advantage of this By the way, on the conscience of Kotrikadze is the third goal, scored by Markarov from Baku with a score of 4:2".

After a draw in Rostov, before the last round, the Baku team was two points behind Gorky's Volga. It was with the Volzhans that Neftyanik had to play the last game in Baku. The victory was "made" in the last minutes of the match, through the notorious penalty. Four teams at once - Zenit, Kutaisi Torpedo, Neftyanik and Volga - got 27 points each, but the Volga residents had the worst goal difference, and they had to leave the big leagues (Group A).

And Eduard Markarov, having scored eight goals, became the team's top scorer for the third year in a row.

At the end of the year, Neftyanik made a tour of Pakistan, where he beat the country's national team four times - 4:0, 2:0, 3:1, 10:0 (Markarov scored two goals in the last match), as well as teams from cities Chittagong, Peshawar and Multan...

They said about Markarov that he was the most mobile among his comrades in attack. The Pakistani press with surprising persistence from the first match to the last continued to call Eduard Markarov - "Edward Varkarov".

Markarov scored another goal in a draw (2:2) match with the Bulgarian team "Marek" (Stanke-Dimitrov).

In this "black" year for the Markarovs, Eduard was first called to the training camp of the Olympic team of the Soviet Union. As part of the "Olympians" he played one match with the Leningrad "Spartak", which ended in a draw - 2:2.

CHAPTER 14

1965 "Oilman"

He knows how to give a sharp pass and knows how to open up to receive such a pass. Able to spin two or three defenders on a tiny patch. Plays beautifully, but never flaunts on the field. Plays simple, but it's cunning and clever simplicity. He never gives up, no matter how the game develops. I have to say a banality: he infects the team with his example, this is usually said about all captains, but what can you do if Markarov is really like that. In a match with Dynamo Moscow, for example, Maslov literally did not let him take a step, he intercepted all the passes. Another in Edik's place could stop fighting, but he kept looking and looking for a way out, maneuvered a lot, freed himself. What can you do, it didn't work. But he has such a character - he never gives up.

Ahmed Aleskerov

"Neftchik" completed preparations for the 27th national championship in Iran, where he played three matches with the national team of Tehran (0:1) and the teams "Tehran Jivan" (4:0), "Shoah" (1:0). Edu-ard Markarov scored three goals in these matches.

The formidable Moscow Torpedo, led by Ivanov, Streltsov, Voronin, was the first to take an exam at the Neftyanik in the championship ... The stadium was overcrowded. In the opening match, teams usually show their fans their readiness for a long football marathon. The Baku team played brilliantly and deservedly won with a score of 3:0. "... At the 14th minute, Markarov bursts into the central zone with the ball. Both stoppers from the car factory Shustikov and Meshcheryakov do not dare to attack. Markarov also hesitates, and then he throws the ball between the defenders of Banishevsky. The center forward hits on the move, and the ball Three times after this, the Baku team could increase the score. Once Markarov took the ball away, which Kavazashvili could not beat off, circled the goalkeeper, went to the left to get rid of interference and hit the empty goal. However, Batanov took a strong blow on himself.. Markarov several times, in addition to the functions of a scorer, took on the duties of a dispatcher and twice, at least from his innings, Tuaev could score the ball.But Kavazashvili rescued his team... but, finally, in the 80th minute, he converts the fourth, scoring the second goal from 16 meters.Four minutes later, Markarov is already acting as an organizer during the counterattack.He passes the ball to Tuaev, and he scores the third without interference Kavazashvili's ball.

It seemed that the Baku team had good prospects in the championship, especially since in the pre-season "Neftyanik" was replenished with its former pupils - Vyacheslav Semiglazov, Eduard Arutyunyan, Yuri Melkumov. The coaching staff of the team has also been strengthened. Mammadov's assistant was Adamas Golodets, who completed his performances in big football.

But "after such a beautiful and important victory, three defeats in a row followed. The most painful thing is that the alternation of major successes and no less major failures has become typical for Neftyanik ... Baku players play freshly, freely, their decisions, combinations are not forced and arise naturally , as if by themselves ... Each team has its own face. The face of "Neftyanik" is determined by its forwards. A pair of central forwards - A. Banishevsky and E. Markarov - could decorate the team of the highest class ... E. Markarova is the smallest of all our centre-forwards, and weighs only 60 kg, his chances of success in single combat with defenders are negligible, but defenders know that once Markarov has the ball, it is almost impossible to take it away. into the fight and literally on the patch can circle one player, another, a third. Perhaps only too much love for the ball, unwillingness to part with it can be blamed on him. "

Victories and defeats alternated until the end of the championship. The wins against Zenit (the only goal was scored by Markarov) and Odessa SKA gave way to disappointments in the matches against Chernomorets and CSKA. “For many years, the skillful directorial hand of one of our best tacticians, Y. Kuznetsov, was visible in the attacks of the Neftyanik. Now he is not in the squad ... Who will take over the functions of the “general in the center of the field” from the Neftyanik ".

Eduard Markarov said: “Kuznetsov left, and I became the main passer in the team, every second or third pass went through me. Then fate brought me to Banishevsky, a controversial, difficult, but certainly capable player. When we started training together ", and then to play, it seemed to me that in his youth the coaches taught him only one thing - to score. Yes, he had a shot. He rammed the defense, went ahead and beat, beat, completely forgetting about his partners. Looking at him , I remembered how I started myself, and then, after a few matches, I felt that now it was my turn to become Kuznetsov. So, from a pure center forward, I turned into a point guard. I began to run more and play more passes, and even to do it no worse than Kuznetsov did before. Otherwise, the fans who remembered Yura's game would simply stop perceiving me. I knew very well that with the appearance of Banishevsky in the team I would score less. How should I have acted in such a situation? Am I to be capricious and require partners to play on me like they used to? Of course he could! And the authority that I had in Neftyanik, most likely, would have helped to remain in the same quality. But this, as I understand it, would be dishonest on my part both in relation to the team and in relation to Tolya Banishevsky. When they began to play in a new way, I quickly realized that it is even more difficult to give an assist than to score. Before making the pass to the partner, it was also necessary to determine where it is better to give the ball, which part of the foot, take into account the speed of your player, the capabilities of the opponent who is holding the partner at the moment. Then, where to pass - to the legs or to the zone? See how many questions? But to be honest, I immediately liked this game. So everything went relatively painlessly."

After the departure of Yuri Kuznetsov, the captain's armband, as well as the role of the team's dispatcher, passed to Markarov. Soon there was a change in the head coach. With the advent of Vasily Sokolov, "Neftyanik" seemed to come to life, played inventively, freshly, with its former brilliance. Not immediately, of course, but things got better. In the table, there was an exceptionally nervous situation. The teams were in dire need of points, no one thought to concede the victory without a fight. I had to take it at the expense of the maximum calculation, at the expense of incredible efforts. For otherwise it would be possible to lose a place in the group of the strongest.

"The football players of the Moscow "Spartak", who had just won the USSR Cup for the eighth time, again faced the prose of the championship. "Spartak" two unanswered goals... At the 53rd minute Muscovites' goalkeeper Maslachenko could not do anything after Gadzhiev's shot. line, Eduard beat four Spartacists, burst into their penalty area and struck a cold-blooded shot into the top corner of the goal. It was one of the most beautiful goals scored in this championship."

“In the match with Rostov SKA, out of four forwards, only one Eduard Markarov played properly with tactics with four forwards. He picked up balls in the central circle, made raids along the edges, and was distinguished by unexpected passes for the defenders. right, they were not ready to receive the ball, and the attack broke down.

In 1965, the most memorable for the "Neftyanik", of course, was the match with the Kuibyshev "Kry-lyshki". I think I will not be mistaken if I say that this match was one of the most beautiful in the history of the team and became one of the best for Eduard Markarov.

Here is what Alexander Kiknadze wrote about this match:

“To play means to create, to demonstrate everything that you can, to make the stands chant:“ Well done! ”This was the game between Neftyanik and Wings of the Soviets. In my opinion, this match is the best of the season. And who was the best on the field? Eduard Markarov. This, I think, is the opinion of everyone. The wonderful footballer turned out to be the brightest figure on the field. He did everything he wanted. And not a single defender of the guests could extinguish the game fire that engulfed the Baku striker. Remember the fourth goal in this meeting. Eduard with the ball in place of the left winger. He is not in a hurry, carelessly moving towards the goal, luring the defenders towards him. But as soon as they approached, Edik exploded. With unique grace and composure, he is in a split second on a small piece of circled around four defenders, punished the goalkeeper who tried to correct the mistake of his comrades and sent the ball into the goal from the front line of the field along an incomprehensible trajectory. This is the most beautiful goal of the captain of Baku so far.

Here is another response to this match that had a lot of press:

" The score was opened seven minutes after the start of the match. Tuaev saw Markarov preparing to strike, accurately aimed the ball at his head, and he, jumping out from behind the defender, redirected the ball into the net. The second goal, scored by the Volga, finally broke the resistance of the Volga Trofimov after a sharp pass by Banishevsky and a witty maneuver by Markarov.

After the break, the guests tried for a long time to establish counteractions. And when their offensive impulse dried up, the captain of the Baku residents Markarov again "spoke menacingly". In this match, he showed a brilliant game. Markarov managed literally everything. Every time he took possession of the ball in the depths of the defense and rushed forward, the defenders of the Volga were perplexed... Remember the third goal. Markarov easily and unconstrainedly wedges himself into the defense of the Kuibyshevs, bypasses them one by one and leads a completely free Banishevsky into the breach. An irresistible blow to the near “nine” follows ... And the fourth? Markarov slowly, as if reluctantly, moves along the touchline, leaving behind the defenders, then turns onto the "ribbon". He beats three more, including the goalkeeper, and literally from half a meter rolls the ball into an unprotected goal.

The last "dot" puts Melkumov. His powerful shot from 30 meters goalkeeper simply missed the guests. And the ball, as if fired from a catapult, pierced into the net.

"Oilman" took the twelfth place in the championship, and Eduard, with ten goals, became the team's top scorer for the fourth time in a row.

... After the defeat from the Spaniards in the final of the European Championship in 1964, the head coach of the USSR national team Konstantin Beskov was replaced by Nikolai Morozov. The newly minted coach of the national team, speaking on television on January 8, 1965, named Markarov among the new candidates for the main team of the country. But Eduard did not wait for a call to the national team that year. He played only three matches for the youth and the second team.

The youth team of the USSR won the match against Polish peers with a score of 3:1. The goals were scored by Banishevsky (with the filing of Markarov), Markarov and Melkumov.

In the first half of the match between the second teams of the USSR and Austria, Markarov acted in tandem with Shcherbakov. The game in the attack did not go well, and the Soviet team left for the break, losing 0:1 in the score. Then Banishevsky came out and the Baku tandem "locked" the Austrians in their half of the field. The score in the match was equalized, but there was not enough time for more.

The second team played the next match in Cologne against the German national team, which included Beckenbauer, Tilkowski, Weber ... The Soviet team, of course, lost (0:3), but showed a decent game. I lost not without the help of goalkeeper Polyakov, who played in a match of this level for the first time. At the last moment, he replaced the ill main goalkeeper Rakitsky. Eskov, Markarov, Kutivadze and Kokh showed themselves from the best side. The German press noticed that the first team of the USSR had a good reserve.

CHAPTER 15

1966 "Oilman"

Let's remember that it was representative football. The multi-ethnic power was represented in it by all colors - East and West, South and North. And my Baku, in which once I was born, had its own voice with its melody, collected by many elements. The Caspian, smelling of salt and oil, the heat and ringing of the port city. As before, as in the thirties, this team was diverse, as before, although less often than before, it sounded: "Nationality - Baku".

Leonid Zorin

It was difficult to play against Banishevsky and Markarov. Both are cunning, unpredictable, technical, with excellent positional instincts.

Evgeny Rudakov

How did Neftyanik manage to demonstrate an enchanting game that year? Markarov has his own opinion on this matter:

“I probably won’t be original if I say that by that time a real team had matured and formed in the team, leaders had appeared. As far as I understand, the team itself chooses the leaders. More precisely, the game, football. If someone one of the players, not having the proper skill, one fine day suddenly declares: "Well, make way, I'm the leader here!" - he will simply be ridiculed in the team. So you won’t become a leader. But to the words of someone who does not spare himself in training and in games, with his skill he can "pull out" a difficult match, partners will always listen.

We have been playing together for four years now and have gradually learned to understand each other well on the field. For the first time, several Neftyanik players (Tuaev, Banishevsky and myself) were honored to put on the T-shirts of the USSR national team. Agree, this is also a sign of team maturity. Banishevsky and I could sometimes beat the entire opposing team. Not because they were "great masters", they simply knew each other very well, they were extremely well played. For example, Anatoly, who plays superbly with his head, expected a horse pass from me at any more or less convenient moment, and if I managed to do it instantly, then the ball often hit the goal. Playing with Banishevsky, I never had to puzzle over what he would do in the next moment. I felt when he was doing a distracting maneuver, and when he was opening up for a real attack. Indeed, telepathy. In general, playing with Tolya was a pleasure for me. It was no coincidence that at that time they started talking about the duet Banishevsky-Markarov.

Remembering those days, once again I am convinced how inexplicable and much in the way of surprises football. Leaving in July with Tolya Banishevsky for the World Cup in England, we jokingly asked our partners in Neftyanik: “Guys, you just hold on ...” It would seem, what kind of points are there when the two main forwards leave in the midst of the championship command? But our comrades, as it turned out later, this only inflamed, gave an additional impetus to the game, they "lasted" and played quite successfully. Three weeks later, all of us together with such excitement led the fight for medals that we finally achieved our goal. For the first time in history, "Neftyanik" took the "bronze". In the decisive match at the end of the championship, we beat Spartak Moscow with a big score - 3:0. I remember that home-made torches from newspapers were blazing all over the bowl of the Baku stadium at that time - the fans were celebrating the victory.

...Traditionally, "Neftyanik" held training camps in Kislovodsk, where the Baku team outplayed the teams of Grozny, Kislovodsk and Chelyabinsk in a kind of tournament. The goal scored by Markarov against Terek Grozny was recognized as the most beautiful: “Markarov’s strong pass from the central circle after beating the guardians ended with an excellent blow to the corner of the goal far from the goalkeeper. Perhaps it was the most beautiful goal of the tournament, scored from lines of the penalty area. Moreover, all this was done at high speed. What Markarov managed to do, his other partners also tried to do. But all their attempts ended unsuccessfully, since they could not possess the ball like Markarov."

Then, in Baku, Neftyanik played two control matches with the army team of Rostov (4:1) and Moscow Spartak (1:1).

" Markarov deserves special praise, often (but not to the detriment of the game plan) taking the initiative. Both Melkumovs are a match for him - these hard-working, diligent players are able to crack a much stronger defense than the Rostov one."

“In the 29th minute, Reingold unexpectedly hit Shekhov’s goal hard, and he didn’t even have time to react. A minute later, Markarov brilliantly bypassed two defenders and, “tying” them to himself, rolled the ball to a free Sergey Melkumyan, who calmly “shot” Maslachenko's gate... A few words about the attack of the Baku people. His soul was Markarov, who improvised a lot, masterfully acted on a small "patch", often leaving behind numerous guardians."

Start “Neftyanik” in the national championship looked very peaceful. Zero draws were recorded in the matches with the Minskers and the Kuibyshev team. Then Dynamo Moscow were replayed - 1:0 (a goal was scored by Yuri Melkumov) and Shakhtar Donetsk - 2:0. "The outcome of the fight was decided by the events of two minutes - the 42nd and 44th. At first, exhausted by the continuous assault of the Baku team, two stoppers and the goalkeeper of the miners did not understand each other. While they were thinking about how to dispose of the ball, E. Markarov ran in. He "stole" the ball at the defenders, beat the two of them, together with the goalkeeper, on an area of some quarter of a square meter and, approaching at a very sharp angle to the goal, literally brought the ball into a barely noticeable gap between the side stand and the defenders. Truly it was a great goal! not for every master, and what a pity that there were no cameramen at the stadium - that would be a frame for football training aids: look, they say, what goals there are! ..

Yes, you need to understand the state of the Donbass defenders in these minutes, so as not to judge them too harshly for the second conceded goal. Sergey Melkumyan shot lightly and from a decent distance, being, moreover, in a dense environment.

Then again followed by two draws on the road with the army teams of Moscow and Odessa.

Kazakov opened the scoring in the match between CSKA and Neftyanik (14 minutes), and half an hour after Yuri Melkumov's free-kick the score was evened. "The Baku team left an excellent impression with a combinational, elegant and sharp game. As for their captain Markarov, he again flashed a high-class football."

"The Baku team had a particularly favorable situation for scoring in the 55th minute. Markarov, like a light torpedo boat, easily and quickly escaped from the encirclement of heavy ships - army defenders - and found himself alone against the goal. Bauzha managed to parry Markarov's blow, the ball jumped back to Yuri Melkumov, and he missed from a very favorable situation.

"Undoubtedly, Markarov is the main ringleader in the team. Watching him, you are convinced that he has matured greatly in the game. I mean his sportsmanship and I am not at all surprised why N. Simonyan, now engaged in the formation of the USSR Olympic team, is one of the first candidates for its membership named Markarova.

Sergei Salnikov wrote in the Futbol weekly: "... And one more plus of Neftyanik. The team has a pronounced leader - E. Markarov. This player is fast, especially short, very technical, quite aggressive and, for all that, has remarkable combinational gift, which allows him to rightfully be a true organizer of the game.And his ease of handling the ball is sometimes just a virtuoso and in a manner to match the Brazilians.I would like to think that the head coach of the USSR national team N.Morozov, who saw this match (CSKA - "Oilman" - A.G.), will not remain indifferent to the skill shown by Markarov.

In Odessa, as well as in Moscow, after the game, two ones shone on the scoreboard.

Markarov said: "Tuaev fired a cross into the penalty area, Sergei Melkumyan threw the ball in my direction with his head, and as it was already in the meeting with Shakhtar, the defender with the ball ended up in the goal."

Then, after two draws, two victories followed, and with a big score.

Rostov SKA was defeated first - 4:1. “Already in the first minute, Markarov’s lightning-fast breakthrough follows, which beats the defenders, lures Boychenko on himself, but hits past the empty goal. Soon, with Tuaev’s excellent serve, he sends the ball over the crossbar with his head. Following this, S. Melkumyan does not convert the dangerous moment .

As it was to be expected, the barrage of attacks, which the Baku team brought down on the guests' gates, ended with a goal. Markarov brought Tuaev forward and he shot from about the corner of the goalkeeper's area into the near corner of the goal ... At the 38th minute, S. Melkumyan unexpectedly hung the ball from 20 meters into the Rostovites' goal. Boychenko only looked after the ball, which fell exactly into the "nine" ... At the 58th minute after the combination of Markarov-Yu. Melkumov-S. Melkumyan, the score became 3:0 ... The most beautiful was, perhaps, the last goal. Having made a deep raid on the right side, Markarov accurately sent the ball to the center of the oncoming Gadzhi-ev, and he immediately sent it into the net.

Gennady Radchuk in the weekly "Football" noted: "Markarov from Baku is the soul of the attack of the "Oilman". Impetuous, striving forward, he leads the others, forcing them to respond to his provision... The leader of the Baku attack Markarov in these two fights ( in Odessa with SKA - 1:1 and in Baku with SKA (Rostov) -4:1) proved to be diverse. In Odessa, he himself, having scored the ball, brought the game to a draw. In Baku, he energetically helped his partners score goals. "

In the same issue of "Football" a preliminary application of candidates for the USSR national team was published, which was sent to FIFA. Among these forty players were Markarov and Banishevsky.

After the Rostovites, the Kutaisi "Torpedo" was defeated (7: 0): "... At the 19th minute, Markarov and S. Melkumyan played a multi-way combination in the center of the field, Melkumyan went to the gate and an electric unit flashed on the scoreboard under the inscription "Oilman" ... Y.Melkumov, picking up the ball on the left flank, went, cutting off the corner, to the goal.On the way he beat one, second, third defenders, passed the ball to S.Melkumyan, immediately received a back pass and hit the target from the goalkeeper's area. it was masterful. And also masterfully sent the ball from twenty meters into the "nine" Markarov. It was on the 35th minute ... On the 53rd minute, Markarov "hung" the number 4 on the scoreboard, and on the 87th - the number 7 And in the interval, Tuaev and Gadzhiev scored (in the first half, Gadzhiev, however, did not convert a penalty)".

"Who was the best on the field? I think it was the captain of Neftyanik Eduard Markarov, whom the sports press is talking about with enthusiasm. This season he plays as well, smartly and with inspiration as he has never played before."

“The leader of Neftyanik’s attacks, without any doubt, can be called his captain E. Markarov. Energetic, always aimed at hitting, he not only seeks to score goals himself, but also leads his attacking partners into the attack, supplying each of them with balls, about which it is customary to say something like this: “I gave it out like it was on a silver platter.” The captain of Baku, skillfully conducting the game of forwards, manifests himself in a very diverse way not only when organizing an attack, but also in the case when it is necessary to "Worry about the rear. All these qualities were especially revealed by the center forward in the games of the last two rounds."

After the match, the head coach of Kutaisi Anatoly Norakidze "complained" to journalists. "I know how to play against Neftyanik, but I don't know how to play against Markarov?!"

Alexey Leontiev, in a review of the last round, published on the pages of Football, wrote: “Markarov managed to organize and direct the actions of his partners in the right direction. in a match with the Kutaisi".

"Izvestia" also did not fail to note the game of Markarov: "Three goals against the Kutaisi team were scored by Markarov, who, by the way, for some reason the coaches of the USSR national team stubbornly do not want to notice."

However, N. Simonyan noticed and invited Markarov to the match of the second teams of the USSR and Czechoslovakia. Here is what the honored coach of the USSR V. Vinogradov says about this game: “Soviet football players defeated the team of Czechoslovakia with a score of 2: 1. A number of combinations were played as if the partners had been playing with each other for a long time. Forwards of the USSR national team L. Adamov, V. Fedotov, E. Markarov and S. Varga offered a fast pace, demonstrating a clear change of places and enviable performance. E. Markarov stood out in the quartet, he was the organizer of many attacks and a kind of liaison between forwards and midfielders. Markarov very sharply offered himself to partners without the ball, and while owning the ball, he quickly oriented himself even in very difficult situations.

He organized the situation for the first goal. The Baku resident, in a difficult position, played "wall" with Fedotov, the latter passed the ball to Adamov. The Minsk resident shot into the side post. The rebounded ball fell to Varga, and he opened the score - 1:0.

The defenders of the guests were somewhat confused. Taking advantage of this, Markarov again, on his own, circled several opponents and went one on one with goalkeeper Pavel Kouba. True, the Czechoslovak goalkeeper was ahead of our forward for a fraction of a second and in the fall he took the ball off Markarov's foot. But the moment was spectacular ... Our attackers, having lost the leader of the attacks, Markarov (due to injury, he was replaced at half-time), sank somewhat ... "

In Sovetsky Sport, V. Pakhomov wrote: “Our athletes immediately went on the attack. a good choice of positions, finally, greater independence.It was Markarov who distinguished himself in the episode, which ended with a goal scored by the guests in the 6th minute.It happened like this.Markarov burst into the center of the penalty area, despite the desperate attempts of the guests' defenders to take the ball away from him. There was a pass to Adamov, but the post from Dinamo-Minsk took a strong blow, Varga rushed towards the ball and opened the scoring... Fedotov and Markarov combined a lot and usefully, it seems they never played together. teams of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, this duo acted extremely well-coordinated and inventive. Akinets Eduard Markarov - brought great pleasure to the audience".

And at this time in Prague at the Sparta stadium, the first team of the USSR suffered a victory in a duel with the national team of Czechoslovakia - 2: 1. Yuri Vanyat wrote in "Trud": "It is desirable at the end of May to see the players of the national team have a more rational setting of the final blow. Where are the fruits of many months of training? Markarov: Our "Baku Pele" Eduard Markarov shows a very bright game this spring.

CHAPTER 16

1966 USSR national team - Bronze medalist of the World Championship in England

Eduard Markarov is truly talented, he knows how to score goals and prepare them. They admire his game, call him, as the authoritative football observer Yuri Vanyat did in the Trud newspaper, "Baku Pele" (note that none of our football players has ever been so respectfully called). But Markarov is stubbornly ignored by the leaders of the national team. Only after repeated persistent reminders, the captain of "Oilman" was invited to the national team and entered the field in the second half of the match with the French.

A. Kazimzade

On June 5, Eduard Markarov made his long-awaited debut in the USSR national team at Luzhniki in a match against the national team of France. He appeared on the field in the second half with the score 2:1 in favor of the French, replacing Eduard Malofeev. “Eduard Markarov, who entered the field after the break, brought great sharpness and creative variety to the game of the entire attack. At the same time, Banishevsky had his usual partner, with whom he had been playing together in Neftyanik for two years, and the opponent unexpectedly met a striker-master stroke, on which it is risky to recklessly attack, ”wrote the subtle strategist Boris Arkadiev in Football. The special correspondent of the French newspaper "Humanite" J.K. Griveaux reported: "The Soviet team achieved a draw thanks to the remarkable offensive spirit and the good quality of their forwards. It is a serious matter to succeed three times when a phrase defense plays against you, acting in accordance with super-defensive The midfield succeeded in this in collaboration with the extreme S. Metreveli and I. Chislenko, the center of the attack A. Banishevsky and his teammate E. Markarov, who entered the game in the second half. that we sometimes saw a real football festival! .. "

And Yuri Vanyat in Trud emphasized that both goals in the second half were scored after Markarov’s passes: “After the break, the USSR team undergoes substitutions forced by the course of the meeting itself: Bannikova, Afonina and Malofeev replace Kavazashvili, Serebryanikov and Markarov. The game of our guys immediately becomes sharper and more meaningful.In the 64th minute, Markarov moves rapidly from the right.Baniszewski's pass to the center follows and the ball in the net of the French goal.110 seconds pass.Ours play a clear combination "into the wall".Chislenko-Markarov-Chislenko.Great shot - and the hosts of the field are already ahead - 3: 2 "

The English newspaper "Morning Star" did not stand aside, which welcomed the decision of the Soviet coaches to include Eduard Markarov in the team. According to the newspaper, the newcomer "left a good impression in the game against the Tricolor team, despite the fact that this was his first participation in a match at the" highest level ". Columnists in a number of English newspapers considered Markarov and Porkuyan the most likely candidates for the Soviet team : "These players in their clubs are the main striking force, they demonstrate high tactical thinking, great individual skill, which, combined with a young enthusiasm, makes them a godsend for a Russian manager."

Soviet journalists unanimously supported Markarov, demanding that he be included in the final composition of the USSR national team. Perhaps the most remarkable was Alexander Kiknadze's article in Nedelya, "What does growth have to do with it?"

“On the first of May, one hundred and thirty thousand Brazilians watched the game of their football team. Everyone was kindly given the opportunity to express their opinion on the composition of the team. The sheets were dropped into the boxes. Then the results of the vote were shown to the coach Vincente Feola. this will not go anywhere. The coach himself understands this better than others, and he wants to know the view of each player “from the outside.” Mind is good, but one hundred and thirty thousand is better.

The author suddenly imagined that one fine day he, along with other visitors to the Luzhniki stadium, was asked to fill out the same questionnaire. In the next minute, he pushed the thought away from him, for he realized how far his fantasy had taken him.

And yet, not about the team as a whole, but about only one player, he wants to say a few words - about the forward of the Baku Neftyanik Eduard Markarov.

Watch this short, nimble and all-seeing player when he has the ball, and try to answer the question - what will he do. Your chances of guessing are as small as those of the most sophisticated defender. It seems that it’s easier - Tuaev opened up, left the guardian, give him the ball, and you have a great opportunity (which other forwards appreciate so much!) With a simple pass, get rid of the ball and responsibility. The beks of the enemy also see this opportunity and therefore headlong rush to cut Tuaev. And Markarov continues to move forward: he, like a sparrow, sees everything that happens on the left, right, and behind, he lures the defenders onto himself, beats them with false, non-standard body movements and, with surgical precision, throws the ball back to the point of the field where he used to there will be his partner, from where you can hit on goal or develop an attack.

When it succeeds once, we can say - an accident. When twice - luck. When five, ten, fifteen times in a match - skill. I don’t know if any of our players today has the ball the way Markarov does. Power over the ball develops into power over the opponent. I think that I will not be mistaken if I say that, above all, this master despises the stamp and the obvious development of events and most of all appreciates improvisation, fraught with risk, sharply conflicting plots and tempo.

"Temp" ... This was the name of the Baku team, in which Eduard's father, master Artem Markarov, an unusually gifted forward, a quiet and laconic person in life, played. Once in a match with the Leningrad “Electric”, it was, if memory serves, in the spring of 1940, Markarov led three defenders and the goalkeeper and stopped the ball on the goal line. Becky and the goalkeeper were numb, and Markarov was waiting - his foot on the ball, his hands on his hips. And only then, as if suddenly remembering something, he sent the ball into the net with a light blow.

Football talent must also be inherited. About seven or eight years ago, Edik Markarov played in the yard team. One director of the youth football school had the imprudence to invite this team to a control match before going to some all-Union competitions. Confident in the easy victory of his own, the director asked the employees of the Ministry of Education to watch the game. There was horror. The team of the specialized football school lost with a score of 0:4. All four goals were scored by Edik Markarov.

Three years ago, Eduard Markarov was recognized as the country's most productive striker. This year he is in second place: he is the author of five goals out of seventeen scored by one of the leaders of the championship - "Oilman".

His first teacher was his father. Other teachers are Boris Arkadiev, Alekper Mammadov and Vasily Sokolov. Someone to learn from!

I recently looked at Markarov in the Neftyanik match with CSKA and recalled the words that I once heard from the lips of the coach of the Spanish national team Jose Villalonga: “Modern defense is difficult to ram. the most accurate word, but they didn’t find a better one than “slip in”). For this, forwards and midfielders must understand each other perfectly and be able to improvise. More improvisation is what I would like to wish the unconditionally strong Soviet team."

It would be possible to cite many flattering characteristics from different newspapers, I can boldly say that so many kind words were written about not a single Soviet forward this year, but about Markarov. Do you need such a striker for the national team before the World Cup?

Here are the reviews of the foreign and Soviet press and radio commentators about the latest meetings of our team: "The forwards disappointed again", "the Soviet attackers were inactive", "it is desirable to see the team players at the end of May have a more rational setting of the final blow." And, finally, the last and, it seems to me, the most fair and unpleasant characteristic of the match in Belgium: "The attacks of the Soviet team were devoid of imagination."

Why do the national team coaches hesitate to try the true strength of Eduard Markarov, why, having included him among the applicants for a trip to England, do they not put him up for matches?

They say that Markarov did not come out tall, that he is ten to twelve centimeters shorter than the ideal forward that coaches see in their dreams. There is only one answer to this - if Markarov were more massive and heavier, he would hardly be able to show everything that he shows on the field.

Will his new attacking comrades be able to understand him? Recently, Markarov played forty-five minutes in the second team, which met with the team of Czechoslovakia. He held an international match with a new and unfamiliar partner - V. Fedotov from CSKA. Markarov played in such a way that he gave the right to write: "One would have thought that these two strikers knew each other since childhood."

By the way, in the USSR national team there is a forward who really knows Markarov from childhood and understands him better than anyone else. This is his fellow "Neftyanik" Anatoly Banishevsky.

"Put them side by side, take a closer look at them," I would write to our coaches, if they did not hesitate to adopt the "Brazilian system" and asked those who love football: "What is your opinion, comrade?"

... After the match with the French, the leadership of the USSR national team turned its eyes to the shores of Scandinavia.

Probably, the proximity of Denmark and Sweden to the English football fields played a decisive role in deciding on the selection of sparring partners for the USSR national team. The first match against the national team of Da-nii clubs took place in the town of Vejle. "The arrival of our players caused a stir, more than 15 thousand spectators came to the stadium (with a population of the city - 32 thousand). The attacks of the national team first went through the center, where Markarov and Banishevsky acted energetically in collaboration with Metreveli. Then Ponomarev's unexpected pass created a sharp situation. The ball hit Markarov, and he sent it to the goal from the fly in a jump. The ball hit the ground, passed the goalkeeper and ended up in the net. After the first goal, our attackers created many more chances, which was reflected in the final score. Finishing the attacks, first Markarov, and then Banishevsky scored a ball. All the goals of the Soviet team were scored as a result of good combinations. "

On June 14, the second training game of the USSR national team took place. This time with the national team of the Danish clubs of the islands of Zeeland, Lolanne and Falster. The match was held in the city of Nestved and ended with the victory of the USSR national team - 2: 1. Markarov replaced Khusainov in the second half.

Then the team moved to Sweden, where on June 22 they played a control match in Buros with the Elfsberg team. The first half ended with the score 0:0. “In the second half, with the release of Markarov, the game of our team revived. The combinations became much more acute. They were based on unexpected high-speed jerks with a change of places. One of these combinations brought our team a victory. Serebryanikov started it. ", he immediately sent him a pass. The forward not only continued the pass, he radically changed it. Markarov, through the defender, laid the ball to Khusainov, who was rapidly going to the 11-meter mark. The winger's volley was irresistible."

The second match was played with the Varberg Boys team. The scoring was opened by Porkuyan. Then Malofeev distinguished himself. In the second half, our team scored three goals - Serebrynikov, Markarov, Malofeev, receiving one in return. The next match took place in the city of Vekshe. The first half ended with the score 1:1 (our goal was scored by Chislenko). After resting in the national team, substitutions and regroupings were made. In the center, Markarov became Banishevsky's partner. The rearrangement of the ranks brought the desired results. Goals were scored by Porkuyan and Khusainov (twice).

...Finally published the final version of the composition of the USSR national team. Markarov is among the 22! The competition among the attackers was terrible. The famous Ivanov, Streltsov, Ponedelnik, Kopaev, Kazakov, Krasnitsky, Meskhi did not go to England.

What guided Nikolai Morozov, refusing the services of perhaps the best center forward in the country, Valentin Ivanov, or the virtuoso left winger Mikhail Meskhi? Could it be that their sophisticated technique and tactical outlook were not backed up by sufficient work capacity and gambling passion inherent in younger players? Instead of them, he preferred the mobile and technical Eduard Markarov in the center (in the hope of his teamwork with Banishevsky), and on the edge - the fast and efficient Chislenko and Khusainov. Porkuyan, although he was among the 22nd, was not seriously considered in all sorts of options for the future line of attack of the national team. Subsequent events showed that he turned out to be almost Morozov's "secret trump card". In the meantime, options were being discussed - Metreveli, Banishevsky, Malofeev, Chislenko and Metreveli (Porkuyan), Markarov, Banishevsky, Khusainov. Neither the first nor the second options have not seen the light. An unexpected injury to Metreveli and a successful game by Porkuyan prevented.

In the first match with the Koreans, the attack of the Soviet team looked unusual - Chislenko, Malofeev, Banishevsky, Khusainov. Banishevsky and Malofeev had a successful match, scoring three goals. But Khusainov clearly fell out of this quartet. But in the next match with the Italians, Morozov decided not to change the front line. This time, Chislenko successfully played, with whom the famous Fakketty could not cope. Igor scored the only goal in the 57th minute. His kick brought the Soviet team, the first of all participants in the championship, to the quarterfinals. The match with the Chileans turned into a formality, and therefore Morozov put up an unusual composition in the attack - Porkuyan, Markarov, Serebryanikov, Metreveli. In such a combination, the team's attack has not yet played (before a difficult meeting with the Hungarians, Morozov decided to give the main team a rest). “But the team came to England not to rest, but to fight with the strongest teams in the world. Without a doubt, in the match with the Chileans, it would have established mutual understanding and teamwork, which was not enough in the semifinal match with the Germans,” wrote one of the co- Veteran newspapers.

In the match with the Chileans, I saw the Baku duet in attack. So, I thought, now they will come out and arrange the "Baku carousel" familiar to our eyes. Here, at the World Championships, they will also make them talk about the Banishevsky-Markarov tandem. But no. An unusual partner acted next to Eduard, and the coach also gave an unusual instruction: "I got the ball, don't drive it, give it back right away." So Markarov performed the coaching task in the match with the Chileans and therefore looked only a pale copy of the “Baku Pele”. But a number of newspapers nevertheless noted his game, and at the same time Porkuyan. "Komsomolskaya Pravda", for example, wrote: "At the 12th minute, Valery Porkuyan and Eduard Markarov, who had clearly mastered the game, made a sharp raid, who showed off both technique and courage in this meeting. The Baku resident with a cunning pass led the Kiev resident to strike, but Olivares took off in a selfless throw the ball from Valery's foot ." A little later, Porkuyan still scores a goal after Markarov's pass, and the team wins, but some residue of dissatisfaction still remains from this strange match.

In the game with the Hungarian national team, after the goals of Chislenko and Porkuyan, ours was rescued by Yashin, who reflected several difficult balls, and ... the Hungarian Rakosi, who missed the ball five meters from the Soviet goal.

The lucky Porkuyan did not help with Germany either (he nevertheless scored one goal). Summed up the team Chislenko, not-successfully acting against Schnellinger. Frustrated, Igor hit the German Held in the legs, and at the moment when he was without the ball, and is removed from the field. And if we take into account that Szabo, due to injuries, we could hardly move around the field (then we played without substitutions), then the USSR national team with nine of them had no chance of ultimate success.

Here is what Eduard Markarov recalls about this time:

“We spent the preparatory period before the World Cup in Denmark and Sweden. We played five test matches with local teams there. championship, I felt that I did not get into the starting line-up. Something had changed. It is quite possible that Morozov did not see me in the national team game scheme he developed. Some may think that I had a strained relationship with the coach But this is not so, because he wanted to see me in the Moscow “Torpedo”, which he began to train immediately after the London championship. Morozov made this offer to me on the plane when we returned from London to Moscow. So, as a player, I suited and fit into the proposed tactical scheme of “Torpedo”, but not the national team.But in the match with the Chileans, Morozov put in the attack those whom he had previously kept in reserve: me, Porkuyan, Metreveli, Serebryanikov. We played uninhibitedly and showed technical football, which the fans like so much. In general, the World Cup made a huge impression on me. Everything happened as if in a wonderful dream. The atmosphere of the football festival was truly stunning. Really crazy excitement! It seemed that the whole world talks and thinks only about football. Moreover, our team lived, like all the participants of the championship, outside the city, on a very strictly guarded base. But I think in those days even the guards raved about football...

Our team was very strong then. The high level of skill of the players allowed Morozov to give instructions for matches short and clear, since everyone knew perfectly well how to play in his place. Not only that literally every player was a leader in his club, anyone in the national team of that convocation would not have been lost in Europe. And if not for the case with Chislenko, it is still unknown how the match would have ended.

After the game, there was a dead silence in the locker room, which was broken only by Igor's voice: "I'm sorry, guys. It's my fault ..." Nobody blamed him for anything. So serious and noble people gathered in that team. Everyone was very upset by the defeat. We were no weaker than the Germans and played with them on an equal footing. And if Beckenbauer was their soloist, Valery Voronin played brilliantly in our team. I am still convinced that our opponents are also lucky. I mean the goal scored by Yashin Beckenbauer. The defenders in that episode closed Lev Ivanovich's review. But even when the score was 0:2, nothing was clear yet. The USSR national team then had such a fighting spirit that it could well recoup. And only when we turned out to be actually nine (removal of Chislenko plus injury to Jozsef Sabo), there was no chance of luck, although Valera Porkuyan managed to win back one ball.

In the match for 3-4 places with Portugal, Morozov continued to ignore the Baku tandem with "enviable" persistence. Malofeev and Banishevsky tried, but still acted separately. Only Metreveli (the author of the only return goal), who, like Markarov, spent almost the entire championship on the bench, showed off his skill, proving the unviability of the Morozov's concept of two ramming center forwards.

We lost to the Portuguese because of two mistakes of Khurtsilava. At the beginning, he played with his hand in the fight for the riding ball with the tall Torres (the penalty was clearly converted by Eusebio), and then he did not see everything behind the same Portuguese, who, left alone with Yashin (with a score of 1: 1), at 88 th minute scored the winning goal.

Football players of the USSR national team for the first time (and for the last time) returned home with World Cup medals.

Valery Voronin was included in the symbolic team of the world, and Lev Yashin, once again confirmed his high skill and received a prize established by a Mexican company for the best goalkeeper of the championship.

The names of Yashin, Shesternev, Ponomarev, Voronin were named among the best football players of the championship in numerous questionnaires and referendums, but there were no forwards of the USSR national team among them.

The World Football Forum has ended, and everyday life in the country's championship race has begun.

CHAPTER 17

1966 "Oilman" - Bronze Champion of the USSR in Football (Eduard Markarov)

1966 "Oilman" - Bronze Champion of the USSR in Volleyball (Irina Markarova)

In a conversation with me, Nikita Simonyan and Vsevolod Bobrov unanimously admitted that two Eduards, Streltsov and Markarov, use scoring chances better than any of the current players.

Ilya Baru

Name the three best football players of the Union in 1966: Shesternev, Turyanchik, Markarov.

From an interview with the best football player of the USSR in 1966 Andrei Biba.

I see Streltsov and Markarov as the best of the season.

Sergey Salnikov

" Music lovers know: replace at least one of the performers in the played orchestra, and the sound of the instrument will be completely different. The rearrangement or replacement of players in football teams has a detrimental effect in the same way. An example of this can be the actions of Baku residents in a meeting with Kai-rat ".

“Oilman” entered the field without Markarov. And this immediately affected the game of the avant-garde team. I am far from thinking to reproach the Baku strikers for not trying hard, playing without a spark. Nothing like this! The forwards maneuvered with all their might, showed remarkable skill in handling the ball, played the sharpest combinations. And yet these attacks were not "stuffed with gunpowder" - Markarov did not participate in them ...

This, in my opinion, was the main reason that the forwards of the "Neftyanik" could not print the gates of "Kairat". The resume, apparently, will not be to the taste of either the players or the coaches of the Baku team. And frankly, that suits me just fine. Satisfied because he told his friend the truth, and no matter how bitter it was, he probably drew the necessary conclusions. And they suggest themselves: no permutations or substitutions should reduce the class of the team’s game, its combat potential.”

It seems to me that this note by Alma-Ata journalist Nikolai Vladimirov accurately characterizes the state of the attacking ranks of Neftyanik after Markarov's departure for the World Cup.

Leaving, Markarov left Neftyanik in third place in the championship. He returned from the shores of foggy Albion to the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the team has already rolled down to the seventh rank. Rolling up their sleeves, Edik and "Banya" (Banishevsky's nickname) rushed into battle. The team led by the triumphal trio seemed to come to life. The newspapers of those days wrote: “In the attack of the Neftyanik, three surprisingly similar forwards play: Kazbek Tuaev, Eduard Markarov, Anatoly Banishevsky. Each of them has his own pronounced “I”.

Kazbek Tuaev can safely go with the ball to three defenders. Let him lose the ball in three cases out of five, the coaches will not make any remarks to him, because in two cases he will win the duel and give a pass "on the verge of a goal."

Anatoly Banishevsky, a straightforward player in his actions, has an enviable gift for terrorizing the defense of the enemy, while the small and cunning Eduard Markarov knows how and loves to attack along unexpected paths, since the partners guess about his intentions much better than opponents.

“The Neftyanik handwriting betrays his character. His forwards are able to saturate the most seemingly cloudless atmosphere with electricity, behind them, maybe it’s not so difficult for foreign defenders to keep up, it’s more difficult to guess where the lightning will flash from let the thunder roll."

"If our attacking trio Tuaev-Banishevsky-Markarov was on the ball," Neftyanik's goalkeeper Sergey Kramorenko recalled, "it could "break" any defense in a matter of minutes."

The coach of the then Moscow Spartak Sergei Salnikov, a brilliant striker of the 50s, who knew no equal in the art of handling the ball, turned out to be not indifferent to the trio of Baku Musketeers: I would say, on a natural rise, such a game puts them on a par with the strongest European clubs.The rise, in my opinion, is due primarily to the selection of players.In the attack, a "bouquet" of the best football flowers is assembled, you can talk about such forwards only dream... And you have to be blind not to use the "Baku greenhouse" for its intended purpose ...

If I were the coach of the national team, then the Baku troika would play for me in attack - Tuaev, Markarov, Banishevsky plus Streltsov.

... And the "Oilman" began to destroy everyone in his own and other people's fields. And died from crushing blows: SKA Rostov, Dynamo Tbilisi, Torpedo Kutaisi, Krylya Sovetov from Kuibyshev, Kairat from Almaty, Zenit from Leningrad, Pakhtakor from Tashkent, Torpedo from Moscow, Odessa SKA, Dynamo Kiev, Spartak Moscow. Only Donetsk "Shakhtar" managed to slow down the people of Baku, not without the help of pliable referees.

Such a breakthrough from the “Neftyanik” was not expected. In the second half of the championship, the team scored 25 points in 15 matches! She lost champions and vice-champions of the country! "Neftyanik" was the only team who did not lose a single match at home. Baku residents won by the sum of meetings against both winners. In two games, the Kyivans have 2:1 (0:0 and 2:1), the Rostovites have 7:2 (4:1 and 3:1). If the number of participants in the championship in 1966 was equal to the number of participants in the first championship in 1936 (7 teams), Neftyanik would become the champion of the country. In the games of the first seven between themselves, the Baku team had 17 points against 16 from the Kiev team! If Markarov and Banishevsky had not been called up to the national team ... If only ...

And now more about the matches that paved the way for Neftyanik to the podium, in the retelling of football experts - football experts and sports journalists.

“Behind the World Cup, we didn’t even notice how our domestic championship passed the tournament equator and entered autumn. With the return to Neftyanik from the national team of Banishevsky and Markarov in the last rounds, the talented Baku team showed that it intends to compete for a place under the football The victory in Rostov with a convincing score of 3:1 speaks of this (Yuri Vanyat).

“Five goals were scored in Kuibyshev as well. But here they were divided between the home team and Neftya Nick, and most of them fell to the share of the Baku team, whose central pair Banishevsky-Markarov is gradually returning to normal. At the beginning of the second half " Neftyanik led 2:0 (Banishevsky and Trofimov). Then Zhukov equalized the score, and Markarov again restored the advantage of Baku. Shortly before the end of the match, Zhukov scored another goal, but the Kuibyshev team could not achieve more, despite all their efforts. It seems that Baku, going five rounds without defeat, are returning to their starting form, when, as you know, they spent the first eight rounds of the championship without knowing what a "steering wheel" is. If this is so, then here is the second warning signal for our current leaders." (Alexander Vit).

"Deuce" on the scoreboard was lit by Markarov. Rapid raid Banishevsky on the left flank ended with a sharp transfer to the center of the penalty area "Zenith". While the Leningraders were thinking what was going on, Markarov, who was walking in a parallel course, hit hard into the corner, and, to celebrate, he flew into the net!" (Mark Peisel).

“The perseverance with which Kairat and Neftyanik are trying to gain a foothold at the top of the standings attracts. In the match between them, the Baku team turned out to be much stronger.

“Oilman” is now playing in a second wind. The return of E. Markarov and A. Banishevsky gave freshness and sharpness to the actions of the people of Baku. In "Neftyanik" the main strike force is the forwards..." (Nikita Simonyan).

“As soon as Markarov was left face to face with the defender, the ingenious tactics of the southerners bore the first fruits. Running away from the defender, Markarov lifted the ball over Pshenichnikov, who threw himself at his feet, and he was forced to capitulate. There was much in common with this situation in the second scored When Markarov, brought into the penalty area by Gadzhiev, bypassed the defender guarding him, the goalkeeper and the second stopper rushed to cut him, leaving Tuaev unattended, which, of course, was followed by a pass. rather long pauses of rest.It seems to me that the main initiator of these breaks in the pace of the hosts is Markarov.

Pressing the guests to the gate, the Baku team did not press them, but, taking advantage of the confusion of the Tashkent people, arranged a rest for themselves, entrusting the game to the midfielders and defenders. But a new assault led them to a third beautiful goal.

After the match, I was asked a lot of questions related to the situation in which the fourth goal was scored. Their meaning was as follows: "Why was the whistle inactive when they demolished Markarov at the goalkeeper's area?" The fact is that the attack of the Baku team did not end there, a few seconds later it ended with a goal." (Alexander Menshikov, referee of the All-Union category).

"Perhaps, only Neftyanik and Dynamo (Tbilisi) turned sharply in the second round on the path of attacking, productive. In the last four rounds, the Baku team scored fourteen goals, the Tbilisi team scored ten." (Viktor Dubinin, Honored Master of Sports).

“Interesting and meaningful was the duel between the capital's “Torpedo” and “Oilman”. Everyone expected a difficult fight, because it is known that “Oilman” played his last games at a high sporting level.

The first half of the meeting was held with undeniable advantage of Baku footballers. They outplayed their rivals on all counts, demonstrating beautiful football. In him one could see well-coordinated high-speed actions, accurate passing game, high individual skill, inexhaustible will of the players to win. Their attacks were relentless. A. Banishevsky, E. Markarov, K. Tuaev clearly overplayed their opponents. But, as is often the case, the first goal flew into the Neftyanik gate. Bad luck did not frighten the guests. They continued to persistently attack, and after five minutes Tuaev's exact pass was realized by Banishevsky no less accurately and in cold blood. Five minutes before the end of the match, V. Marushko plays roughly in the penalty area. The penalty was confidently converted by V. Gadzhiev." (Grigory Pinaichev, Honored Coach of the USSR).

Thanks to television, this interesting match, which was vividly commented by the legendary Vadim Sinyavsky, was watched by the whole country.

But again, let's give the floor to football authorities:

“The Baku team got a point for the will to win last week. Moreover, after the first half, they lost two goals to the outsider - the army team of Odessa. But in the end it became 3: 2, which opened up a tempting prospect for the “bronze” place in the standings for “Neftchik”. ". (Yuri Vanyat).

“The champion of the country, Kiev Dynamo, hosted Baku’s Neftyanik on its field. The best scorer of Kiev Byshovets scored his next goal. The country tried to avoid defeat throughout the second half. The defenders of Neftyanik acted carefully and cautiously, and the attacks of the Kyiv-lians were never completed. the whole time had to be on the alert.Before the game in Kyiv, "Neftyanik" was called almost a bronze team, now he has the opportunity to theoretically claim second place. "(Alexey Chuprinin).

With the victory in Kyiv over the hitherto invincible Dynamo team, the Baku team proved that in 1966 they were the strongest in the country.

"The oilmen were playing attacking football; the table of ranks was thrown aside.

It must be assumed that the miscalculation of the Spartacists was also in the fact that they did not prevent Markarov from deep in the field from tying combinations. Such a game is to the liking of the leader of the attacks of the Baku team, and he flashed in full measure. In this sense, the third goal was very indicative. Markarov received the ball in his half of the field and immediately passed it to Tuaev; there were five rivals in front of the two Baku forwards: Mar-karov and Tuaev through one-touch passes, and all this was done at high speed, they passed everyone. Finally, Tuaev found himself at an acute angle in front of the Spartak goal. Maslachenko parried an aimed shot into the right corner of the goal with his foot, the ball flew to the center, and then Markarov sent it into the net past the defense, taken aback by surprise.

Banishevsky opened the scoring in the 18th minute. This happened after a combination started by Semiglazov. The ball was sent to the right flank of Tuaev, from him to Markarov, at that moment the central striker of Neftyanik broke into the goalkeeper area and received a pass. He received the ball, standing with his back to the goal, Maslachenko ran from behind and, in theory, had to take possession of the ball. Banishevsky prevented him, went with the ball a little to the right and was left without guardianship against an empty goal. Three minutes later, after Tuaev's submission, he found the ball in the air and hit it into the net from the summer.

The account could be big. Trofimov attacked dangerously twice. Miraculously, Gryazev did not hit the target. One day Banishevsky went one on one with Maslachenko and hit him. Another time, Markarov's magnificent slashed blow almost reached the goal ... "(Mark Peisel).

"The fate of bronze medals was decided in the match between Neftyanik Baku and Spartak Moscow. It was one of Neftyanik's best matches of the season. The team outplayed its rivals in all respects. A. Banishevsky and E. Markarov stood out in attack, who preferred the unexpected development of events and often took the defenders of Muscovites and V. Maslachenko by surprise" (Martyn Merzhanov).

On December 5, in honor of the Constitution Day, a sports festival was held at the Baku Republican Stadium. "Neftyanik" played a friendly match with Kirovabad Dynamo. During the break of the match, the chairman of the USSR Football Federation N. Ryashentsev presented awards and diplomas to Markarov and his teammates.

CHAPTER 18

1967–1968 USSR national team

1967–1968 "Oilman"

The fact that the Kievans play with two forwards and four midfielders, in my opinion, is not the result of the fact that their coach V. Maslov invented some new system. He just doesn't have decent forwards on hand. After all, those two who play ahead of the Kiev team do not meet all the requirements that are imposed on high-class football players. Personally, I will not exchange them both for one Markarov.

Sergei Salnikov

The head coach of the USSR national team has changed. It was headed by one of the best domestic coaches Mikhail Iosifovich Yakushin. 17 players were invited to the first six-day training camp, including Markarov. There was a match in Scotland with the national team of this country. Due to an attack of appendicitis, Banishevsky stayed at home. Without the "Banya" Markarov was not put in a match with the Scots (then it seemed to us so). Banishevsky recovered, but we again did not see Markarov in the games with the national teams of France and Mexico. "Wise Micah" continued the policy of the former leadership of the national team, giving preference to the "siloviki" who love to run around the field at breakneck speed. Romantics of football, techies, thinking football players were out of fashion, and they, like dinosaurs, began to quietly die out.

And Markarov, in spite of everything, in the national championships “riveted” a goal in every match. From his leg suffered: "Chernomorets" (twice), "Ararat", "Kairat", "Dynamo (Tbilisi), "Zenith", "Torpedo" (Moscow), "Wings of the Soviets", CSKA, "Dynamo" ( Minsk), "Spartak", "Zorya", SKA. Only 14 goals. Almost until the end of the championship, Markarov led the scorer race (until October 22, when the matches of the 31st round were held), but then something "stopped" didn't work...

The all-Union press, as always, did not remain indifferent to the performances of Neftyanik in competitions for the USSR Cup and the national championship:

"Quickly fit Markarov was again the best of the Baku forwards. This time he himself appreciated his game with two goals. Markarov's 60th in the national championship. And he brought his team forward in the second period, when the Baku team began to look like themselves: they played brightly, interestingly. By the way, the third goal is also on Markarov's conscience. Do not bring down his defender Arkhipenko, it is not known , Hajiyev would have to play the role of a penalty taker."

"The captain, speaking in football terms, is the" viceroy "of the coach on the field, and therefore usually the team entrusts the captain's armband to the best player, the one who understands the current situation more competently and faster than others and is able to inspire partners by personal example, ignite them, lead for co-fight.

It seems that the Baku "Neftyanik" has the right to be satisfied with its captain. Markarov can beat several defenders at once on the “piglet”, he can give such a pass that even white-haired gray-haired specialists gasp, he can finally score a goal that lives in memory for a long, long time as a textbook and at the same time unique in execution. For example, the one he scored against Ararat on Sunday and brought two important points to Neftyanik.

It may have seemed to some that Markarov did not play this match very well. But you should have seen that for the entire 90 minutes a “merciless” guardian followed him like a shadow, whose duties included neutralizing the captain of the Baku team, preventing him from even getting the ball. And yet, three or four times Markarov skillfully freed himself from control and created scoring situations at the gates of Yerevan. In the end, scored the same goal, which determined the outcome of the meeting.

It was the 66th minute of the game, the attacks of the “Oilman” reached a climax and were about to end with a goal. Just at that moment, Semin made a sharp pass to the gates of Ararat. The ball was still, as they say, at its apogee, when Markarov suddenly rushed from under the guardian, turned his back on the goal, took off into the air and, in a spectacular jump over himself, hit the target. The Yerevan goalkeeper didn't even move."

“The best defender of the guests, Khurtsilava, became Markarov’s shadow, and Shergelashvili played the role of a cleaner… Markarov retreated far back, taking Khurtsilava with him, but Tbilisi strictly adhered to the plan and did not weaken their defense. Khurtsilava during the match turned into a kind of midfielders, the defense of Tbilisi from this did not become less saturated.

In order to free himself from obsessive guardianship, Markarov maneuvered a lot, constantly moved around the field, and made long raids with the ball. But it took a lot of strength and in the immediate vicinity of the opponents' penalty area, where the Baku captain is especially dangerous, he no longer had the strength to beat, dribbling. And yet he did his job.

During one of Neftyanik's many attacks, Abdullayev shot on goal, Urushadze released the ball and Markarov, who was right there, literally pushed him into the net.

“We are accustomed to the close interaction between Banishevsky and Markarov, when this talented duet of Baku strikers, working inventively and energetically, over and over again sets very difficult, and sometimes intractable tasks for the opponent’s defense. Unfortunately, this time the doubles game I don’t take the liberty of asserting whether the Baku team themselves are to blame for this, or the simulated connections between Banishevsky and Markarov were interrupted by the efforts of the Torpedo defense, but I think that it was precisely the gap between the two central forwards that was the reason that attacking almost the entire match, the Baku team did not create so many clean scoring chances."

“The first application was made immediately. Banishevsky, starting from the center, threw the ball back to Markarov, and the bullet himself rushed forward. Having received an accurate pass, he went one on one with the goalkeeper of the railroad workers Frolov and already in the 40th second opened the scoring ". In the second half, Banishevsky scored two more goals, and his partners Gadzhiev and Tuaev brought the score to a record. In each of the five goals was the merit of Markarov. He never tried to shoot on goal when one of the partners was in a more advantageous position And when the people of Baku scored one goal after another, the Moscow fans shouted from the stands: "Let Markarov score!"

"After the victory over the Wings with a score of 3:0, Baku residents caught up with the leader in terms of the number of goals scored, and striker Markarov again single-handedly topped the list of top scorers."

"After Neftyanik scored three goals for the Kuibyshev team, the Moscow army team, arriving in Baku, asked the Volga residents: "How did you miss as much in one match as in the previous eleven?" "But you yourself will see how" ", - they answered. The army team strengthened the defense and ... conceded four goals. And CSKA coach V. Bobrov said after the match: "Neftyanik" is capable of becoming a champion. "

In the match against Rostov SKA Markarov scored the only goal. The score could have been 2-0, Eduard 11-meter score. Let us, however, give the floor to the player himself:

“Now Valera Gadzhiev is hitting a penalty. He hits without a miss. If during the game he suddenly tells me that he felt insecure, then I will try. and was not going to hit, but the guys began to persuade: it’s better you hit, not Valera. More, they say, you will have goals. Then the thought immediately flashed through me: since they started counting the goals, then I won’t score. And if you think like that, if you doubt, you won't score for sure. That's what happened. That's why I always say that you have to play, not count goals."

And here are the responses of the then newspapers:

"The Baku team very confidently outplayed the Moscow torpedo team, and three Baku musketeers - A. Banishevsky, E. Markarov and K. Tuaev - each scored a goal, which allowed the team to take fifth place in the final result of the championship."

“This season, Markarov and Banishevsky together scored 27 goals, that is, more than all the other players combined. We have already had to compare the Markarov-Banishevsky-Tuaev trio with a well-played hockey trio. Replacing one of them affects the game of comrades who I have to rebuild, adapt to a new partner."

In a dispute between scorers, Markarov let Mustygin and Kopaev pass ahead of him, and with 14 goals he was third. But his goal against the Moscow “Spartak” became the 70th in the championships.

Markarov also scored goals in cup matches: in the game with Pakhtakor, as usual, Eduard Markarov managed to organize attacks and take a striking position to complete them. The first ball was scored from his pass. The second and third he scored himself.

The most beautiful can be considered his goal against Dinamo Tbilisi in the 1/8 final match of the USSR Cup. It is a pity that then they did not award the prize for the best goal of the season, otherwise, undoubtedly, Eduard Markarov would have become its owner in 1967 for the masterpiece created in the match with Tbilisi. The ball hung over the penalty area after Tuaev's cross. The captain of Baku residents, like an acrobat pushed off from a trampoline, flew up, found a boot ball, turned over in the air (pedigreed pigeons turn over so beautifully, "play" high in the sky) and sent it to the left of Urushadze "nine"!

And again Eduard Markarov recalls:

"Each goal is beautiful in its own way. Either there was a great pass, or I managed to beat the defender with a feint, or an unexpected blow caught the goalkeeper by surprise. Everyone likes goals scored in a fall through themselves. They say that I managed to score the most beautiful goal in this way - in the cup match against Tbilisi this year. You can see it from the outside, but I like goals scored from a good pass the most."

At the end of the year, "Neftyanik" made a tour of Mali, Senegal and Guinea, where the enthusiastic press dubbed Markarov "Soviet Pele". "Baku Pele", "Soviet", "Armenian", and he was Eduard Markarov, the son of Artem Agalarovich Markarov.

After a victorious (6:2) match over the team of the Senegalese city of Tiesta, when Markarov scored four goals, one of the local newspapers came out with the headline: "Small in stature, but great in skill." In this game, Edward created another masterpiece. From his own half of the field, he began, which has already become his signature slalom pass, circling one after the other half of the team. Finally beat the Senegalese libero and stayed eye to eye with the goalkeeper. But he didn't hit. I waited for the same unlucky defender, circled him again and only then lightly sent the ball into the goal.

...The winter holidays are over, the players "flocked" to the first training session and were surprised to learn that their team will now be called "Neftchi" in Azerbaijani. It was from this moment that the gradual decline of the wonderful team began, although by inertia, the football schools of Baku continued to supply talented (and later famous) players to the main team of the republic: Vitaly Shevchenko, Alexander Mirzoyan, Rafik Kuliyev .. .

"Neftchi" took the start of the national championship very successfully and even took the first place in the standings after the first rounds. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, but on one weekday, terrible news instantly spread throughout the city: Eduard Markarov was hospitalized with numerous bruises and broken ribs. It turns out that at night the drunken police officers tried to subdue the pet of Baku residents to their will and inflicted bodily injuries on him. Of course, the perpetrators were punished, but the idol of the people of Baku was out of action for a long time. The best six months of his life (26 years - the prime of life in a football player's career) were crossed out, but everyone believed that Markarov would quickly recover and make up for lost time.

This season, the sympathies of many Baku residents began to gradually turn away from Neftchi. Some gave their preference to the Moscow "Spartak", others - to the Yerevan "Ararat", and the third shared their addictions with the fans of the Kyiv "Dynamo". Local nationalism took root deeper and deeper, while Baku residents gradually lost their positions in the leadership of the republic and the city. Passed positions and "Neftchi". In the absence of the captain, the team slipped to the bottom of the standings.

With each match, the excitement around the return of Markarov intensified. And when he ran onto the football field in the uniform of his native team, the stadium exploded with a standing ovation. They greeted their recovered pet standing up, and many had tears of joy on their courageous faces. On that day, the applause addressed to him did not stop until the end of the match. And the team began to play, and we again saw the swift attacks of the "Baku Musketeers". The people reached out to the stadium, hoping to enjoy the virtuoso game of "Baku Pele". And he didn't let them down. I played so that in a month (!) I received an invitation to the first USSR national team.

On August 1, the overcrowded Ny Ulleve stadium in Gothenburg welcomed the national teams of Sweden and the USSR. Markarov was in the starting lineup. Next to him in the center of the attack was Anatoly Byshovets (Banishevsky stayed at home due to an injury). The first half was completely for the Soviet team. She dominated the field and led with a score of 1:0 (Mikhail Gershkovich scored a goal). A great football connoisseur, journalist B. Hansson, said after the first half on Swedish radio: "There is no doubt that the Soviet team relies on extremely fast, maneuverable football." He called Khurtsilava and Shesternev "granite rocks in defense." Muntean in the middle line - "a fantastic player, a worthy successor to Igor Netto", Markarov - "extremely mobile and elusive." Immediately, B. Hansson recalled the opinion expressed by Swiss and Austrian experts - the current Soviet team can give a lot of new to international football.

After the forced and absolutely non-equivalent replacement of Byshovets by Lenev, "the chain of the Russian attack broke."

In the second half, the Swedes scored two goals and it seemed that victory was on their side. But the Soviet team was rescued by the "Caucasian couple". Two minutes before the end of the game, when drawing a free kick, Markarov threw it exactly under the blow of Khurtsilava, and the ball fluttered in the Swedish goal - 2:2.

One of Sweden's leading football experts, Dagens Nyhetr commentator R. Eklev, called the match "unique, full of drama." "In the first half," he said, "the Russians played strong, and we are grateful to them for losing this period only 0-1." And APN correspondent Aleksey Dumov, summing up the result of the match, wrote in the Futbol weekly: “A useful match with the Swedish national team, no doubt, allowed M. Yakushin to see both the strengths and promising".

But it was not there. Yakushin was removed and Gavriil Kachalin, who coached the national team in 1955-62, returned to his place.

Kachalin also invited Markarov to the first friendly match of the USSR national team with Odessa "Chernomorets". In the first half, Puzach and Eskov played in the center of the team's attack, and in the second, Puzach was already playing in tandem with Markarov. Shortly before the end of the match, with the score 1:0 in favor of the seniors, after a swift combination of Metreveli-Markarov-Puzach, the Kiev resident doubled the result.

...At the end of the year, "Neftchi" made a trip to Iran and Syria, where Markarov scored two goals in four matches with local teams. Seven goals were on his account in the completed national championship, moreover, the last one is the jubilee, 80th.

Once I said to Edik: “Look for a moment for a breakthrough, for reaching an empty place. Don’t think about the ball. When the ball hits me, know that my first thought is to put you in a comfortable position. Even if I don’t look at you, if I'm with my back to you, open up anyway, even in the danger zone." And right after this conversation, the game went differently. My passes became more unexpected for the opponents, and Edik waited for them all the time and received the ball in an advantageous position. And with his constant movements, he helped free our other attackers, who could not maneuver as skillfully as he did.

CHAPTER 19

1969–1971 "Neftchi" (Oilman)

Edik has a propensity for organizational play by nature, which generally treated him generously. He was born a footballer. Agile, light, coordinated, even in his youth he was distinguished by the fact that he saw the field well. When the need arose, it turned out that he could lead the game, manage it. His technique allows you to look not at the ball, but around. And most importantly, as a dispatcher, he is constantly improving. Sometimes I think he has eyes in the back of his head.

Yuri Kuznetsov

Like last year, the 1969 championship "Neftchi" began with a meeting with the Odessa "Chernomorets". On the day of the match, the Baku Rabochiy newspaper devoted its fourth page to the opening of the football season. Under the photograph, which captured the moment of the duel between Lev Yashin and Eduard Markarov, a quatrain was published:

The whole stadium is in anticipation of the impact.

And it seems that there is no better moment! -

Markarov hits the ball almost point-blank,

But Yashin comes out with lightning on the ball.

Baku residents did not upset their admirers, "Neftchi" defeated the Odessa team - 2:0. This was followed by a draw with the people of Kiev and victories over Dynamo Moscow and Ararat. Markarov led the league scorers with three goals. But the central defender of the Rostov SKA Viktor Getmanov stood in the way of the Baku captain, who inflicted a serious injury on Markarov. Eduard Markarov spent the next six months in a special sports clinic.

Without a leader, "Neftchi" began to lose and rolled down. Valery Vinokurov noted in Football: "Neftchi is hard to bear the absence of the injured Markarov. For many years he led the entire Baku game. Capable young football players, who have a number of undoubted advantages, do not yet have a taste for organizing the game."

The difficulties of the team were further aggravated by the fact that at the beginning of the season Valery Gadzhiev moved to Dynamo Moscow, and Nikolai Bogdanov joined Dynamo Kiev.

The exodus of leading players from the team continued in subsequent years. Kazbek Tuaev, apparently, by the call of his ancestors, will soon be in the best team in Ossetia - Ordzhonikidze "Spartak". Markarov will leave after him, then Shevchenko, Mirzoyan... A few years later, Lev Filatov writes: "In 1971, Eduard Markarov, a wonderful original forward, moved from Baku Neftchi to Ararat Yerevan. A year later, Alexander left Baku Mirzoyan, a solid defender, who is remembered from the Beskov "Spartak". At first glance, nothing special. But it was then that Neftchi headed for "cleanliness of the ranks". This, so to speak, course turned out to be a loss of place for the Azerbaijani club in the major leagues, and to this day he has not found himself, whereas earlier, being international in terms of the composition of the players, Neftchi was quoted highly.

His return from injury was like "manna from heaven" for the team. "Debut" fell on the match with "without five minutes the champion of the country" Moscow "Spartak". The Futbol weekly for this match was commanded by the well-known journalist Valery Vinokurov: “After a long break and difficult treatment, the Baku team was brought onto the field by their captain Markarov. Markarov acted as a drawn center forward, but he was precisely a forward, not a midfielder. All his qualities, so familiar to partners and opponents, so pleasant to the audience, were, as they say, with him. In addition to athleticism. "There are not enough forces," he admitted to me after the game. This was felt even in the first half, when he looked fresh, now and then eluding Rozhkov's supervision. The midfielder of Spartak did not manage to take advantage of the fact that he opposed a physically not quite prepared opponent. Rozhkov was not dangerous in front and could not cope with Markarov's care in his half of the field.

Markarov already during the first minutes twice with sharp passes brought forward his young partners, and the defenders of Spartak hardly saved the situation. On the 2nd minute, the captain of Spartak Khusainov did not use the advantageous situation. Yes, both little captains, who still cannot determine which of them is even a centimeter taller, did not use one of the most advantageous moments, but they created more than one scoring opportunity for their partners and were, perhaps, the real captains of the game.

Twice in a row, in the 14th minute, Kavazashvili parried the strongest blows, 45 minutes later, in a magnificent throw, he took the ball at the feet of Markarov and many more times chose the place in the goal in such a way that it seemed as if the forwards were aiming at him. Kramarenko played no less confidently."

Some time later, Neftchi defeated Dynamo Minsk - 6:0(!) and Shakhtar Donetsk - 1:0 (in Donetsk). In a match with Belarusian football players, Markarov scored the first goal, and then Shevchenko (twice), Abdullaev and Stekolnikov (twice) scored goals with his participation.

Markarov's triumphant return was also noticed by one of the legendary Starostin brothers, Andrey Petrovich: "Baku's Neftchi, as it were, opened up a second wind with the return of E. Markarov and beat Dynamo Minsk 6-0, and then Shakhtar in Donetsk" .

Finished in the championship "Neftchi" matches with Georgian teams. Kutaisi "Torpedo" Baku-tsy beat with a score of 3:2, and played a draw with Tbilisi - 1:1. This allowed "Neftchi" to move to seventh place, and there were not enough matches for more.

A severe injury, in fact, crossed out the entire season, in which Eduard scored five goals that were ridiculous for a bombardier. He did not know then that next year there would be even fewer, only three goals.

...According to the established tradition, Neftchi played the first match of the championship perfectly. Leningrad "Zenit" was defeated - 4:0, and the press noted the impeccable play of Markarov, Shevchenko and Smolnikov. "Shevchenko and Markarov interacted especially well." Dynamo Minsk were next beaten - 1:0, and then a series of six draws began and a victory over Chornomorets - 1:0. "If you look at the table, it seems that Baku's Neftchi is also doing well. The team successfully played away matches for itself, drawing them. But before, after a successful start, it was usually on trips that Baku residents lost everything that they acquired on own field."

After nine rounds, Neftchi remained the only team that did not know defeat. The team also successfully played matches for the USSR Cup, beating Moscow's Spartak, Kai-rat and Pakhtakor on the way to the semi-finals.

Well, then Markarov got old sores, and the season was actually over for him. Injuries completely tortured the Baku captain. He went out on the football field, overcoming pain, at the request of coaches and teammates, because "the appearance of Markarov caused panic in the enemy's camp - despite the fact that he was out of shape," Neftchi head coach A. Aleskerov.

The last match of the championship of the 70th year "Neftchi" played on November 9 in Moscow on a snowy field with CSKA, which, in the event of a victory over Baku, caught up with fellow countrymen - Dynamo and received the right to challenge the champion title in a replay with them.

And two days later, the mother of Eduard and Irina Markarov died. Berta Grigorievna died of bronchial asthma, from which she suffered for many years. The keeper of the hearth of the Markarovs has gone. “We lived well together, it’s just a pity that Berta Grigorievna didn’t have to live with us for long. She was dying in my arms. I would wish everyone to have such a mother-in-law. She was an infinitely kind, but at the same time a very demanding woman,” said Edward’s wife Markarova Stella.

“Berta Grigoryevna was a freelance coach of Neftyanik,” said team coach Valentin Khlystov. “She understood football perfectly. She knew all our guys and could give everyone good advice. , rest, sleep, she understood as well as any sports doctor.

Edik Markarov's guys love to be at home. Everyone wants to be friends with him. He is not a whiner, not a dude, not a braggart. He never falters in training, he never emphasizes that he plays better than others. He is a real captain not only on the field, but also in everyday life."

After the death of Eduard's mother, nothing kept him in Baku.

He wrote:

“The last two seasons at Neftyanik I was haunted by injuries, practically these years, as such, disappeared for me. I began to hear conversations around me: “Markarov is weak, aged, etc. And I realized that something needs to change. Or finish completely, or try to prove that there is still gunpowder, but already in another team. My wife, I remember, dissuaded: “Well, what did you think? You are already 29 ... But I still decided to take a chance, and the new season began already in Ararat, where I had many friends”

EDWARD MARKAROV

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BIOGRAPHY

EDUARD MARKAROV