The 1976 Soviet Cup final was a football match that took place at the Lenin's Central Stadium, Moscow on 3 September 1976. The match was the 35th Soviet Cup final and it was contested by defending champions Ararat Yerevan and Dinamo Tbilisi.
Goals from David Kipiani, Piruz Kanteladze and Revaz Chelebadze helped Dinamo Tbilisi to a 3âÂÂ0 as the won the cup for the first time. It was the first time that a team from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic had won the cup and the fourth successive season in which a team from outside the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic won the competition.
Ararat Yerevan had reached the Soviet Cup final twice before, defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2âÂÂ1 after extra time in 1973 and Zaria Voroshilovgrad 2âÂÂ1 in 1975. They were the defending champions and the only team from the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic to reach a final.
Dinamo Tbilisi had reached the final on four previous occasions but had never won the competition before. They were the only team from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic to reach the final.
The proceeding three tournaments had been won by Ararat (2) and Dynamo Kyiv (1) meaning this would be the fourth season in a row that a team from outside the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic won the competition.
Previously these two teams met each other three times in the competition. Dinamo knockedâÂÂout opponents two times, while Ararat have done it once. The club from Tbilisi progressed in 1937, winning the game 4âÂÂ1 and in 1971 competition 0âÂÂ0, 2âÂÂ1, while the club from Yerevan eliminated the opponent in 1975 winning the game 3âÂÂ1.
All sixteen Soviet Top League clubs including Dinamo and Ararat entered the competition in the second round.
In the second round Dinamo defeated Metalurh Zaporizhya 5âÂÂ4 on penalties after a 1âÂÂ1 draw after extra time. They then defeated Zenit Leningrad 3âÂÂ0 to advance to the quarter-finals. A 2âÂÂ1 win against Karpaty Lviv saw them into the semi-finals where they defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2âÂÂ0.
After defeating SKA Rostov-on-Don 1âÂÂ0 in the second round, Ararat required extra time to over come Lokomotiv Moscow by the same score line in the third round. In the quarter-finals they defeated CSKA Moscow 2âÂÂ1 before defeating Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk by the same score line in the semi-final and advancing to the final.