Last week, domestic football fans had reasons for both grief and joy. Disappointment could not but cause a major defeat of the national team of Ukraine in Glasgow, where Oleksandr Petrakov's wards failed in a duel with the Scots (0:3). However, already three days later, the blue-yellows in Yerevan tore to pieces the Armenian team (5:0).
Photo - uaf.uaIt is clear that such a swing was also reflected in the assessments of the performance of the title football team of the country on the pages of the media - from sadness to delight. Although, say, after the failure on the Islands, some experts and analysts, even usually reserved in their assessments, were not particularly optimistic about the quality of the game and the results of our team in the final matches of the group stage of the League of Nations.
The reason is on the surface: the psychological state of the performers against the background of the ongoing Russian aggression and its further escalation. Even among non-military people, the war is firmly ingrained in their heads, and you can’t just throw it out of there. Football players are no exception. Families, children, the future of the individual and the whole country - is this not a reason for the additional consumption of emotions and motivation.
Plus, of course, logistics. You can’t get away from the fact that our team had to prepare not in their native land, but, although not in a foreign, but in another country - Poland. I had to get to Warsaw by train. From there, 1,700 km of summer to Glasgow. After the match, almost four thousand kilometers of a night flight to Yerevan. And now back, only to Krakow, two more with hook. Less than a week.
But no one loses faith in the professionalism of our team, which is left to make the final chord. In order to return to the first place in the group, Petrakov's wards in a formally home meeting, but with the warm support of the fans who were forced to leave their homeland, need to beat the Scots. As we already did in June in the playoff match of the World Championship (3:1).
Personnel layout the day before
Why does our team need to take first place in the League of Nations group? Not only because it will allow Ukrainians to return to Division A, in which the strongest teams of the Old World play. It is very important for the seeding at the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying draw in Frankfurt on 9 October.
In this case, the blue-yellows will fall into the second basket and potentially be able to avoid an extra opponent who is higher in the rating. And since the two best teams of each of the ten groups get into the final part of the European Championship, in order not to fight for one of the three additional vouchers in a roundabout way, you should think about a favorable scenario right now.
We will return to the Euro 2024 qualifying draw. In the meantime, let's pay attention to the far-fetched discussion that arose due to the fact that Ruslan Rotan's team is holding their playoff matches for reaching the final part of the youth Euro 2023 in the same period. Like, why not Petrakov share with his colleague players who are suitable for him in age. First of all, it was about Trubin and Mudrik, Zabarny was also called.
To Ruslan Rotan's credit, he reacted quite clearly to the provocations: "It is not necessary to inflate. I said from the very beginning that the national election is a priority. There they will see who we can see. It is not my fault to invite you to your respect, we can only think about the coming matches. And tim, you are youngWithbluntsh high equal, we are already satisfied. We have our own warehouse; (Footboom.com, 09/23/22).
Alexander Petrakov also touched on the relationship with the youth: no problems. Along the way, he announced that after the match in Glasgow, goalkeeper Trubin will go to the location of Rotan's coaching staff. Despite the fact that the mentor of the national team had personnel problems through the roof. The main goalkeeper Bushchan and the leading midfielder Shaparenko were injured, another team leader Zinchenko reported an injury from London, and Sobol from Brugge.
What was the surprise and even indignation when on the eve of Sobol, in the 71st minute, he came on as a substitute in the Belgian championship match against Standard.
“It came as a complete surprise to us. - the press officer of the national team Alexander Glyvinsky said in confusion. — Yesterday, the player called the head coach and said that he had an injury, he needed an operation and would not be able to take part in the training camp. Maybe the club doctor allowed him to play? We don't know about it" (www.football.com, 09/19/22).
Sobol had to explain: "For a month now, I have been experiencing discomfort in the groin area. After the congestion, a hematoma was revealed in me. Tuber physicians reckoned that the problem had been resolved earlier, but it didn’t happen like that. And from literally yesterday the head doctor of "Bruges" told me that in order to get away, you can, it is necessary to pump blood from the affected area. After such a procedure, I cannot train any less five days. I just mentioned it to the head coach of the national team" (Uaf.ua, 09/19/22).
At the same time, the legionnaire admitted that he was ready, if necessary, to arrive at the location of the national team, but he was unlikely to be her assistant. With which Alexander Petrakov agreed. In addition, Sobol sent a diagnosis, which was reviewed by the blue-and-yellow doctors. And as for the substitution, since the procedure has not yet been carried out, he was able to spend a small period of playing time on the field.
Petrakov's personnel problems did not end there. Due to the bust of yellow cards, Zabarny could not play. And already at a press conference in Glasgow, the head coach announced that Mikolenko and Kovalenko would not be able to take part in the duel with the Scots due to microdamages. However, he promised that his wards will make every effort to look decent.
Team captain Andrey Yarmolenko was also in a combat mood: “We think less about winning. If you play football, then you should think how to win the match. Obviously, we know that the opponent is much stronger, just like we were playing in reds, the British finished their game. That's why it will be important zustrich. And war continues in our country. Otzhe, namagatimos to bring bolіlnikov, us Ukrainians would like to have a joy" (Ua.tribuna.com, 21.09.22).
Took the blame
Alas, this time the Ukrainian national team failed to please their fans. If before the break the team still looked comparable to the opponent, then after it fell apart, conceding three unanswered goals.
Impartial figures testified that the Ukrainian national team did not deliver a single shot on target to the Scots, did not give a single corner, fouled more and grabbed as many as five yellow cards. At the same time, she had more possession of the ball and made more passes. But the sharpness in her actions was clearly not enough.
Hotheads immediately began to accuse the players of an almost lack of patriotism and fighting spirit, reproach Petrakov for erroneous tactics, and even talk about his possible resignation. Although the head coach, as far as is known, the term of the agreement with the UAF is valid until the end of 2022.
Of course, every expert and observer is free to have his own point of view on this or that event, on this or that football match, on its result. However, I think it is important not to forget about the circumstances in which our country and people found themselves. Football players included.
The very fact that Ukraine, in the difficult conditions of aggression, resumed the domestic championship, that some matches are played under conditions of air attacks, that club owners and organizers invest money and soul in football causes delight all over the world. The same Scots in particular. Probably, with an adjustment for this, assessments should be made. Moreover, the very next match overturned many of the accusations.
It is clear that after the defeat in Glasgow, Alexander Petrakov’s mood was, to put it mildly, not the best. And the excuse in the form of the absence of six performers for various reasons at once did not sound too convincing, although, say, the mentor called the loss of Zinchenko almost a key one.
At the same time, Petrakov admitted: “Even yesterday, during training, I saw that something was wrong. I stopped the lesson, talked with the guys. Of course, our football is noticeably different from British football. And if in the first half the Ukrainian team looked even more or less, then in the second there were so many marriages...
One person is always to blame for the defeat - the head coach. Naturally, we will analyze the game and draw conclusions. Nothing is lost yet. There is an important match with Armenia ahead, and then the return match with Scotland. I look to the future with optimism. We will do our best to take first place in the group" (uaf.ua, 09/22/22).
“Before the game, we analyzed a lot of information on the election of Ukraine. Today's match was of a critical nature. Possibly, in the first half, the Ukrainians outdid our team. But in the break, I asked the lads to increase their speed and put more pressure on the gates of the superman, which, better, brought us victory. I’ll swear that we were even more lucky with the replacements, aje Dykes, who appeared in the lava, signifying two scored balls ", - for his part, commented the mentor of the Scots Steve Clark (uaf.ua, 09/22/22).
The local press was delighted. "Scotland made an almost unrecognizable spectacle after their terrible performance in the World Cup qualifier junction when they lost to Ukraine. Oddly enough, Ukraine was also unrecognizable. The team played worse than we are used to seeing. Scotland played better, created more scoring chances and fully deserved victoriesy", - wrote the publication Football Scotland (fanday.net, 09/22/22).
The performance of the Scots also surprised the well-known Ukrainian coach, Kryvbas mentor Yuriy Vernidub. In his opinion, such teams as Scotland, Ireland (another of our rivals in the League of Nations group, with which we have already played and against which the Tartans won last Saturday - 2:1) is a long pass, a struggle. This time the British acted differently, in a European way - through a short and medium pass. At the same time, they have many young, physically strong performers.
But the main thing, according to Vernydub, is different. Namely: “Do not forget that we are at war. Plus, a lot of leading players dropped out. It takes time to get out of this hole. No matter how hard the guys want and try, there are moments that are difficult to overcome. It is important now to move away from the defeat, to analyze its causes, to understand what happened" (fanday.net, 09/22/22).
Hysteria behind the curb
On the eve of the match in Glasgow, Alexander Petrakov had to go through another difficult situation. According to the British edition The Guardian, The Russian Football Union appealed to UEFA with a demand to disqualify the head coach of the Ukrainian national team.
Behind the curb, the Ukrainian specialist was accused of discriminating against Russians and lacking political neutrality, as required by the UEFA and FIFA Codes of Conduct. And Petrakov violated these codes allegedly in an interview he gave back in the spring to a number of European publications.
"If they come to Kyiv, I will take up arms and defend my city, - the site quoted the then words of the mentor www.tribuna.com. — I am 64 years old, but I think that I could destroy two or three enemies. Russians should be suspended from all sports competitions for at least five years. These bastards have no right to take part in peaceful competitions that preach human values.” (09/19/22).
The interview was reprinted by other publications, quoted in Russia. Denis Rogachev, Deputy Secretary General of the RFU, referred to him in his appeal to the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Committee.
The Guardian I decided to find out how things are going. And I received this answer from Nyon: “We can’t comment on other vipads. When the scargs are coming, the stench is seen clearly to the position of disciplinary charges. At this stage, we do not have any additional information that we could give you" (www.tribuna.com, 09/19/22).
In turn, an anonymous representative of the UAF, at the request of the British publication, gave the following comment: "If nonhumans attacked Yogo Kraina, Petrakov buv ready to protect his land, his squad that children. They didn’t take Yogo into the army after a day of military proof, and yet Yogo Krok - a certificate of recognition of the country and patriotism. Can you talk about discrimination like a nation, like committing genocide against another nation?
In general, the football attack against our country turned into zilch, even though behind the scenes they are talking about some kind of warning and even a fine. But the situation with the removal of the Russian national team from participation in the Euro 2024 qualifying tournament was not at all zilch.
In previous media reviews, we have already paid attention to this issue and attempts by representatives of the aggressor country to step up their positions on the eve of the draw. Now it only remains to state that the UEFA Executive Committee, at its meeting in the Croatian town of Hvar, confirmed, as one of the points in the procedure, the disqualification of the RFU imposed on February 28 and confirmed by the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 15.
Commenting on the decision of the executive committee, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin noted: “The other side of Russia is not the price of today's day. The decision on Russian selected clubs was taken to further notice. Tse means what is possible for the situation. As long as we don’t change the thought, there will be children. Therefore, UEFA does not need to take more than a skin decision once a new tournament starts.
We all hope that the war will end yakomog shvidshe. But if the situation is reversed, like it’s all over the place, we can’t talk about it. The purpose of the change of politics and sports. What we can do, so stand up for the world" (sport.unian.ua, 09/22/22).
This is where the real hysteria began behind the curb. A certain Andrey Sidorchik, who identified himself as a political scientist, said that Ukraine was already in charge of UEFA, and called for the organization itself to be called, literally, "the Nazi Union of European Football Associations."
No less eloquent was the former goalkeeper of the Moscow "Torpedo" and "Spartak", as well as the USSR national team, a native of Batumi, who calls himself a Russian man, Anzor Kavazashvili: “Everyone, like frenzied, opposes us. The German government immediately supported the decision to suspend, the Poles rejoice. For me, UEFA and FIFA are criminal organizations. They use the principles of political blackmail and pressure on our state" (obozrevatel.com, 09/21/22).
Comments, as they say, are unnecessary. It remains only to agree with the head coach of the Russian national team Valery Karpin, who said that it was time to disband his team. It is high time!
In the fight for victory over evil
What is true is true - Alexander Ceferin can be called a friend of our country. This is evidenced by his direct participation and assistance in organizing the training camp of the national team of Ukraine in Slovenia on the eve of the important June playoff matches. And a recent telephone conversation between Ceferin and the President of Ukraine.
"Showing up for solidarity with Ukraine and the principled position, as well as for joining in the restart of the Ukrainian football Prem’єp-league. Relief for the help of UEFA in the case of the wounded Ukrainian athletes», Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on his Twitter on Monday (Interfax.com.ua, 09/19/22).
A little later, he sent a message to the head of the European Football Union, in which he noted: "It was a pleasure to spend with ATami telephone conversation on September 19, 2022. On August 23, on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, we resumed our football championship - the season of the Ukrainian Premier League 2022/23, which was a significant event for us. In the end, during a full-scale war RRussia against our country, the entire Ukrainian people defend their Motherland, democracy, freedom and sovereignty, wanting to live with these values in the family eEuropean countries.
It was very important for my people that we, as Ukrainians, restore our league. Football competitions are another manifestation of courage and resilience in today's extreme conditions. I can say with great pride that now Ukrainian football embodies courage and demonstrates the desire to win, despite the crimes committed by the Russian aggressor in Ukraine.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your personal support and the UEFA decision, which was made in February of this year and concerned the termination of cooperation with Gazprom, the transfer of the Champions League final from St. Petersburg and the suspension of the participation of Russian teams and clubs in all competitions under auspices of UEFA.
We highly appreciate ATour support and help from UEFA, thanks to which the Ukrainian Football Association and our national league can move forward. Thank you for continuing to provide opportunities for the Ukrainian people, especially for our youth", - quoted a letter with a link to a journalist Sky Sports Rob Harris website www.tribuna.com (09/22/22).
However, among the friends of Ukraine in this difficult time for our country, the majority of people of peace and goodwill throughout the Earth. Many of them are former football players who gave their youth to domestic football, and active ones.
How can one fail to pay tribute to the first ambassador of the United24 national platform initiated by the President, the owner of the Golden Ball Andriy Shevchenko. On September 21, on the International Day of Peace, the famous striker took part in a charity event at the Milan base, where collectible T-shirts worth over 200,000 euros were raffled among the club's fans. These funds will be directed, among other things, to the restoration of the Champion stadium in Irpin, which was destroyed by the invaders.
“I didn’t immediately see the shock after having shaken our stadium. Tse just zhah. On the field, I’ve found at least twelve “advantages” and six more here - at the tribune and subtribune's place. From whom did you care for the stadium? Our pride was gone, many children went in for sports here ... Just tears in your eyes ... " Oleg Belorus, head of the Department of Education and Science of the Irpin City Council, shared his pain from the atrocities of the aggressor (www.tribuna.com, 21.09.22).
Shevchenko's partner in Dynamo Kyiv and the national team Alexander Shovkovsky, who today is one of Alexander Petrakov's assistants in the national team, has become an ambassador for the Sports Front project.
"I know, how the goalkeeper protects the goal from the opponent's ball. But how to protect them from an enemy Russian missile? I know fans can accept a player or not. But how to accept unbearable silence in the stands?
Today RRussia continues the war in Ukraine, and Russian athletes continue to remain silent. And this silence is silent support for terror. I appeal to everyone who is united by a love for sports. We must not be silent. All of us, the entire democratic world is a single team in the struggle for victory over evil," - Shovkovsky said (www.tribuna.com, 09/20/22).
Roman Zozulya and his like-minded people from the "People's Army" fund, together with representatives of the Spanish diaspora, are raising money for the "football Bayraktar". Oleksandr Zinchenko, Roman Yaremchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko, Yevhen Konoplyanka have already announced their support for the fund, the website reports. Footboom.com (20.09.22).
Yevhen Levchenko sent a medical vehicle from the Netherlands for the needs of the defenders of Ukraine. Sergey Rebrov from the Emirates is already the third SUV. And veterans of Dynamo Kyiv and Sychi Kropyvnytsia played a charity match in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and held an auction where they raffled off T-shirts and balls autographed by Ukrainian football legends, collecting more than 300,000 hryvnias.
Good deeds "Dynamo"
For Dynamo Kyiv, charity was a common thing even in peacetime. And in the harsh current - even more so. The club does not deviate from its principles of social activity, aimed not only at the development of football, but also at helping those in need and victims.
As an example, the construction of a new outpatient clinic in Gurovshchyna, Buchansky district, Kyiv region, which is financed by FC and the Surkis Brothers Foundation.
The building of the old outpatient clinic was destroyed by fire in early March as a result of Russian shelling and could not be restored. Therefore, it was decided to build a new medical facility, adapted to the needs of the local community and equipped with modern equipment.
At present, the walls are being completed - the installation of lintels and the pouring of the reinforcing belt, after which the construction team will proceed with the installation of the roof. Every day, the residents of the community can see with their own eyes how the walls of the building grow. The contractor plans to complete the work and open the outpatient clinic for visitors as early as November this year.
"When you come to a construction site, your heart rejoices. We are already approaching the finish line. I want to thank FC „Dynamo“ Kyiv and the Surkis Brothers Foundation for keeping their word and the construction of the outpatient clinic is actively moving forward.
Despite the war and difficult circumstances, the country is recovering, and this inspires confidence in tomorrow and future victory. I would like to thank our guys on the front line for giving us the opportunity to rebuild the rear and support them», — shared his emotions Dmitrovsky rural head Taras Didych (footclub.com.ua 09/19/22).
Dynamo also took under guardianship the youth team of Kyiv (age category U17), which is now in Germany and consists of pupils of Arsenal, Junior-Sport, DYuSSh-1, Vyshgorod Dinaz, Kolovskiy Kolos. A total of 30 guys forced to leave the country due to Russian aggression.
The Capital Grand has provided its coach Alexander Goncharov for representatives of other clubs, regularly allocates a club bus for trips to friendly matches, the guys have the opportunity to train on good fields, visit the gym, swimming pool.
And their senior colleagues from Dynamo Valentin Morgun and Vladislav Supryaga recently visited the defenders of Ukraine, who are undergoing rehabilitation after injuries in one of the capital's hospitals.
"We apologize for the fact that the whole team could not come, because many guys are now at the disposal of the national teams, and others - in training», - the goalkeeper of the white and blue Valentin Morgun was embarrassed (fcdynamo.com, 09/23/22).
The guys admitted that they admire the courage of our military, expressed gratitude to them, as well as to the doctors who are doing no less difficult and important work, on behalf of the entire Dynamo team. And, of course, they did not leave without gifts with the symbols of the club, wishing him a speedy recovery and return to duty. And for all of us - victory and the resumption of peaceful life.
Meanwhile, the players who did not receive invitations to the national teams started training after several days of rest. The pause was extremely necessary, since the team, due to participation in three stages of the Champions League qualification at once, had to speed up preparations for the season. The competitive schedule immediately turned out to be excessively tough. Plus complicated logistics due to the war. A recession set in, which, by all appearances, was inevitable.
At least Mircea Lucescu in an interview with the portal GSP confessed: “It is very difficult to mobilize players when they do not have permanent housing, a stadium, a training field. In recent months, I have been living only on a bus. Every three days we change our location. This is a difficult situation. And I would like to live to see the day when this crazy war ends" (dynamo.Kiev.ua, 09/24/22).
Meanwhile, the Dutch legionnaire Justin Lonwijk, a pupil of PSV, who recently defended the colors of the Danish Viborg, joined the ranks of Dynamo. Lonwijk is a versatile player who can play on both flanks of midfield. But, by his own admission, he considers the position in the center of the field to be optimal for him.
However, how to use the new player will be decided by the coaching staff led by Lucescu. The main thing is that his transfer strengthened the team's game. At the same time, it is probably symbolic that legionnaires began to return to the Ukrainian championship. At least I would like to believe that this is a good sign.
Hoping for revenge
...Saturday gave Ukrainian fans a good mood. The blue-yellows defeated the Armenian national team (5:0) without any visible problems in Yerevan.
On the eve of the fight, authoritative author Artem Frankov wrote: “If before the match with Scotland I literally shouted that our team needed to be more attentive in order to succeed, to study the opponent to the smallest detail, and the defeat was the result of not being learned, then with the Yerevan visit the situation is somewhat different.
Of course, it is necessary to study the Armenians, but in terms of level, we must beat our old opponent in any case. Moreover, this is categorically required by the tournament situation. Be that as it may, but the Scottish pogrom should thoroughly clean any, even the most arrogantly littered brains. (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 09/23/22).
Despite the fact that not the most favorable news for them came from the camp of the Caucasians, in particular, they talked about a conflict between local journalists and the Spanish coach of the hosts Joaquin Caparros and a call to refuse his services, Alexander Petrakov was extremely cautious in forecasts, regarding the chances of his opponents as 50 to 50.
At the same time, returning to the fight in Glasgow, Petrakov remarked: “There are not so many great performers in Ukraine, and when three or four of them are missing, it’s hard for us. The guys who took the field tried hard, but they were not ready to play against opponents who play in the English Premier League. And the opponent outplayed us, including in desire. Although everyone has the right to make a mistake in sports" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 09/23/22).
Caution in expressions, however, did not prevent the head coach from completely changing the starting lineup compared to the match in Glasgow. Of course, Petrakov took a risk, leaving Yarmolenko, Stepanenko, Matvienko on the bench. But he probably had in mind the fact that in three days his wards would have to fight with Scotland in Krakow. What outweighed and what the outcome of the meeting is now well known.
The mentor's mood was also different. "I am not surprised, - Petrakov cheerfully reacted to the victory. — It's great that after a painful defeat, the guys understood everything, fulfilled all the instructions. This is their victory.
In general, I don’t have main and non-main players in the national team - we have a single team. We have our own competition. The main thing is not to give up. We want to beat Scotland, we want revenge, we will do everything possible for this, but I don’t know how it will turn out.” (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 09/24/22).
The youth team of Rotan also longs for revenge, which lost to the Slovaks (2:3) in the first playoff match for reaching the final part of Euro 2023 on the road in Zilina. The defeat, frankly, is not fatal, and the game fragmentarily looked pretty, except for gross flaws in the defense. So references to artificial turf and the strangeness of some of the referee's decisions are not accepted.
“The defeat is not entirely logical, - nevertheless, Ruslan Rotan reacted. — Made enough mistakes. I understand that young guys' eyes are on fire, but nerves are not always the best helper. However, we lost the duel, but not the battle. We have time to recover and prepare for the return match. I'm sure it will be different, our team will be angrier and will show its character" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 09/24/22).
As for the national team, the final chord for the youth team will sound on September 27 - in the Polish town of Bielsko-Biala. In case of a successful result, our team can get into the final pool of the European Championship for teams of their age for only the third time.
Victor ZHURAVLEV
