Last week, like the current one, got off to a terrible start. The enemy launched a bunch of missiles and kamikaze drones over Ukraine. The capital and most of the regions were not without destruction and casualties.
It is not surprising that these tragic events directly affected the football life of our country, forcing many to forget about the European Cup trials.
"Since the morning of October 10, all of Ukraine has been under terrorist attack from Russia. It is very difficult to think about the Champions League match with Real Madrid when our country is in danger. Hold on, Ukraine!" (Fanday.net, 10.10.2022), the press service of "Shakhtar" reacted in one of the club pubs.
"Tragic day. The morning of October 10 began with a massive missile attack on the whole of Ukraine by the terrorist state Russia. But we can't be broken!" (Fanday.net, 10.10.2022), this is already the reaction of Dynamo FC.
“I just want to say one thing. No missiles, shelling or attacks will break the Ukrainians. Houses and whole streets can be taken away from us, but dignity, courage and the desire for freedom cannot be taken away. We will defend Ukraine. We will sing under shelling, as the people of Kyiv did today in the subway. We will fight until we win" (Xsport.ua, 10.10.2022), our legendary football player, former captain of the Ukrainian national team Andriy Shevchenko wrote on his Instagram page.
"My football impressions are now burned by the war. I am shocked at what these bastards are doing. God grant that you will live peacefully again" (Footballhub.com.ua, 10.10.2022), these words were spoken by the Belarusian head coach of "Rukh" Leonid Kuchuk on Sunday, but the next day they were as relevant as ever.
"You see what is happening in Ukraine. My heart is bleeding. After all, I am a resident of Zaporozhye, and what is happening there now... There are simply no words. This is simply blasphemy. Those who do this are simply animals, inhumans, there are no other words for them.", - the coach of "Kryvbas" Yuriy Vernydub, who spent the first months of the war in the ranks of the armed forces and the Armed Forces, did not hold back his emotions.
Actually, "Kryvbas" was among the teams whose matches had to be postponed. The game of the 6th round of UPL "Alexandria" - "Metalist 1925", as well as the match of the 7th round "Zorya" - "Kolos", which were supposed to take place in the capital on October 10 and 15, respectively, were postponed indefinitely. What would you do if on Monday devilish rockets exploded in the very center of Kyiv...
As for "Kryvbas", its match against "Chornomorets" was postponed from October 14 to December 2 at the request of Odessa.
"Chornomorets" thanks its colleagues from Kryvyi Rih for the joint decision to postpone the match. All our thoughts now are about peace and tranquility on the Ukrainian land. Thanks to our defenders for continuing to care about this" (Chornomorets.football, 11.10.2022), says the official statement of the Odessa club.
Meanwhile, Saturday's duel between "Metalista 1925" and "Lviv", although it took place on the appointed time, was played not at NSC "Olimpiyskiy", but at "Kolos" in Kovaliv.
It was not without postponements in the first and second leagues - for example, Zaporizhzhia "Metalurg" and "Metalurg-2", Tomakiv "Skoruk" from the Nikopol district are now unable to host opponents at home due to constant bombardment from the Russian aggressors. Relocating to other cities is the only way for these clubs to continue to compete in current competitions.
Some media hinted that the UPL might postpone the entire 7th round, but four of its matches - two each on Saturday and Sunday - still took place. Fortunately, during the matches there were no force majeure events, if you do not count the refusal of most of the legionnaires of "Dnipro-1" to go to the game with "Rukh" in Lviv.
"Foreigners were not ready to go further than Uzhgorod, and the match was scheduled in Lviv. Thus, Domingo Blanco, Fares Baluli, Janis Amash and Busanello missed this game. Emiliano Purita, who was injured, and Wesley Braga, who has not yet played for Dnipro-1 this season, were also absent from the squad. (Ua.tribuna.com, 16.10.2022), journalists shared insiders. From the entire Dnipro legion, only Brazilians Max Valef and Gabriel Gomez remained with the team, who in one way or another helped the guests celebrate an important victory (3:2). And those who refuse will have a conversation with the management and the coaching staff - of course, the latter should do everything to avoid such "surprises" in the future.
It is important that football structures and individual football personalities do not play the role of free observers, but actively participate in various social projects and assistance of the Armed Forces.
Thus, "Dynamo", which previously signed an agreement with the charity platform United24, participated in the transfer of a modern X-ray machine to one of Kharkiv's hospitals. The club plans to repair the Chernihiv hospital and build a dispensary in the Huriv region (Tsn.ua, 07.10.2022). In addition, the capital club responded not for the first time to the appeal of representatives of the A4049 military unit, providing it with the entire list of things necessary to be on the front line (UA.tribuna.com, 13.10.2022).
In the end, on Thursday, on the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, the citizens of Kyiv handed over the documents and keys to the hovercraft, which our military needed so much, to one of the border units.
After expressing his gratitude to the people of Dynamo, Deputy Head of the State Border Service of Ukraine Serhiy Serdyuk assured that from the very next day the boat will be actively involved in the protection of our country on the Russian-Belarusian section of the border. "With his help, we will be even more effective" (Fcdynamo.com, 14.10.2022), Serdyuk noted.
Meanwhile, the team of the Coordination Headquarters and the humanitarian hub of the UAF supported the families of displaced people in the Dnipro. The football delegation visited one of the local shelters, where about 250 forcibly displaced people live, handing over food kits, hygiene products, warm clothes, blankets, basic necessities, sweets and sports gifts to the latter (Uaf.ua, 13.10.2022).
However, the players and the coaching staff of the Ukrainian futsal team spent the bonuses for the victories in the 2024 World Cup qualification matches to purchase an SUV for the ZSU. Soon the car will be transferred to one of the military units located on the front line (Ua.tribuna.com, 13.10.2022).
Meanwhile, Andriy Shevchenko joined the "Heroes' Tribune" program, a unique charity fund that helps families of football fans from all over the country who died defending their homeland. Andrii Mykolayovych made a financial contribution to this organization in the amount of 400 thousand hryvnias (Sport.ua, 13.10.2022).
For his part, this is not the first time that Serhii Rebrov, Shevchenko's former partner in attack in Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukrainian national team, who currently coaches the Al-Ain club from the UAE, handed over a car to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was announced by the famous tennis player Serhiy Stakhovsky. "Stanislavovich continues" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 10/13/2022), he captioned the corresponding photo on his Instagram page.
Meanwhile, Belarus, from whose territory Russian military units regularly attack our country, risks being excluded from all competitions held under the auspices of UEFA, following the aggressor country. This is stated in the statement of the press service of the European Football Union in response to the request of the Russian publication "Sport-Express". The organization does not exclude the introduction of sanctions against the national team of Belarus.
"In March, the UEFA executive committee decided to ban matches on the territory of Belarus until further notice. Since then, UEFA is constantly monitoring the situation and, if necessary, may take further decisions." (Obozrevatel.com, 12.10.2022), it is noted in the document. It is worth reminding that, unlike the Russian Federation, Belarus is allowed to participate in the selection of EURO-2024, but its national team was separated from the Ukrainian one during the draw.
As for the coach who will lead the "blue and yellow" in the next continental qualification, this question has not yet been resolved. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Petrakov, under whose leadership the national team could not make it to the 2022 World Cup and win its group in the 2022/23 Nations League, attended the draw for the selection of EURO 2024. Although a new contract with him has not yet been signed, many journalists believe that the 65-year-old specialist will still retain his position.
The editor-in-chief of "Football Club" Ihor Linnyk is convinced that Petrakov's fate was determined by the results of the draw of the qualifiers, according to the results of which Italy, England, North Macedonia and Malta became rivals of the "blue and yellow".
"It seems to me that, after such a draw, it is not expected that there will be anyone willing to coach the national team of Ukraine, except for Petrakov. This has never happened before - and here it is again)" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 10/10/2022), - the journalist ironizes in his post on Facebook.
"With such a draw, the extension of the contract with Petrakov and his staff is practically a settled matter, former editor of Futbol magazine Artem Frankov agrees with his colleague. - I would be very interested to see a coach who would sign for such a murderous group - again, except for Petrakov. On the other hand, nothing to lose. I won - a feat, no - I threw up my hands, they say, we are not miracle workers..." (Fanday.net, 09.10.2022)
But one of the presenters of the YouTube project "TaToTake" Mykhailo Spivakovsky suggests that the change of the coach of the national team may be planned and take place during the selection campaign.
"UAF faces a difficult task. The team will most likely play the starting match with Petrakov. The question is another: will it be possible to get Rebrov before the June matches" (Fanday.net, 10/11/2022), Spivakovsky wrote in the project's Telegram channel, adding that Rebrov's contract with Al-Ain runs until June 30, but the UAE championship will end at the end of May.
However, qualification for EURO 2024 starts in just five months, while the European Cup season 2022/23 is already in full swing, and our three clubs continue to solve their tasks here.
In contrast to the match a week ago, when Real Madrid was supposed to destroy Shakhtar Donetsk, the latter looked much better in the rematch and, not by chance, scored an important scoring point (1:1). Moreover, thanks to the next goal of Oleksandr Zubkov, the miners could well have won the victory over the famous opponent, but already in the compensated time they missed the answer, not seeing the German defender Antonio Rüdiger.
Journalists note that 10 Ukrainians played in Shakhtar's starting line-up, eight of whom are graduates of the club's academy - Trubin, Konoplia, Bondar, Matvienko, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov and Mudryk.
The media also drew attention to the youth of the players of the Donetsk team: "Seven of the "start" footballers are performers under the age of 23 inclusive, and only one player among those whom Jovičević released onto the field from the first minutes is over 26 years old (Taras Stepanenko)" (Ua.tribuna.com, 12.10.2022).
"The players are upset, sad, but if we're sad that we didn't beat Real Madrid, it means we're on the right track. So, in general, both in the construction of the attack, both with the ball and without the ball, we drew conclusions from the last match, from the frenzy that was at the Bernabeu, we made adjustments... We were much more compact, played quite solidly in defense , except for that last episode, which is mostly a coincidence than any kind of combined action. It's a shame, but it's a very important point for us and we have a pretty good chance to get out of the group if we keep playing like this. This is our best game, absolutely the best game in those three months since starting the new project" (Footboom.com, 12.10.22), Shakhtar coach Ihor Jovyevich said excitedly after the match.
According to the Croatian, the head coach of "Real" Carlo Ancelotti admitted to him that the miners actually deserved the victory. And the Italian himself actually confirmed it at the post-match conference:
"I think we played badly. The first half was relatively good: we controlled the game, looked for opportunities. Then Shakhtar scored a goal and we lost our balance - that happens sometimes and it's hard for me to explain why. Shakhtar played well in defence, it was difficult for us to find their weak points. On the one hand, we showed a bad game, and on the other hand, we reached the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. It's a great result because we can win the tournament again." (Sport.ua, 12.10.2022).
Ancelotti assured that the closeness of the battle with Barcelona did not in any way affect the game with Shakhtar, but the former defender of Donetsk and now football expert Oleksandr Sopko has a different opinion.
"Perhaps, "Real" was already looking at the next round of its championship, at the next El Clasico. Accordingly, guard your strength with your emotions. Maybe it was also a sign that, unlike Shakhtar, Madrid played the game on the weekend and, accordingly, were a little tired." (Footboom.com, 12.10.2022), Sopko suggests, emphasizing that Shakhtar looked much more mobile, dynamic and outmatched the opponent in terms of functionality.
Journalist Mykhailo Yurchenko notes that, in fact, according to dry statistics, the Madrid players did not concede to their opponents:
"Real" played a lackluster match, which even Carlo Ancelotti admitted, but won with 40% of the indicators. In terms of shots, penetrating passes, touches in the penalty area and a number of other indicators, the Madrid players are one and a half to two times ahead of the Donetsk nationals. Kroos alone has more assists than all of Shakhtar (Football24.ua, 11.10.2022).
At the same time, the author notes that the Spanish club, although it had its highest pressing intensity rate in four rounds in the Champions League, looked unconvincing in the last third of the field - that is, not far from Shakhtar's goal. According to Yurchenko, "Real" could not suffocate the opponent due to problems of a tactical nature. Unlike in the first match, the Donetsk team skillfully got out of the pressure and opened up nicely in the center between the lines.
It must be admitted that the Miners really deserved all the compliments showered on them after the game.
Shakhtar is currently third in Group F with five points. In addition to the Spaniards (10 points), he is ahead of "Leipzig" (6 points), which in the fourth round defeated "Celtic" with a score of 2:0. Shakhtar will play its next match in this year's Champions League against the Scots. But the game on November 2 with Leipzig, the main competitor in the fight for the second step and a ticket to the playoffs, will probably be decisive.
Dnipro-1, which plays in the Conference League, was the only one of our European Cup representatives who achieved the maximum result in the fourth round. And although the latter was hosted by "Vadutz" from small Liechtenstein, the victory of the guests turned out to be not only difficult, but even illogical - this is exactly the point of view of most journalists and experts.
Oleksandr Kucher's men opened the scoring in the middle of the first half through the efforts of Algerian Yanis Amash, but almost immediately conceded in response. The second half of the meeting was dull, but they still achieved their goal in the first compensated minute - Artem Dovbyk succeeded in a good aerial attack.
The difficulty with which the Dnipro team scores points in Europe is somewhat surprising against the background of the team's confident progress in the Premier League.
"Dnipro-1" (sample of the current season) in the championship of Ukraine and the European Cups are two completely different teams. In the domestic arena, Oleksandr Kucher's wards are setting a championship pace that even Dynamo and Shakhtar can't keep up with. But on the football fields of Europe, the team seems to be replaced. The path to the group round of the Europa League was blocked by the modest Cypriot AEK. In the situation, the Conference League looked like a one hundred percent pleasant bonus, a tournament in which Dnipro-1 will play from the position of the favorite, but the reality turned out to be more down-to-earth - the opponents in every match impose a struggle, so the score points have to be literally bitten by the teeth. Even the outsider of the quartet, "Vaduts", was not an exception and turned every minute of the confrontation with the Dniproans into sheer nervousness. (Footboom.com, 13.10.2022), Serhiy Sytnyk states.
The former coach of "Chornomorets" and "Mariupol" Oleksandr Babich believes that from the 70th minute, the players of "Dnipro-1" got physically tired, and in the whole second half remained for "Vaducet".
"The players of Dnipro-1 made a lot of technical mistakes. However, the decisive role in this match was played by the excellent functional readiness of Dovbyk, who kept the ball well and worked well for the team. I would also like to note the game of the Dnipro goalkeeper Valef, whose confidence and skill influenced the fate of the meeting." (Footboom.com, 14.10.2022).
The Dnipro coach also spoke about mistakes after the game:
"Validol, and what else! A difficult game, of course, turned out. In the first half, everything was going well until the goal was scored. But they quickly missed it. There was too much lack in the second half, especially when coming out of defense. Cut back very often and because of that there were many chances at our goal. Vaduz is an aggressive team and they played very well. They had their moments, but we scored a much-needed goal, got a result, got three points. This is very gratifying, because we remain competitive in the tournament fight" (Scdnipro1.com.ua, 10/14/2022), Kucher noted.
If even the Ukrainian mass media recognized the success of the Dnipro people as illogical (numerous headlines pointed in this direction), then what can be said about the press from Liechtenstein?
Vaduz lost their first home match of the European Cup season. And the saddest thing is that this defeat was not deserved. The Ukrainians did not look stronger, they did not have a game advantage, but success was on their side, - reports the local resource Volksblatt. — "Vadutz" played well, and at times even great. He had some good chances to score the second goal and win the match, but instead missed in stoppage time. "Dnipro-1" was not stronger either in the first match or in the second. But the Ukrainians scored 4 points, and now they are the favorites in the fight for second place" (Footboom.com, 14.10.2022).
Be that as it may, the value of an away victory for Kucher's team is difficult to overestimate. Dnipro-1 is currently second in the group, two points behind Alkmaar of the Netherlands and three ahead of Cypriot Apollon. It is the last Dovbyk and company will host in Košice on October 27 - the Ukrainian club just needs not to concede in order to reach the playoffs.
Like Dnipro-1, Dynamo looked unconvincing in the second half of the match against Rennes, but could have scored in stoppage time when Oleksandr Karavaev had a shot on goal. Unlike Dovbyk, the Kyiv native was not lucky enough to hit the goal area - the devil, as they say, is hidden in the details. As a result, the "white and blue" suffered a minimal defeat - the fourth in a row in the group stage of the Europa League.
Dynamo looked good before the break, in some ways they even outplayed their opponents, but the second half started with an unfortunate mistake by Oleksandr Syrota, who allowed his fellow player, Christopher Wu, to touch the corner kick without hindrance. The nominal hosts failed to recover.
"Kyiv tried to respond to the missed goal with even greater activation, but only gave the guests the opportunity to organize very sharp counterattacks in free space" (Footclub.com.ua, 10/13/2022), Denys Borysenko describes further events.
"Unfortunately, "Dynamo", which looked good before the conceded goal, then got into it and didn't come, as a result, "Rennes" had much more chances to score again than the Kyivans to equalize" (Terrikon.com, 13.10.2022).
Analyzing the game in Krakow, Oleksandr Babich notes that many Dynamo players were unable to demonstrate all their abilities. In particular, this applies to performers who were substituted:
"Not everyone was able to enter the game... Karavaev and Kabaev usually act creatively. Andrievsky has a good shot. But neither they nor the others could raise the game. What Lucescu wanted to do at the expense of these substitutions did not work out. Previously, Karavaev and Vivcharenko went out and made a result, but now everything is not the same...
After a stable and good performance by the Kyiv team in the Champions League qualification, more was expected from them in the Europa League. And individual mistakes led to the fact that "Dynamo" performed unsuccessfully in the second-ranked European Cup tournament" (Footboom.com, 14.10.2022).
"You have to take into account all the problems we had to face, as well as the large number of moves, - summed up the results of the game, the head coach of "Dynamo", Mircea Lucescu. — We lacked not only sharpness, but also freshness, concentration, which led to mistakes. Sometimes we concede after a throw-in, then after a corner. We lose 0:1, 1:2. Now we have such a schedule that we cannot properly concentrate on training, and we have to constantly move." (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 14.10.2022).
Lucescu noted the strength and good form that Rennes have gained so far, which was also emphasized by some journalists.
"The Kyiv team was simply a much better organized and generally the best team in the group, the second or third best in France after PSG. In both matches, they could force a draw. Then it should be easier" (Football24.ua, 13.10.22), says Taras Kotiv.
By the way, Rennes manager Bruno Genesio paid tribute to his opponent after the game, confirming that it was not easy for his team to take three points.
"I want to express respect to the Dynamo team, because, given the conditions in which they prepare, with very long trips, and the circumstances taking place in their homeland, they caused us a lot of problems. We have to congratulate them, they played a very good game" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 14.10.2022), said the French in particular..
"Dynamo" really got into a difficult situation. The impossibility to concentrate on the training process and to do proper work on mistakes is compounded by a series of negative results and injuries to key performers (it is enough to mention the main goalkeeper of the team, Georgy Bushchan, and its engine and creator, Mykola Shaparenko). All opponents in the Europa League gave the Kyiv team a minimum, but this did not make it any easier.
The only chance for "Dynamo" to continue performances in Europe is to take third place in the group and move to the Conference League. And for this, in the next round, it will be necessary to overcome Cypriot AEK. Any loss of points will finally secure the last line in the table for the Ukrainian club.
The battle with "Shakhtar" in the framework of the 7th round of the UPL caught "Dynamo" at an extremely awkward moment. The game was scheduled for Sunday, and the miners, who played their European Cup match on Tuesday, had a two-day head start in preparation. Before the meeting in Lviv, "Dynamo" wasted a lot of time moving and actually had time to conduct one full training session.
According to Lucescu, Kyiv offered Shakhtar to play a match in Warsaw or Krakow. Or in Lviv, but a little later - on Monday or Tuesday. The people of Donetsk did not go to meet, which seems a little strange, considering that they asked to postpone their match of the 6th round against Lviv for similar reasons, and no one refused them.
On this occasion, the well-known football TV presenter Ihor Tsyganyk expressed himself somewhat emotionally:
"I am against the transfer, but Shakhtar was the first to set this precedent. Is it hard to "respect", you were the first to move your game, the first to start it. If we play everything according to the calendar, then we play. But you first decided to postpone. And now when "Dynamo" appeals, your main, as you say, friend off the field and main rival on the field...
But no. No one even went to meet, because now points and future money come to the fore. Currently, it is much easier to take a "warm" Dynamo. Well, really? I don't want to blame anyone, I just express my position. If we do that, then let's not talk about respect, about any respect for each other. And it is not necessary to tell that we support everyone" (Ua-Football.com, 14.10.2022).
As many predicted, Shakhtar won Sunday's classic. He did not look stronger at the head, but cold-bloodedly punished "Dynamo" for the mistakes that the Kyiv players made - 3:1. The mistake of Kostiantyn Vyvcharenko, who released Oleksandr Zubkov at the corner, or Ilya Zabarny, who lost control of the ball on the equal footing and was forced to correct himself at the cost of a red card, are illustrative.
I do not rule out that if the miners accepted Dynamo's offer and gave the opponent one or two days for additional rest, then the "classic" would have turned out to be more intense and would have truly corresponded to its status. And yes, we have what we have.
Lucescu acknowledges the difficulty of the team's situation, but does not give up:
"I'm encouraging my players and trying to boost their morale. I can't say that in the matches in which we conceded, the opponents dominated and had a big advantage. The advantage is the goals scored by opponents, which came after individual mistakes of our players. In the future, there will be the same conditions - transfers, buses, planes. In such a situation, it is difficult to maintain concentration and morale, especially when there is a series of unsuccessful matches.
In my opinion, the turning point was the loss to Benfica and elimination from the Champions League. There was devastation, failures followed one after another, as if something was broken in our game. Something was missing, but we still did not concede to our opponents. I repeat, the results of the matches were decided by details, individual mistakes that led to these defeats. The same goes for today's game.
Now we need to restore the guys psychologically, because we have games on Thursday and Sunday. I hope that after returning home to Kyiv, the team will be better prepared for future matches, including psychologically." (Fcdynamo.com, 16.10.2022).
In this way, Shakhtar stopped the principle competitor and continued the pursuit of the leader, Dniprom-1. But "Dynamo" remained in an unusual place in the middle of the table. It is impossible to say when the "white and blue" will finally find their game, but judging by the words of Giorgiy Bushchan, all football players are burning with the desire to return to the winning way.
"The boys want to win every match, you just have to get through this difficult period. No team in Ukraine has spent so much time together. Since the spring, we have been playing friendly matches, then there were meetings and the official matches began. The lack of rest is not a complaint, but a factor that may also affect the team's results. But I'm confident in the guys and the coaching staff, and that we'll get to the right level and win every game." (Fcdynamo.com, 10/14/2022), the goalkeeper emphasized.
Unfortunately, not all viewers were able to watch the central meeting of the first round. After all, the broadcaster Setanta did not begin to show the match on its own channels, limiting itself only to the platform, the use of which requires a separate subscription. This step was far from forced, because exactly at the time when "Shakhtar" was playing with "Dynamo", one of the TV channels Setanta was broadcasting a duel from the championship of the Netherlands... Such a demarche, which may be a response to the actions of five UPL clubs that did not agree to join the new telepool.
However, it is possible that Setanta will soon terminate the agreement with UPL. At least this is what journalists are openly talking about.
"The Verkhovna Rada passed a law according to which broadcasting rights now belong to clubs, not organizations (UPL, UAF). Consequently, Setanta was deprived of the main trump card in the struggle to assert its rights. Now clubs can broadcast their matches independently without fear of possible fines and sanctions, which they do successfully.
The Premier League has sent letters to clubs offering to review the terms of cooperation with Setanta. And now, no matter what money is involved, Setanta is not very willing to pay for content. They are willing to take the clubs they currently broadcast for free and split between the clubs only the money they make selling the international rights, that's about 200k for all the clubs, I doubt it's more. There is a club survey, I don't know how the clubs will react, and what they themselves will say about it" (Footboom.com, 15.10.22), Ihor Tsyganyk shared the information on his YouTube channel.
"As of today, I know there is a very high probability that Setanta will get out of the deal altogether." (Ua.tribuna.com, 15.10.22), — the former general director of the "Football" channels Oleksandr Denisov confirmed the rumors.
Well, if Setanta is indeed out of the game, we're obviously in for another single TV pool story.
Orest LELEKA