February 24 marked exactly one year since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. On the occasion of the tragic date, mass rallies and demonstrations were held all over the world in solidarity with our country. Leaders of leading powers, film, music and sports stars spoke in support of Ukraine. President Zelensky delivered a touching message to the Ukrainian people.
The football community has not been spared. A prime example of this was England, whose domestic league games last weekend were played in an atmosphere of solidarity with Ukraine, with team captains fielding blue-and-yellow armbands on the pitch.
The famous arch at the legendary Wembley, where our side will face the hosts for the start of Euro 2024 qualification in late March, was lit up in Ukrainian colours on that day. So is Everton's club office, for which Dynamo Kyiv ex-victor Vitaliy Mykolenko plays. And the Ukrainian flag flew over the London Arsenal base, which moved the club's player Oleksandr Zinchenko to tears.
By the way, in the away game with Leicester (1-0), Zinchenko acted as the captain of the Canaries, and the coach Miquel Arteta admitted after the game: "We wanted the victory for Oleksandr, for his family, forthose whom he loves. For the Ukrainian people who have been stirring the world with their fighting spirit for the past year"(ua.tribuna.com, 25.02.23).
"The UK has been helping Ukraine since the first days of the war, providing government support, giving shelter to our people, " Golden Ball winner Andriy Shevchenko said in an interview with Sky Sports. - The reaction of the sports community has also been strong. I am very proud of our athletes who have united and are doing everything possible to help their country"(Xsport.ua, 24.02.23).
And a few days earlier, as an ambassador of the United24 presidential platform, Shevchenko took part in a charity event in Milan aimed at raising funds for the reconstruction of the stadium in Irpin. Shevchenko brought from Kyiv the flag of Ukraine with the signature of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, which for 110 thousand euros was purchased by the Serie A league of football clubs. A total of 150 thousand was raised during the evening.
"The raised funds will allow to rebuild the stadium in Irpin in my exhausted country, - confessed the best footballer of independent Ukraine. - I would like to thank United Onlus for their extraordinary support on the occasion of the United for Ukraine evening. Also I thank Giorgio Armani, who is always with us, AC Milan and all the Serie A clubs for their responsiveness and generosity"(Ua.tribuna.com, 22.02.23).
Once again, Dynamo Kyiv has also made a mark on the list of good deeds.
"Our football club has been doing a good deed since the first days of the full-scale invasion, " Podrobnosti.ua quoted FC first vice-president Vitaliy Sivkov as saying on TV. - Today I am especially pleased and confident that the chiefs of the Surkis Brothers Fund will hand over the main part of this aid" (24.02.23).
"Shakhtar: the anomaly of the European season
Shakhtar's players also made a significant contribution to boosting the spirits of their fans. In a tough encounter with French side Rennes in the Europa League knockout round, Igor Jovicevic's charges managed to get through to the 1/8th round thanks to the willpower, goalkeeper Trubin's skills and, let's face it, mere coincidence.
The home win in Warsaw (2-1) the week before left the Pitmen with chances to be lucky, but no more than that. However, Jovicevic was businesslike: "I try to coach the team in such an approach: the focus will be on the game plan, the motivational aspect. From the first game we made conclusions and tactical analysis, renewed. If we make the actions that allowed us to win the game both high and low, we will be able to think about a good result. I think only about the victory, not about any calculations"(Shakhtar.com, 22.02.23).
Alas, Shakhtar didn't manage to dominate away goals. Although a goal, which was scored but was cancelled out in the first half following a corner, seemed to put the hosts off their attacking impetuosity. However, at the beginning of the second half the French took the lead, during extra time they extended their lead, and had it not been for a shot by young Belosyan a minute before the final whistle, they would have been on target. In the penalty shoot-out Trubin showed his worth, with three penalties saved.
Most of the observers drew attention to the key moments of the game.
NoUkrainian team has had an easy start in the officiating European Cup games this calendar year," Football.ua reminded. - Shakhtar, meanwhile, did not particularly count on any notable success during the whole spring campaign. However, the game in Warsaw left a lot to be desired.Jovic 's teamhad a chance to make a decent counterattack in Rennes, although they created chances in the opponent's half. Otherwise we wouldn't have got chances from Sikan or Konopli towards the end of the main time" (24.02.23).
"Shakhtar did the seemingly impossible, " Terrikon.com/ noted in turn. - Out of the last moment, on the strength of character, they won the right to continue in the Europa League. Extra time suggested that the Pitmen, for whom it was only their second official match after the winter break, were running out of strength. 120 minutes with full physical and psychological load was a serious challenge. However, the team showed perseverance and were rewarded" (23.02.23).
Well, Trubin shone in the penalty shoot-out. "Igor Jovicevych had promised before the match that his team would fight. Everything was not according to the game plan, but as a result they won a lucky ticket in the post-match lottery. Anatoliy Trubin became the main hero of the meeting - during the game time he clobbered the team for several times, and his benefit increased the transfer price of the 21-year old goalkeeper by several million," Yuriy Yakovlev wrote(Football24.ua, 24.02.23).
The columnist from ua.tribuna.com Aleksandr Sazhko recalled that before almost every European Cup match of the current season Shakhtar was considered an outsider, but each time he denied the claims. That was the case after the first leg against Leipzig (4-1), which was a huge sensation, but did not give them the feeling that the Pitmen can keep up this level.
The same impression was left by both games against Celtic (1-1), in which Mudrick had an epiphany. In the away game against Real (1-2) there was a smell of defeat, but Trubin delivered the match of a lifetime with 11 saves. And in the return leg (1-1), we could have seriously dreamt of winning, as we conceded only in injury time.
"Shakhtar's scepticism was widespread from game to game, and they suffered their first defeat against Leipzig in the Champions League first leg. When the glory of the war was over after a told schedule and a place in the EuropaLeague play-offs was guaranteed", - Sazhko (24.02.23) summed up.
And he concluded: "It's hard to believe in thisShakhtar even after they beat Rennes. Although the scepticism has been stirred up again, it will return before the next round - just because of the circumstances of the win. We have to say it outright that Shakhtar were savagely lucky against Rennes. Such clear wins in two games are rare: the first game must have ended in a draw, and the second - in a quiet win over the French. In the latter game, the French did nothing, but survived a penalty shoot-out following an absolutely accidental own goal. Everything fits perfectlyinto the season's trend: Shakhtar are a statistical anomaly in European competitions.
"But I really don't want Shakhtar's great achievement to be attributed to luck without any hesitation, " the author adds. - He did everything in his power - and no luck could have helped him without it. Even after three months break the team was well prepared physically. "Shakhtar were aggressive, willing to put up a fight and beat the opposition. When there was no enough technique, they took away the temptation. And Jovichevych himself ignited everything from the bench "(ua.tribuna.com, 24.02.23).
"We knew that it would be important, that we would have to be patient. And the character, which we showed, which we show, is not disposable - for his part, Igor Jovicevic summed up the fight. - This is not an indicator, but the style of life of our team. I take pleasure, when I see how our boysfight. And it is not demagogy, not empty words, that we are playing for Ukraine. We go further. Let's rest andgo to the draw"(Shakhtar.com, 24.02.23).
The draw was held on Friday. They face the Netherlands' Feyenoord in the last eight.
"It's better thanArsenalfrom London, " FC Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin responded. - Because initially we were told that Arsenal would be the opponent, and my heart sank a little. Then we were told that it was a mistake. And Rotterdam is a landmark city for us: the coaching staff Igor Jovicevic was introduced there for an evening, so this event is significant for the coaches and the club.
"Feenorod" is well-known to us, we played with them. They help us greatly in charity work, we work well with them. So it will be extremely pleasant to come again to Rotterdam andmeet withgood old friends"(Shakhtar.com, 24.02.23).
"Dnipro 1: without Dovbik, like without hands
"Dnipro 1" failed to cope with its mission in the Conference League. After the away defeat a week earlier (0:1), Oleksandr Kucher's side also failed to overcome AEK Larnaca on "home" field in Kosice (0:0).
While Kucher promised on the eve of the return leg: "The main thing is our desire, which must be transformed intoagoal.If we don`t score, we have nothing to do. Of course, the boys must go to the game aggressive, streamlined, act with great desire, in order to bring joy to the fans. I am sure they will approach the matchwith full responsibility and fight for the rest"(scdnipro1.com.ua, 02.02.23).
However, there was a huge distance between the words of the head coach and the events on the pitch. Dnipro didn't look like a team capable of taking on serious challenges. Without their injured leader Artem Dovbik, they looked toothless in attack.
"The defeat in Cyprus did not leave Oleksandr Kucher's team with a choice, " Football24.ua reminded us nonetheless. - We had to lift the curse of AEK and beat the supermarket, which had already managed to defeat Dnipro 1 for three times in the current season (the first two times in the Europa League qualifiers) and to get points from Dynamo. But without Dovbik the Dnipro team had nothing" (23.02.23).
The team from Larnaca chose the tactics which were impeccable for themselves, drying out the game and partially forcing the opponent, depriving them completely of space to create something constructive," says observer Yevhen Savchuk. - " Dnipro 1, in turn, showed that today there is no real alternative to Dovbik. And without the latter, the team was deprived of the player who would assume maximum responsibility at the crucial moment"(Footboom1.com, 24.02.23).
As a consequence, according to the author, there was almost total absence of dangerous shots at the opponents' goal, which resulted in a quite logical result. And it was probably not just Dovbik, the coaching staff need to figure out what else caused the pale game the spectators saw. At the very least, the team produced a poor impression compared to its autumn form. And the only real benefit from being knocked out of the European competitions is that they can now concentrate fully on their fight for the championship.
"I still don't understand what Dnipro 1 wanted to win," former coach and expert Jozsef Szabo agreed with reporters. - We did not see at least one 90 per cent chance in front of the visitors' goal. There was no pace, everything was done with delay, Dnipro players were playing with the ball for too long, they failed to notice their partners. Without Dovbik, the team looked as if they had no hands. He not only scored, but, importantly, created. Nothing was going well for Pihalenka this evening. But in the team's arsenal there should be other tactical options. The downside of this Dnipro squad is the lack of class. Therefore, in the summer, if the team qualifies for the Champions League, we will have to seriously work on strengthening"(Footboom1.com, 24.02.23).
Oleksandr Kucher rated the performance of his charges slightly differently: "We did what we planned in principle - we were pressing, constantly holding the opponents under pressure, hurting them. Of course, we wanted to score, we had chances but the luck was on the side of the Cyprus team. I can`t say a word to our guys in desire, but we did not score and it is very bad for us"(Fcdnipro.com, 23.02.23).
Obviously, the phrase about the team's luck really hurt Igor Zwick, Sportanalytic.com columnist. At least, in his opinion, Shakhtar's luck was based on the fact that Jovicevic's team kept believing in a positive result even with few minutes left in the match. Without that belief, there would have been no final assault, nor would there have been a mistake by Belosyan and his own goal, which turned the game into a penalty shoot-out.
"After all,Shakhtar today is a team that still lacks experience and may lose, but you'd certainly like to root for them, because they deserve it with their efforts, " the author believes. - Dnipro-1 is quite another matter. The team is truly the leader of our championship, but in two games against the Kipriots they could not manage to score a singlegoal. Seniors, how did you want to go further? One last point: be aware that this team will represent Ukraine in the Champions League next season..." (25.02.23). (25.02.23).
However, in Dnipro players' performance in the current European Cup campaign it is not difficult to find positive moments. Firstly, it is international experience, which the players and coaches of the young club gained. Secondly, even a draw with AEK earned our country an extra point, which, coupled with Shakhtar's bonus point, added 0.400 points to the UEFA table.
This, in turn, has enabled Ukraine to edge out the Czech Republic and Norway, guaranteeing the right to field five clubs in the European competitions in the season 2024/25. Two of them will play in the UEFA Champions League, while the champion will have to overcome only one round of qualification - play-offs. A seemingly insignificant detail, but so important.
The national team: the light at the end of the tunnel
Meanwhile, the national team manager appointment saga has finally drawn to a close at home. No, the job has not yet come to the signing of the contract with the leading candidate. However, if we believe the latest decision of the UAF executive committee, Serhiy Rebrov is now the only contender.
"The Ukrainian Football Association's executive committee has agreed with the proposal of the UAF National Teams Committee to hold a renegotiation withSerhiy Rebrov for the appointment ofhim as the head coach of the Ukraine national football team to sign a contract until June 30, 2024 with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement until June 30, 2026", -theofficial website of the UAF (28.02.23).
In the meantime, Ruslan Rotan will become the interim helmsman of the main team of the country. Earlier, Igor Cyganyk, a well-known TV journalist spoke about it, who also revealed who exactly backed Rotan's appointment during his author's program on FootballHub Youtube channel.
"I know that some players of the Ukraine national team, team leaders called Rotanyu and supported him to be the one to lead the national team now for the match against England and for the friendly game with Brenford, which will be held three days earlier," said Tsyganyk(Fanday.net, 21.02.23).
It will be recalled that the epic has been going on for months now that the national team should be headed by Serhiy Rebrov, and only because the UAF failed to reach an agreement with the Al Ain club from the Emirates, the national team remained essentially streetwise after Petrakov's dismissal. Although according to Pavelko at a memorable meeting with journalists, Rebrov will be called upon to reform almost the entire national team vertical, attracting foreign specialists to the youth and junior teams.
Aleksandr Ryzhenko on Ua-football.com made an equally deep attempt to dive into the past and link it with the current situation. He also recalled how in the commentary to the now deceased Futbol-1 channel Artem Milevskiy said that Andrii Shevchenko would be the new head coach of the national team instead of Fomenko. As insiders reported in the autumn of 2020, Rebrov would become the national team's head coach after the European Championship, with Pavelko eventually refusing to extend his contract with Shevchenko. And how now, after Petrakov's departure, the UAF have gone back to Rebrov's name.
"However, as with the Shevchenko - Petrakov rotation, Pavelko has no backup. Both in the summer of 2021 and the winter of 2023, it is as if the House of Football are demanding that Rebrov himself decide the issue with his club, staying away from real negotiations.
Probably, Rebrov himself realises that. Therefore, he is unlikely to be willing to work under the current management, given that sooner or later he will be looking for a replacement behind his back. But this method of management is more than usual for the head of UAF Pavelko. However, there is a chance that this vicious circle will be broken. At leastthe attempts of the prosecutor's office to bring Pavelko to justice for financial fraud look more than real " - the author concludes (Ua-football.com, 23.02.23).
Meanwhile... The list of candidates for the national team was prepared back in November by Petrakov, which again is reported by anonymous insiders rather than official sources from the House of Football. Which on Tuesday morning did give birth to news of the appointment of Rotan to the vacant position:
"The Ukrainian Football Association committee has approved Ruslan Rotan as acting head coach of the national team of Ukraine at the request of the UAF National Teams Committee. The agreement with Ruslan Rotan, who currently acts as the head coach of the Ukraine's youth team will be enforceable until the contract withSerhiy Rebrov, whose renegotiation will be conducted by the UAF administration on behalf of the executive committee" (28.02.23).
By the way, it is indicative that at the Monday's meeting of the UAF Executive Committee the appointment of the national team's head coach was only the third issue on the agenda. Hence one can draw conclusions about the priorities of the association president, who always likes to talk a lot about patriotism.
Meanwhile Pavelko himself remains under investigation, and the Kiev Pechersk court banned him from leaving Ukraine until 20 April.
But Pavelko registered as Ukraine's only candidate for the UEFA executive committee elections, scheduled for 5 April. The boss's loyal squire and well-known football intellectual Anatoliy Demyanenko saw in the ban another intrigue of the enemies of Ukrainian football.
According to him, the preventive measure contradicts international football regulations and works against the interests of Ukraine. In Demyanenko's opinion, it is now obvious that they are trying to deprive our country of representation in the UEFA. And this, perhaps, is the main goal of the enemy, who is counting on the absence of Pavelko in the UEFA Executive Committee to soften the sanctions policy against the Russians.
"You can see that the aggressor country is now working in the sporting direction on all fronts, " Demyanenko reassures. - They are pushing the IOC to allow their athletes into the Olympics, they want to return to European football tournaments. The impression is that some of our law enforcers are engaged in open collaboration with the enemy. And if this is true, one has to understand who these people are and whose instructions they carry out"(Fakty.ua, 22.02.23).
At the same time, Demyanenko is sure that the court ruling will not affect Pavelko's chances for re-election to the UEFA executive committee, as he can participate in the congress remotely: "And we will fight together for victory on this front, just as our military do on the battlefield. So this anti-Ukrainian and anti-football sabotage will not have the result our enemies are expecting."
With all due respect to the left-back's skill and his pathetic eloquence, it is not unreasonable to recall that law enforcement agencies are investigating Pavelko in nine criminal cases at once, which involve machinations with artificial grass and pitches, misappropriation of public funds, manipulation of finances and pressure on journalists. And Pavelko's dismissal by the same Pechersk court from the leadership of the UAF has corruption reasons, which have nothing to do with the statutory rules of international football organizations.
Therefore, Demyanenko is right only in that "anti-football sabotage" by Pavelko and Co, as they say, is evident. Our homegrown enemies cannot compete with outward rivals...
Victor ZHURAVLEV
