Andriy Shevchenko: "Before the kick, Sabo told me to go to the penalty area, but I decided for myself that I had to shoot"

Former Ukraine forward Andriy Shevchenko recalled the legendary match between our national team and Russia, which took place in Moscow in 1999.

"We were accommodated at the Ukrainian embassy, we had security. It was not normal for a football match. It was not a purely football match, it was a political match. This happened for the first time in my career.

When we were travelling to the match, bottles were flying at our bus from the Russians, there were various shouts - not very good ones. The atmosphere was very tense.

The Russian national team had a good team, their players had already played in Europe and were experienced players. It was not easy to play with them. They acted against me personally. They did not give me space, constantly pressured me, hit me from behind. As soon as I had some space, I was immediately brought down. From the beginning of the match, it was already clear what this match could turn into.

Our goal at the end of the match? Before the free kick, Sabo told me to go to the penalty area, but I decided for myself that I had to shoot. It was the kind of match where someone had to take responsibility. And I did it. When you have such chances, you realise that anything can happen in the penalty area. I had to hit the goal - then there will always be chances," Shevchenko said on the Toronto TV YouTube channel.