The breeze of the football summer, which promises to be the hottest for Ukraine's representatives, is increasingly strong. In addition to the senior national team, the U19 and U17 national teams, which have also won tickets to the final stages of European championships, and, of course, the Olympic team, which is participating in the Paris Games, will be in the spotlight.
Each of the teams received its share of different kinds of news this week. However, they do not overshadow the vicissitudes of the national championship. These competitions, despite the solid squad of our legionnaires in the top leagues of the Old World, are the main forge, the main training ground for the main team of the country, the youth team and the Olympic team.
Photo by Yuriy YurievA match lasting 4.5 months
Dynamo Kyiv, which remains the base club for the national teams of our country, added six points to its tournament treasury by beating Minai (3-1) and Polissia Zhytomyr (3-0).
"In the realities of wartime, football matches in Ukraine sometimes take place in a strange format," Serhii Voroniuk, the author of the Football Club website, explored the circumstances surrounding the duel between the Kyiv team and the Zakarpattia team. - " Dynamo Kyiv, whose previous meeting in Oleksandriya lasted 4.5 hours, unwillingly became a party to the precedent: the game with Minaj not only lasted for 4.5 months, but was also played in two cities!" (Footclub.com.ua, 17.04.24).
Indeed, when the air raid siren sounded in the town of Mynai on 3 December, the rivals had managed to play for just over a minute. Due to the lack of lighting at the home arena of the club of the same name, the duel could not be resumed, and as agreed by the parties, the match was played in the capital.
For the first time in the spring part of the championship, Andriy Yarmolenko and Vitaliy Buyalsky appeared in the starting line-up together. Instead, Volodymyr Brazhko, who was named the best player of the UPL in the previous round, fell ill (among the coaches, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi was second to none, for the second time in the last six months).
In the absence of the young newly-minted team leader, it was the experienced players who made the chorus of the final victory in the first half: Buyalsky scored a quick goal, while Yarmolenko forced the opposing defender to hit his own goal.
"Kyiv could have added a few more goals to these quite easily and naturally, but the realisation failed at the last moment. Fortunately for Minaya, because with such a passive game, they could have got a full bag in the first half and not appeared in the second half at all," states Football.ua (17.04.24).
Observers note that against the backdrop of a weak, seemingly doomed Minaj, the nominal guests looked inspired before the break, acted freely and smoothly, "fired" at the goal from different positions, sometimes not denying themselves the pleasure of playing "for the audience".
The emotional attitude of Dynamo's players was striking.
"The fighting spirit of thefavourite was evidenced, in particular, by an episode involving Yarmolenko," Football Club caught the moment. "The veteran, who, having returned from injury, continues to attack the scoring records of the national championship, reacted passionately and loudly to one of the missed chances" (Footclub.com.ua, 17.04.24).
This is another bright and undoubtedly positive touch to the collective portrait of the team, which, if anything, cannot be blamed for indifference. In our previous media review, we already drew attention to this when describing the emotions of Shovkovskyi's men after an illogical loss of points in the match against Cherkasy LNZ.
We must pay tribute to Minaj for not letting the second half turn into a formality, spoiling the White and Blues' nerves by scoring a spectacular goal and releasing the firebird of intrigue just a few minutes before the final whistle, when Nazar Voloshin completed a beautiful and fast-paced combination.
"We played two different halves, in the first we completely dominated, had a game advantage, scored two goals, could have scored more," commented Shovkovsky at the press conference, " but the way we played in the second half, in my opinion, a team of Dynamo's level should not play like that" (Fcdynamo.com, 17.04.24).
Lightness is a sign of class
The extent to which the recognition of sudden problems implies working on mistakes and bringing the team mechanism to optimal settings was to be seen in Dynamo's next match.
The strong Polissia, one of the discoveries of the first round of the current championship, sensationally beat Mircea Lucescu's team at home. The Romanian specialist watched the rematch directly at the stadium, having paid a friendly visit to Kyiv.
There's no doubt that he enjoyed the White and Blues' performance. As did all those who, having lucky tickets from the permitted quota, sat for more than an hour and a half in the cool rain. It was one of the team's best matches of the season, and the value of the victory with a crushing score was multiplied by the unyielding opponent and difficult weather conditions.
Some observers, analysing Dynamo's performance, even concluded that the victory was surprisingly easy for Shovkovsky's men. Well, this is also an assessment. Lightness, ease, courage, gourmet goals - these are signs of class. And it's another question how much sweat you have to shed during training to please not only the fans but also the journalists.
"3-0, the score fully reflects the total and undeniable advantage that Dynamo had in this game, playing as smoothly and disciplined as possible, leaving their opponents no chance," summed up Yevhen Savchuk (Footboom1.com, 21.04.24 ) . "Dynamo closes the gap with leading Shakhtar to one point and continues to keep its chances of winning the gold medal."
"We managed to do a lot today," Oleksandr Shovkovskyi agreed with the reporter in absentia, "I am grateful to the guys for their attitude, motivation and discipline that they showed throughout the game. These are pleasant moments that allow you to enjoy the work you do... We got three important points and are moving on. Nothing is over for us. We are now preparing for every game as if it were the final" (Footclub.com.ua, 21.04.24).
Dynamo president Ihor Surkis spoke to the press in a great mood.
"I'm very pleased," he shared his impressions with the correspondent of Dynamo 's website Shurik (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 21.04.24 ). " We dominated the entire match, the score was 3-0, but it could have been 5-0 or 6-0. The team is well prepared functionally and tactically. Shovkovskyi is doing his job very well. I hope that we will only progress."
The club president confirmed that Mircea Lucescu also enjoyed the match, noting the Romanian's contribution to the team's development: "I am grateful to him for everything he has done for Dynamo. Those guys who are playing now are his pupils, it was he who gave them the way to big football" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 21.04.24).
Taras Mikhavko also deserved personal praise for his performance against Polissia. The return of the 18-year-old central defender to the main team, where he feels more and more confident, is an occasion to recall one of the forecasts published last week on the Football 24 website Serhii Tyshchenko, who tried to look into the near future.
"The future of Dynamo Kyiv is obvious and clear," the football soothsayer writes, "There is no alternative to our own pupils for a number of reasons. All of them are also on the surface, so for the hundredth time I will not write about the war, financial opportunities and so on. This is the only right way, because our three main assets are now the graduates of our own academy - Vanat, Shaparenko, Brazhko. The top sales of recent years - Mykolenko, Zabarnyi, Tsygankov - are not only more than 50 million euros (we keep in mind the potential amount for Viktor's future transfer), but also the work of our school" (Football24.ua, 16.04.24).
According to S. Tyshchenko, the team's reserve team has enough people who are persistently proving their right to a place in the football sun. Some of tomorrow's stars have already "registered" in the first team, others are determinedly knocking on the door of the main team, and some are still known only to those who follow the progress of the youth championships.
"Predictions in football are not very rewarding. Especially at the youth level, where everything can change," the author offers the reader instead of a conclusion, " But I'll try to predict the Dynamo squad in 4-5 years: Neshcheret (Surkis) - Gusev (Rybak), Tretiak (Zakharchenko), Mikhavko (Korobov), Vivcharenko (Dykyi, legionnaire, new player) - Ishchenko (Ozymai) - Kalyn (Kremchanin), Osipenko (Redushko), Bilyi (Lucin), Makevych (Pashko) - Ponomarenko" (Football24.ua, 16.04.24).
Well, let's check in around 2028. For all the conventionality of the arguments presented, the article seems to have a rational grain. At least as a basis for debate, which eventually brings us closer to the truth.
But what is hard to argue with is the statistics. Firstly, Dynamo extended its unbeaten run to 14 matches, which is the highest achievement of the current championship. Secondly, it raised the bar of the historical record by hitting the opponent's goal in the 37th match in a row!
The last time the capital's team left the field without scoring a goal was in early May 2021, when the duel with Mariupol ended in a zero-zero draw. The previous record of 34 productive matches belonged to Shakhtar Donetsk.
Wiesbaden will be blue and yellow
Next to Lucescu, Serhii Rebrov sat in the VIP box of the Dynamo Stadium for the match between Dynamo and Polissia. Less than 100 days before the start of Euro 2024, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team uses every opportunity to update the array of information about the candidates for the main team.
The day before, he attended Dynamo's training session, where the media representatives present arranged an impromptu press conference for the specialist.
"I really like Shakhtar's game, Dynamo's game, and the condition of the national team players," Rebrov was quoted as saying by the Kyiv club's official website . Before Euro 2024, we have a lot of information to prepare for the start of the tournament as best we can...
I think we have done an important job for the whole country, but now we need to not just go to Euro 2024, but represent our country with dignity. It isvery important for me and the players to prepare to show our strength" (Fcdynamo.com, 19.04.24).
The coach spoke separately about Brazko, who proved himself in the qualifying play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland. And about Yarmolenko, who at that time, unfortunately, did not help the team, recovering from an injury, but is now rapidly gaining conditioning.
"I ampleased that he is getting enough game practice after a long absence due to injury," said Rebrov. " We will monitor not only Andriy, we will monitor all the players who play in our championship, and after its completion we will look at their condition" (Fcdynamo.com, 19.04.24).
While the coach is dealing with the playing aspects of the national team's functioning, his like-minded UAF colleagues are solving the problem of providing the team with a comfortable life during Euro 2024. In particular, the place of residence of the Ukrainian delegation in Germany has become known - the city of Wiesbaden, the capital of the federal state of Hesse.
"In Wiesbaden, our teamwill live and train at the local stadium," informs the official website of the UAF (Uaf.ua, 17.04.24 ). The longest distance to Munich, where Ukraine will play the opening match of the Euro against Romania (17 June), is 400 km. The Blue and Yellows plan to arrive there two days before the game. The next two cities in the group stage, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart, are virtually the same distance away - about 200 kilometres. The Ukrainians plan to get here by bus."
It is already known that the national team of Ukraine will begin preparations for the final tournament on 30 May in Nuremberg, where it will play a friendly match with the hosts of Euro 2024 on 3 June. The next day, our team will fly to Poland, where they will play a friendly match with the local team on 7 June. The final game of the pre-tournament training camp will be a meeting with the Moldovan national team on 11 June in Chisinau. The next day, Rebrov and his team will arrive at their permanent location for the tournament.
Among those whose positions on the final national team roster are beyond any doubt today are two Spanish La Liga legionnaires, Andriy Lunin and Artem Dovbyk. During the reporting week, both of them earned a place on the front pages and in the headlines of specialised publications with their latest achievements.
The goalkeeper became the hero of a penalty shootout in the Champions League quarter-finals, where Real Madrid defeated Manchester City, the tournament's main favourite, away from home.
"Lunin played his best game for Real Madrid," wrote the reputable Marca the next day (18.04.24 ), " He withstood an endless siege from City, whose players took as many as 18 corners. "Manchester attacked the whole match, and Lunin played like Thibaut Courtois. Josep Guardiola could do nothing about it. And then the Ukrainian deserved glory by saving two more penalties in the post-match series."
"His composure led the team to the semi-finals ," stated another influential Spanish newspaper, AS (18.04.24 ), " He came out of this match a more than strengthened goalkeeper, capable of becoming number one at Real Madrid.
Girona forward Dovbyk, in turn, having scored his 18th goal in the league in brilliant style, not only strengthened his position as the most accurate sniper in the elite Spanish division, but also helped the Catalan club to make it to international competitions for the first time in its history. "Girona, one of whose leaders is also former Dynamo Kyiv's Viktor Tsygankov, is not going to be satisfied with the minimum, having declared its goal of reaching the Champions League.
The intricacies of the Olympic rings
Returning to Serhii Rebrov's interview, we cannot ignore the question of one of the journalists about how the players will be distributed between the national and youth teams.
"The priority has always been the national team," the coach replied. " Ask any footballer where he wants to play, and everyone will say that in the national team. This is the face of the country. And then we will deal with the candidates for the youth team" (Sport.ua, 19.04.24).
Indeed, when four national teams participate in the final tournaments of prestigious competitions at once, it is, on the one hand, a great achievement of national football, but on the other hand, a certain headache for coaches and officials. Hopefully, the status of Rebrov, who also holds the position of UAF vice president, will help to resolve the situation in an optimal way. Such a combination seems appropriate at this stage and should obviously yield results in the long run - by building a single vertical of Ukrainian national teams, from the youngest boys to the first team.
The Olympic team currently stands somewhat apart in this structure. According to the Games' regulations, the squad of players under the age of 23 can be strengthened by three players of any age.
Who exactly they will be will be finally determined later. Firstly, Euro 2024 in Germany will be over. Secondly, the end of July and beginning of August (the dates of the Olympic football tournament) is the traditional time for the start of the Ukrainian championship and the qualifying rounds of European competitions. This raises the question: how willingly will UPL clubs agree to release players for the Games in Paris?
The significance of the tournament probably does not need to be emphasised once again. As well as the sensitivity of the problem, the discussion of which is rash to postpone "for later". So, perhaps, it makes sense that the opinion of one of the Olympic team's coaches, Vladimir Yezersky, appeared in the media.
"The debut at the Olympic Games is a significant event for Ukraine, for its football history," he was quoted as saying by Pressing.net.ua (15.04.24 ), " especially in such a difficult time. I am sure that each of the players wants to take part in the Olympics. I am convinced that with the right approach to this issue, with quality training, our team can achieve not just qualification, but much more. I believe that the coaching staff and the UAF collectively need to make sure that those players who meet the level of the Olympic team and whom Ruslan Rotan wants to see are released from their clubs. I hope that the representatives of our clubs will understand what is happening as much as possible. This is a historic moment, a landmark event."
A working meeting between the President of the Ukrainian Football Association, Andriy Shevchenko, and the Head of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Vadym Hutzayt, was a step towards the Olympics. The meeting was attended by UAF Vice President Oleksandr Shevchenko, UAF Secretary General Ihor Hryshchenko and the leadership of the National Anti-Doping Centre.
During the meeting, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the NOC of Ukraine and the UAF.
" Inaddition, the participants of the meeting discussed issues related to the preparation and performance of the men's national football team of Ukraine at the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024," the NOC's official website reported (Noc-ukr.org, 16.04.24 ).
Mr Gutzeit stressed that the participation of Ukrainian footballers in international competitions of this level is an extraordinary event for our country and for thousands of football fans. Therefore, the relevant organisations must take into account all the aspects and resolve all the issues to ensure the team's successful performance at the Olympics.
"Theleadership of the NOCs, UAF and NADC discussed the main issues of preparation for the Games, the specifics of forming the Ukrainian national football team and cooperation with football clubs in the country, training camps, compliance with anti-doping rules and logistical and transport support for the team," the UAF website added (Uaf.ua, 16.04.24).
17-year-olds - to the south, 19-year-olds - to the north
During the week, the U19 youth national team of Ukraine, one of the eight strongest teams in the Old World in its age category, found out its group rivals in the final tournament of Euro 2024.
It will be recalled that on 26 March, she completed the fight in the elite round of selection, beating rivals from Northern Macedonia (2: 0), Latvia (3: 0) and Switzerland (3: 0) in turn. Dmytro Mykhailenko's men convincingly won a ticket to the decisive round, which will take place on 15-28 July in Northern Ireland.
It was the hosts of the competition who became one of the opponents of the Blue and Yellows in Group A, where the draw also sent the national teams of Norway and Italy. Group B consists of Denmark, Turkey, France and Spain.
"It's agood group, a good choice," Mykhaylenko commented succinctly on the draw results, "You can play with all opponents and you can beat them all" (Ua.tribuna.com, 18.04.24).
According to the head coach, he already has a certain idea of the level and style of play of the opponents. Of course, by the start of Euro 2024, this information should be significantly updated. No one expects easy games, but the results of our young compatriots in the qualifiers cannot but give hope.
This will be the eighth European Championship final tournament for the Ukrainian U19 team. In 2009, when Ukraine hosted the continental competition in Donetsk and Mariupol, it won gold medals.
The first of our young hopefuls to compete for the European title will be the youngest - the U17 team. Their final will take place on 20 May - 5 June in Cyprus.
It was on the Island of Aphrodite that the next training camp was held, during which Yuriy Moroz's team played two sparring matches against the Cyprus team (2: 0, 1: 2).
"In addition to the guys who were called up earlier, the coaching staff also used the nearest reserve," the official resource of the Children's and Youth Football League of Ukraine (Duflu.org.ua, 15.04.24 ) quotes the coach's commentary, " And the matches against Cyprus, especially the first match, showed that these players have potential. The competition in the team is growing, and no one has a place in the squad for the European Championships.
I was satisfied with the training camp itself, it was useful for both the players and the coaching staff. The players began to understand our requirements, the principles of the game, and this is good on the eve of the Euro."
16 national teams will take part in the U-17 Euro. The Ukrainians will start the competition in Group A, where Cyprus, Serbia and the Czech Republic will also play.
National teams are the tip of the iceberg of UAF responsibility. At one time, it was a shame to learn that for some reason the association's leaders did not find funds for team training camps, that foreign delegations were reduced at the expense of technical staff, and as a result, incidents like punishing teams with technical defeats occurred: not only at the youth but also at the adult level!
Why was this possible? Is it not connected with the figures and facts set out in the preliminary results of the independent audit of the UAF's activities for 2015-2023, published on the official website of the association and disseminated by most of the country's media?
The audit, initiated by the new UAF management, was carried out by AC Crowe Ukraine, a member of the reputable international audit network Crowe Global.
"At this stage, AC Crowe Ukraine has identified an outflow of UAF assets in the amount of UAH 1 billion 342 million 900 thousand," the release said. "The main losses were caused by transactions with offshore companies, losses due to the use of deposits, and expenses related to the overstatement of the cost of purchased goods/works/services" (Uaf.ua, footballhub.ua, sport24.ua, pressing.net.ua, dynamo.kiev.ua, football24.ua, profootball.ua, footclub.com.ua, sport-express.ua, sport.informator.ua, terrikon.com, news.finance.ua, finance.liga.net, uazmi.org, rbc.ua and others, 18.04.24).
According to the auditors, the data provided are preliminary and subject to approval. The final results of the audit will be made public after the analysis is completed. However, it seems that these statistics can already be used by law enforcement agencies today - for the sake of a fair verdict against the perpetrators, for the sake of the purity and transparency of our football.
Orest LELEKA
