Mykola Nesenyuk: "Remember this Shakhtar move!"

Famous Ukrainian journalist Mykola Nesenyuk talks about Shakhtar Donetsk's new tactics in attack.

Did you notice that when Shakhtar scored the first goal in yesterday's Ukrainian Cup final, their player Kryskiv was lying in the opponent's penalty area, screaming and writhing in death throes? If not, then rewatch this moment. You'll see that as soon as the ball hit Vorskla's goal, Kryskiv's hellish suffering instantly stopped.

You may say that there is nothing wrong with that because the referee did not stop the game. So what? Don't you know that in modern football, split seconds decide everything? In order to make an accurate pass or shoot on goal, you need to be at least a moment ahead of your opponent. It took Vorskla's defenders a moment to react to Shakhtar's scream, making sure he was alive and the referee did not give a penalty. Taking advantage of this moment is a matter of technique for the highly skilled attackers of the Ukrainian champion!

When you think it was an accident, not a well-developed technique, remember Shakhtar's game against Dynamo Kyiv last autumn. Back then, the visitors' player Eginaldo fell and started to "die" in the same way, but he instantly recovered when Zubkov took advantage of the same moment to score the winning goal.

So remember this technique! And let everyone decide for themselves whether to use it in the game, after consulting their conscience or what's left of it.

Mykola NESENYUK