25 years ago, the Ukrainian national soccer team played a 1-1 draw with the Russians in Moscow in the last round of European Championship qualification and continued their fight for a place in the competition, while the hosts went down. Ukrainian defender Volodymyr Mykytin, who came on as a substitute at the end of the first half, recalled the most interesting moments of that match and Shevchenko's legendary goal.
"It seemed that we were talking about the final of the most prestigious tournament - such was the excitement. This qualifying cycle was successful for the Ukrainian national team, we were always in the main group and were convinced that in Moscow, at least, we would not lose. It was hard, especially in the second half, but we managed to achieve the desired result. I remember when people asked me after the match why the hosts, who were on a roll at the time, failed to tip the scales in their favor, I answered: "Ukraine had Andriy Shevchenko.
You can write books about his goal in Luzhniki, because it was the highest pilotage. Believe me, it was not a fluke, but a master class from our attacking leader, because the ball with a twist flew towards the goalkeeper on a mysterious trajectory. That's what took the Russian keeper by surprise.
When we came to the locker room after the final whistle, each chair had a personalized watch with the inscription: "From the mayor of Moscow". And soon Vladimir Putin, the former prime minister of Russia, entered the locker room. I remember that he was small in stature. He congratulated us on our victory, but his face was very sour.
Unfortunately, we failed to qualify for the Euro finals. In the knockout matches against Slovenia we were let down by a banal underestimation of the opponent".
Andriy Pisarenko