«Shovkovskyi was outstanding in the match against "Sparta". He saved three penalties and brought the team into the group stage of the Champions League»
— Olexandre Mykolaiovych, in the 1997/98 season "Dynamo" reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where the white-and-blues were eliminated by the Italian "Juventus" (1:1, 1:4). In the following season 1998/99, which turned out to be the most successful for the capital club in the most prestigious European tournament, "Dynamo" reached the semi-finals. The achievements of that team, which included you, cannot be surpassed by any new generation of Dynamo players.
What were the actual goals for that season at "Dynamo"? Did you and the other Dynamo players dream of the Champions League final? Did Lobanovskyi and Surkis set such a task for the team?
— I’ll start with the fact that the defeat to "Juventus" in the 1997/98 season, I mean the match in Kyiv (1:4), was, however strange it may sound to you, perhaps, logical. After the game, Lobanovskyi said: «If we had passed that "Juve", it would have been unfair. We had no right to pass then». Valeriy Vasylovych always realistically assessed football and the capabilities of his team.
Now, about the 1998/99 season. Did we dream about the Champions League final then? I don’t even know how to answer… First of all, we dreamt and thought about how to break into the group tournament.
— "Dynamo" started the Champions League qualification with a record victory over "Barry Town" from Wales — 10:1 on aggregate over two matches. It was indeed some kind of a "pub team," or was "Dynamo" then not at the level of today, but a really strong team?
— For us, at that time, "Barry Town" was a low-level opponent, I’ll say so to not offend the dignity of that team and club.
— Could you have beaten them on one leg?
— No. Still, we had to make some effort. Especially in the first game. We won it very confidently (8:0). So in the second game, we really went out on one leg. (Smiling).
— In the first match, you provided two assists to Serhiy Rebrov. Do you remember how it was?
— I honestly don’t remember such details. But if I provided two assists to Rebrov, it means I played well then. (Smiling).
— In the next decisive round of qualifiers, there was the much more famous Czech "Sparta." You had to struggle against the Prague team (0:1, 1:0). You only passed them thanks to an own goal by Peter Gabriel and Alexander Shovkovskyi's excellent performance in the penalty shootout (3:1 in favor of the white-and-blues). It was very close.
Was it an underestimation of the opponent or did "Sparta" not fall behind the level of the then "Dynamo"?
— "Barry Town" was an unknown passing team for us at that time, while everyone knew who "Sparta" was. The Prague team had a good squad. Czech football in the 90s was on the rise, confirmed by reaching the Euro-96 final a few years earlier. They were indeed a tough opponent.
Shovkovskyi was outstanding in the match against "Sparta": he saved three penalties in the shootout, bringing the team into the group stage of the Champions League.
— Actually, you missed the return match against "Sparta" because you received a red card in the first game. Everything is clear here, but why weren't you in the squad for the first three matches of the group stage of the Champions League? An injury?
— No, I was healthy. Just for that red card, if my memory serves me right, I was given a four-match suspension.
«In the match against "Panathinaikos," Lobanovskyi ordered everyone to take off our tights. It worked»
— In the group stage of the Champions League, "Dynamo" started not very confidently — a defeat to "Panathinaikos" (1:2) and two draws with French "Lance" and English "Arsenal" from London (1:1). After the first round, was there no feeling that everything was already lost?
— You could say we started poorly, right?
— How else can you assess two points from three games?
— There were reasons for that.
— What were those reasons? Please reveal the secret.
— Well, I didn’t play three games, that’s the reason. (Smiling)! If not joking, for me, the thing was that after the previous season when "Dynamo" did well in Europe, all teams began to prepare for us. No one considered us some unknown team from Eastern Europe anymore.
— The matches against "Arsenal" were probably crucial. In the first game, Serhiy Rebrov equalized in the last minute (1:1), and in the second match, we won (3:1). What was the London team and club like then? Was it a solid mid-table team or a top team like "the Gunners" are now?
— What mid-table are you talking about? Are you kidding? "Arsenal" was then the reigning champion of England. And that season, only two teams from England played in the Champions League: Arsène Wenger's guys and "Manchester United."
"Arsenal" was a top team, which included players like English national team goalkeeper David Seaman, French players Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, Ray Parlour… Wenger had a very good team then, and beating them in Kyiv wasn’t that easy.
— In the last two group stage matches of the Champions League against "Panathinaikos" (2:1) and "Lance" (3:1), you returned to the squad. To advance from the first place, "Dynamo" needed two victories, and they were achieved. How did Lobanovskyi motivate the team for those crucial matches, what did he say?
— I remember how, let’s say, Valeriy Vasylovych motivated us for "Panathinaikos." It was November. It was already quite cold in Kyiv. There was no thermal underwear at that time. At least, not for us. Well, to avoid frostbite below the waist, we went out in tights for the game against the Athenian team. It was really cold. We lost the first half (0:1).
During the break, Lobanovskyi ordered everyone to take off our tights. It worked. We came out for the second half, scored two goals, and won. (Smiling).
As for the interesting details of the game against "Lance," I somehow don’t remember… That match completely slipped my mind. Perhaps the great goal by Vlad Vashchuk stuck in my memory. Regarding "Lance," I'll add that this team wasn’t top-tier, not at the level of "Arsenal." That was, as you said, a solid European mid-table team.
Overall, I think we managed to win those two key games at the end of the group stage thanks to the good experience we got from last season.
«Roberto Carlos threw himself the ball into a run ten meters from me, went around me like I was standing still, and I only saw the number on his back»
— How did the team react to the draw of the play-off, where "Dynamo" got last year’s Champions League winner "Real" as opponents? On paper, the Madrid club certainly looked like a clear favorite?
— We had played against another Spanish giant — "Barcelona" in the previous season. And everyone should remember that we were not intimidated. (Smiling).
— Of course, you weren't intimidated. You crushed "Barca." Those 3:0 and 4:0 I still remember well, even though I was just a schoolboy back then.
— Right. We liked playing against Spanish teams. We weren’t afraid of "Real." Yes, the fact that we had a break in the Premier League while "Real" had match practice every weekend in La Liga was somewhat concerning. But again, we already had experience preparing for spring matches in the Champions League. Lobanovskyi knew how to keep the team in shape.
Of course, "Real" was considered the favorite by everyone. And how could it be otherwise when they had Raúl, Hierro, Redondo, Seedorf, and Karanka in their squad? They had a good goalkeeper, the German Bodo Illgner.
— Did Lobanovskyi motivate the team in a special way for the first match in Madrid?
— At the end of the 90s, there wasn’t as much information as today. None of those analytical platforms that can break down every player’s game to the bones existed. Back then we watched recordings of "Real" matches that were filmed not on 30 cameras but on three cameras standing at "Santiago Bernabéu."
Lobanovskyi believed in us and made us believe in ourselves that we could defeat "Real." We had our philosophy back then, which yielded results. It was still that scientific concept from the late 70s and 80s, when "Dynamo" won the Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Valeriy Vasylovych stuck to his principles and followed his philosophy.
You know, Lobanovskyi was not a great orator overall. He almost never was emotional in the locker room. He was calm. And this calmness, stability, and confidence passed to the team.
— What conditions did you live in Madrid, did you walk around the city? Why this question, I explain: it often happened that fans cheered under the windows of the opponent's team hotel, not letting the players sleep. Did something similar happen with "Dynamo" in the capital of Spain?
— To ensure that no one distracted us from preparing for the game, the team was settled in a hotel on the outskirts of Madrid. Real fans could not even imagine that "Dynamo" players were staying there. (Smiling). We didn’t feel any external distractions.
We did not walk around Madrid as a team. We had free time, which everyone spent at their discretion. Within reason, of course.
— Did the fans from the stands of "Santiago Bernabéu" put a lot of pressure on the team?
— Of course, they did. The stadium in Madrid is built in such a way that the stands are like in a theater. However, the so-called fan section in that arena is small. They don’t have that kind of fan culture. The whole stadium passionately supports the team, not just ultras.
But there was no pressure on us. We had already played at "Camp Nou" and other big European stadiums before. Our team had a strong character in terms of psychology. No fans could pressurize us or scare us then. It was actually good for us to play when there was passion; it pumped us with adrenaline regardless of whether they supported us or not.
— In the first match against "Real," you played as a defensive midfielder. Who caused you the most problems in the ranks of the royal club - Mijatović, Seedorf, Morientes, Redondo, Guti? Who was the hardest to contain among the stars of Real?
— Redondo was a pretty tough player, I remember that well. While Guti was more of a fantasist, as they say in Italy.
Actually, I didn’t play a pure defensive midfielder. During defense, I had to shift right, helping Luzhny. On that flank, Roberto Carlos played against us. What he was doing! He’d throw the ball for himself into space ten meters from me, go around me like I was standing still, and I only saw the number on his back! Roberto Carlos really got on my nerves back then.
Mijatović and Morientes played higher. Neutralizing them was already the job of Sasha Holovko and Vlad Vashchuk.
— In the first half, "Real" put heavy pressure on "Dynamo's" goal but could not score. Do you remember what Lobanovskyi said at halftime? Did he demand reliable defensive play first and foremost?
— Lobanovskyi came into the locker room and looked at the boots we were wearing. He told everyone to change into "six-studded boots." I remember Andriukh Shevchenko tucked his legs under himself, hiding his boots from Vasilovych's sight, and Lobanovskyi walked silently past him.
Somehow, there was no motivational speech. We just needed to stand firm on our feet in the second half.
— In the second half, first, Shevchenko opened the scoring, then Mijatović equalized with a penalty, and both teams began to play at a fast pace. The Dynamo players were satisfied with the 1:1 draw result that gave some advantage to the team because at that time the away goals rule was in effect?
— In the previous season, we also played 1:1 away against "Juventus," but didn’t advance further... Of course, we can’t lie; we viewed the draw in Madrid as a positive result, but not one that gave us any advantage.
«We played hard and celebrated victories in the same way. We didn’t just limit ourselves to beer. We celebrated the victory over "Real" very vividly»
— In the return match, the old, roofless "Olympic," where I once got drenched to the skin, was filled to the brim. Did the support of over 80 thousand fans boost the team's morale?
— You're asking. (Smiling). Of course. I remember that even we, the players of "Dynamo," could not get tickets for that game.
— Those are painful memories because I couldn’t make it there. Back then, tickets could only be bought from scalpers for some outrageous price. I watched that game at home on TV.
— Yes, yes, the hype was insane. I also couldn’t help all my acquaintances who asked for tickets. We gave it our all then, as we had no right to lose in front of the Kyiv audience.
Even that old "Olympic" was no worse than "Santiago Bernabéu" in terms of support.
— In the first half, the scoreboard showed zeroes, and in the second half, Valentyn Belkevych appeared on the field, which significantly added creativity to the attack, and as a result, Shevchenko scored two goals. What do you remember about that match in general?
— Crazy energy. We then realized that we were not worse than the stars of "Real." And how can one not mention that exquisite pass from Valik Belkevych to Shevchenko when Andriy earned the penalty! And what a pass Rebrov made to Sheva!
— It was ingenious! No exaggeration, that lob showed the connection between Rebrov and Shevchenko on some karmic level.
— A masterpiece. Of course, at that time the individual skill level of all "Dynamo" players was very high.
In general, at that time, "Dynamo" had not only fans from Kyiv and Ukraine supporting us, but we were cheered for in many countries of the former Soviet Union.
— With which "Real" players did you exchange jerseys? Were they so upset that they didn’t want to do it?
— The guys definitely exchanged, but I did not. Why? Because I promised my jersey to one good friend of mine. The thing is, now every Dynamo player can have three or four jerseys in reserve for a game; then it was just one.
— Did the team somehow celebrate passing "Real"?
— We celebrated all victories. Not just over "Real".
— How specifically?
— Very powerfully. (Smiling). We played hard and celebrated victories in the same way.
— So you could allow yourselves to have a drink or two?
— We didn’t just limit ourselves to beer. (Smiling). We celebrated the victory over "Real" very vividly. Without details. (Smiling).
«Kuchma came to our locker room, but we completely ignored him. There was a wild euphoria»
— Hryhoriy Surkis gave increased bonuses for that game?
— There were no increased bonuses. We had monetary bonuses for advancing from the group, and we also knew that we would be rewarded for reaching the semi-finals.
You will surely ask how much Hryhoriy Mykhailovych counted for us? To be honest, I don’t remember the exact amount. It was decent for that time, but in today’s realities, when I read interviews with younger Dynamo players who talked about bonuses of 150 thousand dollars each, we didn’t have such sums even close in the 90s.
— Did the then President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma come into the locker room after the game?
— Yes, it seems Kuchma came to our locker room, but we completely ignored him. In general, there were a lot of various high-ranking officials after the game in the under-stand area. We had a wild euphoria.
— Shevchenko became the top scorer of the Champions League that season. He managed to score eight goals in total. Tell us what the young Sheva was like at that time? Didn't he already have a "crown" on his head then?
— At that time, there was Oleg Luzhny in the team, and if someone in "Dynamo" put a "crown" on their head, he would quickly knock it off.
Both Sheva and Rebrov were primarily great footballers. They complemented each other fantastically and understood each other on the field without words. They were true professionals. Determined. Much can be said about Andriy and Serhiy, but they spoke for themselves with their game.
In general, at that time in our team, the opinion of our coach, Lobanovskyi, was paramount. No one paid any attention to what was written about them in the newspapers. And Lobanovskyi, I tell you, was not always satisfied, even when we won.
— Did you realize at the time that it was Sheva's last season at "Dynamo" and that he would be shining at "Milan" the next year?
— Of course. Andriukh had already started to learn Italian little by little. We knew there was an agreement between "Dynamo" and "Milan" about Sheva’s transfer.
— What was the secret of that "Dynamo's" success?
— I’ll repeat: I believe that back then we had a very strong team spirit, high individual skill of all the players, and belief in our own strength. And of course, the coaching genius of Lobanovskyi drove "Dynamo" to those victories.
Viktor Glukhivskyi
Olexandr Khatskevych
