There are matches won by teams and those that are won by coaches or individual players. There are very few other kinds of scenarios. Yet these “scenarios” occur with enviable regularity whenever Eastern and Western European clubs take each other on. A certain physician or high school teacher will stifle the Eastern upstarts with maniacal stubbornness, openly helping the opponent. Are these doctors and teachers being paid for this? This is highly unlikely. In all probability, this is simply Western mentality. They support the “friendly” sides: the Spaniards favor the Greeks, the French favor the Scots... That the French referee Eric Poulat would try to thwart Shakhtar’s plans was clear at the beginning of the match: it was obvious that several times he did not blow the whistle to call a foul on the “coal miners’” opponents. Yet, after recovering from the initial shock, Shakhtar proved it had enough willpower and experience to successfully play against 11+1 opponents.
Mathusalem struck just inches off the post. There were also some interesting mid-field combinations. But Monsieur Poulat, like any Frenchman, likes being in the spotlight. He ran across half the pitch to award an indirect free kick for Celtic when Shakhtar’s goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka dallied over a clearance. Formally, he was absolutely right. But just imagine, say, Milan’s Dida in the place of Lastuvka. It’s a funny thing: a correct decision will sometimes show the preferences of a referee more clearly than the penalty shot he failed to award in a tricky situation. Celtic opened the score when the 14-meter indirect free kick resulted in Thompson striking home a cannon shot. What happened just minutes before half-time was in fact to be expected-a Shakhtar player was sent off. Tymoshchuk perhaps deserved this, but his opponent Camara fell and writhed too theatrically. It is always a very hard blow for a team to lose its captain and key halfback. This was clearly revealed in the second half, when the “miners” threatened the “Celts” just a few times. To thwart even these attempts, the referee again came to the Scots’ rescue by dismissing Barauan for a second bookable offense-disagreement with the referee’s decision. This left Shakhtar with one sole task: to keep the 0:1 score intact in order to have an advantage in the next fixtures (bearing in mind Celtic’s trouncing in Donetsk). This they managed to do. But how will they play in Milan without two key players? Conversely, the Scots will be able to take on Barcelona in full strength. They were yellow- and red-carded far more seldom than they deserved. After the Catalonians beat Milan, the two clubs in question still stand equal chances — in theory, though — to go on playing in the Champions League. Yet it will be a blatant injustice if Shakhtar fails to qualify for the UEFA Cup. The “miners” will have to play against the grandees of world soccer in the two remaining matches. Again, they can’t pin any hopes on the referees.
