Since the early morning of June 14 a considerable part of the Ukrainian population was in a state of agitated expectation. National flags had been raised. At 4 p.m. quite a large number of senior citizens, women, and children, not to mention men of working age were stuck to TV screens. The Cabinet of Ministers had even recommended that “all enterprises, institutions and organizations should create favorable conditions for employees to watch the unforgettable and dazzling performance featuring the Ukrainian and Spanish national soccer teams in the German city of Leipzig.”
Enormous screens were installed in the main squares of Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk for mutual fan support, so to speak. According to Deputy State Secretary Markiyan Lubkivsky, the president was going to watch the game on TV without disrupting his work schedule. On the other hand, the members of the government, as Yuri Yekhanurov admitted, were going to watch the match together in a Kyiv pub. So, Hryhoriy Surkis, the president of the Ukrainian National Soccer Federation, was hardly overestimating the issue when he said that “all of Ukraine has united around the national soccer team, which has reached the World Cup finals for the first time.”
It appears that we can be unanimous, even united, to be together. Let it be for the sake of a single game, no matter what the score is. Sure enough, everybody was hoping for victory. Furthermore, we needed it. Despite the rain, thousands of people crowded the main squares of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. This feeling of unity may be the most important impact of soccer on the nation today.
As for the game itself, one can blame certain subjective reasons. Yes, the heat. Yes, the unfair refereeing. But it is probably more important to analyze mistakes, draw conclusions, and introduce modifications to the coming games. Maybe the national character ought to be modified. Self-confidence should be built. Our soccer players have already demonstrated tolerance. Add a sound spirit of expansion and they’ll do it. Then the bitterness of defeat will not demoralize them but turn it into a valuable experience, which will come in handy in the games still to be played. This is also confirmed by the Day’s experts, who shared their impressions just after the final siren.
Yuri Rybchinsky, poet:
“I am astonished at how badly our national team performed in its first match-astonished to see our soccer players appear on the pitch without blazing eyes or hearts, not ready to fight for every ball from the first to the last minute of the game. Wasn’t it clear from the very first minutes that we are dealing with a top-notch team? Only teamwork and a colossal desire to overcome the rival in every episode could have compensated for this gap. But they played slowly, the passes were inaccurate. I, for one, didn’t notice any teamwork. They played lifelessly. One can only hope for better in the next two games.”
Ihor Kondratyuk, TV host (by telephone from Germany):
“Of course, we assumed we could lose, but nobody thought we could lose that badly. We didn’t have any teamwork. There was a big hole in the center of the field. On top of that, the Spaniards were just a little lucky. They scored their first goal because of the defensemen’s positional mistake. The second one was a gift for them, a ricochet from one of our defensemen, Rusol, I think. The second period begins, and the referee declares a penalty kick. I think our debut at the World Cup was an unfortunate one. I hope this bad luck is over and things will improve from now on. The task to be accomplished remains: to win the next two games, or fail completely. I think our team can do it. Frankly speaking, I didn’t expect our team to “tear Spain apart.” I expected everything to be 50-50: the ball is round, the field is smooth. It’s obvious we lost by 100 percent. There were moments during the game when, for example, in the first period, our left flank was empty. Anyone who wished went through. For some reason everybody was playing in the shade and below their capabilities. Why? Nobody cares now. Maybe they weren’t prepared or they were too nerve-racked. What’s the difference? The 0:4 score is the worst defeat at this championship so far. For example, Blokhin quit controlling the team after the third goal was scored. He seemed to understand that no matter what you do, defeat is inevitable.
Andriy Shkil, Ukrainian parliamentarian:
“What can I say? First, Australia, which is playing for the fourth time at the World Cup has won its first game only now. That’s why Ukraine has three World Cups ahead of it before winning its first match.
Secondly, the Spaniards scored two goals all by themselves and the other two were scored by the referee. But, to my mind, the field had to be left after the unfair penalty kick because losing 3:0 is much better than a 4:0 defeat. I have just telephoned to cancel my presence at the games with Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. What else can I do? Unfortunately, our soccer players have demonstrated that they probably play billiards and table tennis well. But soccer is what Ukraine’s national team cannot play-for the time being.”
