War-ravaged Ukraine show their mentality at the European Championship in Germany. After a poor start to the tournament, coach Sergei Rebrov's team is aiming to reach the knockout phase.
26.06.2024, 05:30
26.06.2024, 08:45
SDA
Bombed-out buildings as far as the eye can see. In a bomb shelter, the play-off game between Ukraine and Iceland flickers across the screen. Men in camouflage suits play football, juggle balls, sit lined up in front of a small smartphone. A man with a Kalashnikov in his right hand clenches his left fist and cheers. Another throws a ball into the air - cut - which Alexander Sinchenko takes with his chest. The ball passes via Viktor Zygankov to Artem Dowbyk, who finishes. At the end, the players line up and celebrate.
"A team is on the pitch because a million of our fans are on the pitch." With this title and accompanied by pathetic music, the Ukrainian Football Association released the video on June 17. It is the day of the first group match. And it was supposed to be one with symbolic power. But everything turns out differently.
The final score was 0:3 from Ukraine's point of view. Unleashed Romanians show no mercy. It was not the desired signal that national coach Sergei Rebrov's team sent out to the world and, above all, to their home country.
The arduous road to the European Championship
But the Ukrainians would not be the Ukrainians if they allowed themselves to be discouraged by such a sporting setback. The road to the European Championships was already difficult. In an extremely strong group with England and Italy, the two 2021 European Championship finalists, the Eastern Europeans only managed third place. The yellow and blue team had to take a detour via the play-offs.
In the semi-final, the Ukrainians turned around a deficit against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last five minutes. Against Iceland, they secured their ticket to the finals in Germany - again after falling behind - with just six minutes remaining. And this despite the fact that many believe that the current Ukrainian national team is the best of all time. In fact, the squad is peppered with players who are under contract with top European clubs. Arsenal's Alexander Sinchenko, for example, who only just missed out on the title in England with the Gunners. Or Michailo Mudryk, who recently moved to Chelsea for 100 million euros. Or Artem Dowbyk, top scorer in the Spanish La Liga with 24 goals.
The balancing act between football and war
The glittering world of professional football contrasts with the current situation in Ukraine. While other countries like to talk about a state of emergency when the national team wins a final tournament, this has been the case in Ukraine for more than two years. Since the invasion of the Russian armed forces in February 2022, nothing in Ukraine has been the same. Soldiers have fallen, cities have been destroyed and many people have fled the war.
The Russian war of aggression did not stop at football either. Many clubs, especially in the east of the country, have become homeless or have disbanded completely. The international matches are all played abroad. The domestic league has resumed, but always against an oppressive backdrop. Many supporters are no longer there anyway. Hostile Ultras fight united on the front line.
The war is in the minds of the Ukrainians. Not even a European Football Championship can change that. And yet the national team's matches are supposed to offer the people back home a little diversion from their dreary everyday lives, at least for 90 minutes. "The boys are playing football for all of you - and especially for those people who still have to defend our country from the enemy every day," said Rebrow after successfully qualifying for the finals. This is not just about football, as association president Andrei Shevchenko made clear: "We are also here to show that we are still alive."
The seemingly overpowering opponent
The long pass from Mykola Shaparenko, the perfect reception from Roman Yaremchuk, the striker's gentle touch for the ball, which rolls past Martin Dubravka over the goal line - 2:1. Ukraine is alive. It was a symbolic victory on the second matchday against Slovakia. Because once again the Ukrainians were behind, once again they came back and showed comeback qualities.
"Believe in each other. Help each other. Fight for each other," President Volodymyr Zelensky told the public after the win against Slovakia. "It's difficult not to think about the war," said goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin. "A performance like today as a team is an outstanding message to our soldiers and for the people back home."
Now the decisive match for a place in the knockout phase is coming up on Wednesday (from 18:00) in Stuttgart. Their opponents will be the resurgent Belgium, whose footballing quality clearly exceeds that of Ukraine. However, Ukraine has already proven that even seemingly overpowering opponents can be kept in check with courage, passion and will off the pitch.
