FROM THE SIDELINES (10.10.21)
It was another pulsating weekend of football action in Ukraine and across Europe as the latest round of World Cup Qualifiers kept us all entertained in addition to our usual domestic games. Thankfully, after drawing their first five matches of the campaign, Ukraine fought for a magnificent 2-1 victory over Finland in Helsinki and now look in a good position to claim a place in the Play-Offs behind World Champions and Nations League winners France.
Before delving into the latest from the Kyiv Oblast leagues, I would like to start by mentioning the significant piece of history made on Saturday in Andorra.
Football scholars will know that the English invented football, and English people are very proud of this. Indeed, England featured in the very first international match when our national team took on Scotland on 30th November 1872, the start of a journey that would see international football dominate world sport.
Since that original fixture at Hamilton Crescent in the West of Scotland, England have played a total of 1,025 international matches. And, in the 1,025th of these games on Saturday, history was made. For the very first time, the English national team was officiated by a team of female officials. And, of course, these officials were from Ukraine.
Kateryna Monzul became the first female referee to take an England international in history, and this was a huge moment in English and world football. Along with Assistants Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko, not forgetting 4th Official Denys Shurman, the Ukrainian brigade of officials opened a new chapter in a story that is 149 years old. It is a moment that will be of great pride to all Ukrainians especially within the Ukrainian football community.
England won the game 5-0 and I had a number of friends at the match who were very complimentary about the performance of the officials. After the game I listened to the thoughts of senior BBC football correspondent John Murray who praised the officials and commented that it was a very difficult match to referee because of the physical play of the Andorrans. All in all, the feedback from England that I have seen has been very complimentary. Huge congratulations to Kateryna, Maryna, Svitlana and Denys on their achievement.
So, back to the grassroots and the latest from Kyiv Oblast. On Saturday I attended a double-header at SKK Sofiyivskiy which began with home side Sofia Sofiyivka-Borshchagivka take on Sokil Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka in an important game for the hosts as they looked to move away from the relegation zone.
It was a decent spectacle to watch but, sadly, lacked the most important ingredient – goals. A 0-0 draw was the final outcome and both sides gave everything to get the win so will be disappointed to draw a blank.
It was an easy afternoon for referee Alex Titov, ably assisted by Anastasiya Reznik and Mykola Blyznyuk, and the game flowed well with plenty of good advantages played and sensible decision-making. The two assistants then accompanied the next man in the middle, experienced Dmytro Kutakov, for the second fixture on the pitch, Juniors Shpitky versus Kolos Pustovarivka.
It was a big game for Juniors who needed three important points to keep up their challenge at the top of the Kyiv Oblast Premier League, but Kolos are a tough prospect for any opponent and so a fascinating encounter was on the cards.
It was a contest where Juniors had the edge, with some great pass and move football that simply lacked that cutting edge on the day. It seemed like destiny had decided that I was about to witness my second goalless draw of the afternoon, and with Kolos defending like a brick wall, a goal looked unlikely. However, in the 90th minute, Juniors top scorer Oleksandr Bondarenko forced the ball into the net from close range for his 10th, and maybe most important, goal of the season. Three points for Juniors which they just about deserved, although the Kolos players were understandably crestfallen after working so hard.
On Sunday I took the short trip to Vyshneve to see league leaders SC Hatne play the side in fourth place in the Kyiv Oblast First League, Zorya Myronivshchyna and what an incredible afternoon that turned out to be. It was a titanic struggle that will live long in the memory.
Proceedings began at a frantic pace, with both teams evenly matched. If anything, Zorya slightly edged the opening exchanges but both sides were giving nothing away. But then, in the 26th minute, Hatne conceded a penalty which the visitors’ star man Vitaliy Katsalap put away without a second thought.
This was followed by an absolute sensation when Hatne’s Andriy Pashko committed a foul resulting in a second yellow card, and the home side were down to 10 men after only 33 minutes. To add insult to injury, two minutes after the dismissal, Katsalap doubled Zorya’s advantage to score his 39th goal of an incredible season.
It was certainly becoming a feisty battle and it was sometimes hard work for referee Serhiy Dubykivskiy and assistants Myhailo Zakusylo and Valeriy Ivashchenko who were getting a lot of verbal feedback from the touchline, much of it not particularly helpful.
What could Hatne do in the second half? The question was answered only four minutes after the re-start when Anton Kharchenko’s own goal gave the yellows a lifeline. Despite being a player light, Hatne poured forward with wave after wave of attack. But when Zorya broke away for Vovchenko to make it 3-1 to the away team, it looked like curtains for the table toppers.
However, one thing Yuriy Balashev and Anton Butko demand from their players is character, and this was shown in incredible measure when marksman Rostyslav Taranukha kept his composure to beat the keeper for his 37th goal of the season to make it 3-2 before, astonishingly, in the fifth minute of added time, big giant Myhailo Denysov did what he always does, rising above everyone to head home from close range for the equaliser. What incredible scenes, and what a game, a stunning 3-3 draw. More next week.