Dynamo Kyiv 1, Juventus Turin 2
The latest round of the Champions League group tournament was a typical example of mobile soccer, where the stadiums that host simultaneous games maintain an uninterrupted linkup. So winning the match is the only way not to depend on mobile phone calls. For Dynamo Kyiv, the situation before its encounter with Juventus was as simple as it could be: a win would have pushed the Ukrainian club on to the next leg of the Champions League. The champions of Italy had announced in time that they would bring a second-string squad to Kyiv, thus allowing the leading players to relax a bit. This is why the Olympic Stadium pitch did not see Del Piero, Thuram, Nedved, Ferrara and other renowned stars. This hardly made things easier for the hosts, though, for Juventus is full of top masters even minus the aforesaid players.
Still faithful to his earlier-chosen tactic, Dynamo coach Mykhailychenko chose to field only one forward. It is not for the first time in the Champions League that the Kyivans rolled over and played dead, letting their opponents do what they pleased. Yet, if everything had ended well and our side won, everyone would be saying the coach made a strategically correct decision. Quite possibly. For Dynamo’s failure resulted least of all from tactical miscalculations or a wrong strategy.
Everything looks simpler: the team is simply unable to weather the storm, losing all its gains after the very first goal conceded. They did so in Yerevan, Turin, and Newcastle. Conceding a goal, Dynamo never managed to reverse the course of things and get lucky. This does not apply to the Champions League alone. Dynamo plays the same way in the Ukrainian championship, i.e., until the ball lands in their own goal.
From the very first minutes of the match vs. Juventus, the home team betrayed nervousness and committed numerous mistakes in simple situations, making awkward passes and losing out on technique. On the contrary, the Juventus players looked calm and freewheeling. On the first string at last, Olivera and Zalayeta displayed speed and technique, while the indefatigable striker Salas never stopped looking for a chance to shoot on Reva’s goal. This time Juventus played and let the opponent play. The Italian team neither resorted to strong pressure nor exerted itself in the defense line. This made the game eye-catching even though the hosts were clearly not used to this. A collision-course play created several exciting moments near the goals of both teams in the first half. The ball would hit the posts and bars, fly wide, and bounce off the fullbacks and goalies.
Early in the second half, expecting the referee to give an offside signal, the Juventus defense line let Shatskikh through, who hit the ball home, still not without problems, into Chimenti’s goal. As it turned out, Dynamo fans had only eight minutes to rejoice. First, Salas outran all the others in Dynamo’s free-kick area, receiving a low cross, and scored an equalizer, then, a few minutes later, Zalayeta suddenly made a clear right-flank run and lashed inside Reva’s near post. 1:2, and good bye, League of Champions!
Why did it happen? Why does a conceded goal rally our rivals and encourage them to attack, while Dynamo players look doomed in a similar situation? If a team fails to score easy goals in ten consecutive matches, this should bluntly be called inability to score — to score when it is needed, not when the result is a foregone conclusion.
Juventus fielded two forwards, Salas and Zalayeta, in Kyiv, each of whom scored a goal. In addition, manager Lippi’s squad has the unsurpassable Del Piero, world and Europe champion Trezeguet, and the promising Di Vaio. These three left their signatures on Dynamo’s goal during the previous match in Turin. And where are the Dynamo forwards? Who else, apart from the not-always-stable Shatskikh, is supposed to attack and score? But please no more same old stories about some attack players’ group. Neither Belkevich, nor Khatskevich, nor Gavrancic, nor Husin or anybody else on the 2002 first-string Dynamo team are forwards. Then who will score the goals? Melashchenko and Idahor are languishing on the substitution bench, Leandro has gone back to Brazil, Milevsky has stuck in the second-string squad. Where are the new Blokhins and Shevchenkos? Do they exist, will they have a chance to play in Dynamo Kyiv’s offensive line?
