Dynamo Kyiv 2, Lokomotiv 0

That Ukraine’s soccer champions made a successful start in the group tournament of the UEFA Champions League became known minutes before Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt sounded the final whistle. Almost ninety minutes before that the two teams played on a par, with Lokomotiv showing an equally good performance, proof of which are the match statistics. Now, with the two goals scored by Diogo Rincon after accurate passes from Belkevych that brought victory to the Ukrainian team, we may reflect on what has caused such a result, keeping in mind the fact that had Rincon’s header in the eighty-third minute flown at a slightly different angle, there would be nothing to reflect on.

Speaking of the confrontation between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukraine and Russia on the pitch, it was perhaps the Moscow print media that brought a touch of politics into this soccer match. Meanwhile, the majority of spectators, journalists, and experts viewed the Dynamo- Locomotive match above all as a sporting event, as an important match in the most important club tournament of European elite. And the soccer fans can only rejoice in the fact that both our and Russian soccer champions are deservedly considered as belonging to this elite.

Theoretically, Lokomotiv had certain advantages over Dynamo, considering its experience of playing in the second group tournament of the previous Champions League, which Dynamo did not make, the reinforcement of the Moscow team with a few top-level players, as well as the team’s better physical condition. A gap was planned in the Russian championship calendar in advance, so that Lokomotiv could have a good rest before their first match in the European tournament.

Meanwhile, the Kyivans had metaphysical rather than real advantages over Lokomotiv. Even though the majority of players on the team never participated in the USSR Soccer Championship, the tradition of olden times, when Dynamo Kyiv invariably defeated Lokomotiv, had a certain effect. Also fresh were memories of the Lobanovsky Tournament last May, when Dynamo beat Lokomotiv 2:0 without too much trouble. Spectators, who filled the Olimpiysky Stadium almost to capacity, did not fail the team either. Fans at the grandstand were certain that Dynamo would win. Perhaps this confidence eventually led to a victorious result. Dynamo’s habit of defeating Lokomotiv can be hardly called a bad one. Add to this the jerseys of a new design sported by Dynamo on the pitch. After the fashion of Europe’s leading clubs, Dynamo now have special jerseys for Champions League matches featuring a stylish diagonal stripe.

Dynamo’s initial pressure on the Lokomotiv’s goal failed to materialize. Having repelled the brisk attacks of the host team, Muscovites directed the game into their favorite vein. Lokomotiv halfbacks, of whom the experienced Khokhlov stood out, played with a great deal of creativity, each time putting Dynamo’s fullbacks to the test. Shovkovky’s saves merit special note, especially after Lokomotiv’s Maminov sent the ball into the far corner of the goal. With each passing minute the game looked more and more like a tug of war, with each of the teams holding their positions and waiting to dash forward unexpectedly.

While the host team stubbornly attacked along the flanks, with Husev and Nesmachny pushing themselves up to the final minute, the guest team used the center of the pitch. With Husin on sick leave, Dynamo felt a deficiency in this part of the pitch. Belkevych was lurking far on the left flank, as if trying to blunt the vigilance of Lokomotiv’s defense. The fielding of Khatskevych and, later, Diogo Rincon in the second half did not change the overall pattern of the game. It became clear there would be no offensive on Lokomotiv’s goal. The guest team also understood this and made some brave forays. They were not too troubled by a few of Dynamo’s fruitless counterattacks that traditionally ended in a bungle.

Then came the decisive moment when Diogo Rincon picked the ball in his half of the pitch, sent it forward, and made it to the corner of the goalmouth just in time to receive a pass from Belkevych. The only Dynamo player, who can play with his head and not merely put it under the ball, sent a header into the upper corner of Ovchinnikov’s goal. Then came the second goal by Rincon after a no less accurate pass from Belkevych. Now Ukraine’s soccer champions share the first place with Inter-Milan that beat Arsenal in London 3:0.

However, it is hardly worth it to score out the Moscow team and dub the Italian and English clubs as the group’s favorites. The experience of the past year showed that anything is possible in the group tournament of the Champions League, the more so that Dynamo has a quite recent tradition of defeating Arsenal, which the Kyivans accomplished five years ago. Dynamo has no tradition of defeating Inter. But they never lost to this team either. It will be recalled, however, that Dynamo beat the Italians 4:0 in a friendly match over forty years ago.

Memories of the past should be complemented by Dynamo’s new trait that started to show in the decisive games of this year. Unlike in the previous seasons, when the team could lose heart after the first goal scored against it, Dynamo in its current makeup repeatedly scored victories in the closing minutes of the match playing teams that are far from outsiders in the national tournament. The ability to play better in the final minutes than at the beginning is a characteristic of a top-level team. It only remains to confirm this in the European arena.

The second leg of the Champions League tournament is slated for September 30. On this day, Dynamo will play Inter in Milan. This match can cause revolutionary changes in Ukrainians’ attitude toward soccer. For the first time in the past four years our television commentators in the Milan San-Siro Stadium will root as all normal people for Dynamo Kyiv and not for some foreign club. Meanwhile, we will be able to see for ourselves whether Milan can live up to its image created in Ukraine. We will see what the acclaimed celestials of Italy or the dunces in the Ukrainian championship — as they are described by certain reviewers — are really worth. Perhaps the tradition of rooting for our team will return to us.