The futile play

The Ukrainian team has played two more test matches in preparation for the European Championship-2012. First, Ukraine played with Uruguay that had just won the Copa America [South America Championship. – Ed. ] and outstripped the traditional football leaders of the Western Hemisphere Brazil and Argentina. The Kharkiv stadium “Metalist” that is nearly ready to welcome the European championship hosted the match. As for the organization of the match, its only drawback was the near-empty stands. The guests from the South America were pleased to note that all the rest was done at the highest level.

Although the Uruguayan team lacked its star forward Diego Forlan, the qualification of the team did not need any comments, so the unexpected luck of the Ukrainians at the first minute of the match was yet more pleasant. After the Uruguayan half back made a mistake the ball was intercepted and passed to Andrii Yarmolenko who did not miss the goal – 1:0. The visitors who like the contrast play had to attack. In the quick intensive play our team did not look worse than the famed Uruguayans. First of all, due to the speed the Ukrainian team kept during the first time. Our players made visitors make mistakes and were close to increasing the score gap. However, the next goal was kicked only after Alvaro Gonzalez took Oleksandr Shovkovsky unawares and made the score 1:1. Just after that Yevhen Konoplianka finalized the Ukrainians’ attack.

After the break the Ukrainian team could not continue playing like during the first time. Somewhere in the middle of the second half their speed disappeared and the Uruguayans showed their skills. Finally, their mastery realized in the exact kicks of Diego Lugano and Abel Hernandez. The hosts also had opportunities to score but they lacked the qualification of the Uruguayan team.

The disappointing defeat 2:3 and quite good play gave hope that in the next match with the Czech Republic our team would take into account all its mistakes, demonstrate its best qualities and win. Our fans that made nearly the half of 7,000 spectators at the “Sparta” club stadium in Prague also hoped for this.

Three days before the Czech team played quite a difficult elimination game for Euro-2012 so it was predicted that the visitors would have the advantage.

However, everything happened just the opposite way. At the very first minutes the Czech team that had half of the reserve players made our fans sing not that loudly. Michal Kadlec scored twice, first, the penalty kick and then head-butted the corner kick. The Czechs played easily and relaxedly with the score 2:0 in their favor. Instead, our team did not demonstrate any signs of the game they had shown four days ago giving hope to their numerous fans. The Czechs played the second half in the same manner and Jan Rezek and Daniel Kolar scored two more points. The Ukrainian team had nothing to pay back with, yet at the end of the match they missed a couple of opportunities not to be walloped. However, the hosts also could score yet more goals and defeat Ukraine with the most disastrous score ever.

So, one more rehearsal of the Ukrainian team before Euro-2012 failed. The match they lost to the Czechs was the fourth in a raw that has never happened to our team before. It should be acknowledged that this result definitely was not accidental. The defeats in the test matches have become the evidence of the Ukrainian team’s qualification. This play could have given a positive result only in a separate match. The team does not play stably and cannot guarantee the decent results.

Certainly, test matches and not the official ones are aimed at testing game combinations and making mistakes. But the rivals of our team were in the same situation. It looks like the coaches and players of the Ukrainian team should remember that these matches are not only preparation before the important championships. Every match is the prestige of our country that grows or falls depending on its result.