Eight to Zip

Ukraine’s junior soccer team was delightful to watch. The team captained by Hennady Zubov dominated their opponents throughout the game. Eight goals, scored by seven players, show that our junior team, with Viktor Kolotov, Volodymyr Troshkin, and Viktor Dohadailo, is a dangerous force.

At the press-conference Viktor Kolotov spoke mainly about why Armenia had such an unsuccessful match. He was trying to find excuses for his colleague Albert Sargasian, who once played for Dynamo. Sargasian was appointed head coach literally the day before flying to Kyiv.

Now our boys are leading the group with six point out of six possible, outdistancing the Russian and French teams by three points.

After the game, two Belgian Ukrainians Oleh Yashchuk (Anderlecht) and Serhiy Omelianovych (Charleroi) caught a plane to Brussels. But The Day managed to ask Oleh Yashchuk a few questions.

– Oleh, you went out to the field under the colors of Ukrainian national team for the first time and scored the first goal, which began the rout of the Armenian team.

– Yes, I am glad that my first shot was successful despite the ricochet. I hope I left my traumas behind.

– Anderlecht had an unsuccessful start in the tournament. How is this honored club doing now?

– In the last round we defeated Harelbeke 3:1 and now we are in 14th place, out of the danger zone. Our veterans Lorenzo Stallens and Anzo Schifo are presently in a very good physical shape. But we do not have a head coach. I hope that the shuffle with coaches will soon end. After the five months break, caused by my injury, I am back in the starting lineup (at least in the last five rounds).

– Oleh, do you feel any attention from the coaches of the national team?

– It is too early to speak about that, the competition is strong there and my goal is to stay in the starting line ups of both Anderlecht and the Ukrainian junior team.