Ukraine wins first leg to World Cup playoff
Finally there is a coach who shows a spectacular and scoring performance
The Ukrainian national soccer team’s stunning victory over the French one (2:0) last Friday gives this country a chance to take part in the World Championships scheduled for June 12-13, 2014, in Brazil. Roman Zozulia and Andrii Yarmolenko’s goals (in the 61st and 83rd (penal kick) secured Ukraine’s first leg to the World Cup playoff, even if today’s game ends in a tie, and even if the Ukrainian team loses it (1:3, 2:4, etc.). Soccer fans and moguls, however, feel sure that the Ukrainians will win again owing to the head coach, Mykhailo Fomenko, who has shown a series of scoring games. Usually reticent, the man prefers to demonstrate his ability by the team’s performance in the field, rather than during a press conference, although he can say a couple of words and make it perfectly clear that some questions are totally irrelevant. He is always calm and he has won the players’ complete confidence after skillfully putting together a team and building its spirit.
Right after the winning game, as the entire country was cheering the team (President Viktor Yanukovych stepped into the locker room to shake hands with them), coach Fomenko pointed out a number of tactical mistakes. “The head coach is the players’ sole authority,” admits the national team’s goalie, Andrii Piatov, in an interview on the Football Federation of Ukraine’s website (www.ffu.org.ua), adding that “after the game the coach told us we had made lots of mistakes. Well, nobody is perfect and we’re learning from our mistakes.” Fomenko told the players not to rest on the laurels. “There is no time to celebrate,” he told the media people who congratulated him on the victory.
Modesty, professionalism, and exactingness – this is what makes Fomenko a brilliant coach.
“Professional skills and talent in a soccer coach are made up of many components, including in putting together a team, making tactical decisions, motivation, and an ability to create the right kind of atmosphere and team spirit. Ukraine finally has a coach who can do all of this,” says soccer mogul Artem FRANKOV, editor-in-chief of the Football magazine, adding, “he is a good motivator, tactician, and breeder. My opinion will remain the same regardless of the outcome of today’s match. I am absolutely sure that whatever happens, we’ll never be ashamed of this team.”
The French national team apologized to the fans for the poor performance and assured them they would take revenge for their defeat. French team coach Didier DESCHAMPS said his lads would play on Tuesday in an unconventional manner that would surprise the Ukrainians: “We’ll make every effort to win. Yes, we were slapped in the face in the first game, but we won’t offer the other cheek this time.”
Soccer expert Artem Frankov says no one should pay attention to such statements. The Ukrainian team’s victory at the Olympic Stadium was not a coincidence because the team showed an effectively aggressive performance. After defeating the French (2:0), the Ukrainians “stand a very good chance of winning a ticket to Brazil… Judging by the kind of game the national team played on Friday, I’m quite optimistic… I’m sure that Fomenko’s coaching style and the players’ spirit will not disappoint us.”
