LOBANOVSKY-SURKIS-DYNAMO PARADOX

In fact, can anyone still be surprised at its soccer power? Dynamo beat Copenhagen's Brondbus 4:2, didn't it? Some said it was a coincidence. Then there was Eindhoven and its convincing defeat on home terrain. Another coincidence? Then how about Barcelona losing at the Know Camp 4:0? Maybe time to stop talking coincidences and start about system.

Of course, there are always skeptics. All right, they were leading, so why did they end with a modest 1:1 tie? To this I would reply, "Modest? How many teams can you list that could hold the fort against Juventus' steamroller's thrust?" They would remind me of Moscow Spartak beating Ajax 3:1, also at home. "Yeah, but let me say something. The lads with Turin, the way they played in the last meet, would have made quick work of Ajax and quite possibly of Spartak, too."

And yet we continues to be amazed at our success. This is hardly surprising, for we have grown used to being patted on the back in politics and topping the list of the world's backward countries. But soccer presents Ukraine in an altogether different light. Here we are really on top. That's the Lobanovsky-Surkis-Dynamo paradox for you!

Photo AP