SOCCER: Ukraine Vying to Qualify for EURO 2008

By Taras Bombak

Ukraine’s National Soccer Team has commenced its two-year campaign to qualify for participation in EURO 2008 (the 2008 European Soccer Championship), which is to be hosted jointly by Austria and Switzerland in June of 2008. The EURO tournament, held every four years, is generally recognized as the second most prestigious soccer event, topped only by the FIFA World Cup.

Team Ukraine is attempting to build upon the momentum generated by its success at last summer’s World Cup, where the zbirna reached the quarter-finals out of a starting field of 32 national teams, and as a result rose dramatically in the FIFA (Federation of International Football Association’s) world rankings to an all time high of thirteenth from a pre-tournament position in the mid-fifties.

Ukraine’s task in qualifying for EURO 2008 is daunting, as it has drawn into a qualifying group (Group B – one of seven groups), which includes current world champions Italy, and world second-place finishers France. The other countries in Group B vying with the aforementioned for a top-two finish are Scotland, Georgia, Lithuania and Faroe Islands. Each team plays every other team in the same group twice – once at home and once away. Only the top two teams from each qualifying group advance to the final tournament. 

Ukraine’s first result in the EURO qualifying process was a hard-fought 3-2 defeat of Georgia on September 6 at the Olyimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv. Andriy Rusol scored the game winner with only ten minutes remaining in the contest to seal the win for Ukraine. The other Ukrainian scorers were Andriy Shevchenko and Ruslan Rotan.

A 2-0 loss to Italy followed on October 7 in Rome. In this rematch with the team that had eliminated Ukraine from World Cup contention, the zbirna did not include superstar team captain Shevchenko, who missed the game due to illness. The absence of Shevchenko’s scoring prowess was evident, as despite exerting some early pressure on the Italian net and forcing several good saves by the Italian goalkeeper, the Ukrainians could not manage a single tally. An Italian penalty shot with 20 minutes remaining broke the scoreless tie, and as Ukraine pressed forward in search of an equalizer, the Italians exploited Ukraine’s reduced emphasis on defence with a second late goal.

Ukraine’s third and final game prior to the winter break (competition resumes again on March 24, 2007 against Faroe Islands) was at home against surprise group co-leaders Scotland on October 11. To maintain any reasonable prospect of advancing to the play-off round, Ukraine was faced with a “must win” situation, and delivered a 2-0 victory after dominating play. Squad newcomer Olexander Kucher scored the vital first goal, which was followed by another marker by Shevchenko on a penalty shot. Shevchenko’s return to the lineup bolstered  the  team’ attack   and  completed a roster that is still composed predominantly of World Cup veterans.

Although Ukraine currently stands in fourth place in Group B with 6 points –behind Scotland and France (9 points each) and Italy (7 points)– the zbirna is still well-positioned to advance, having played one less game than these aforementioned competitors.

In order to proceed to the playoff round of 2008, it is imperative for Ukraine to win or tie at least one of its remaining games against both Italy and France and to surrender only minimal, if any, standings points to the teams currently trailing it in Group B. The return match at home versus Italy scheduled for September 9, 2007, should prove to be particularly interesting and is eagerly anticipated by the zbirna’s supporters, who are increasingly expecting results that reflect Ukraine’s rising soccer stature on the world stage.    

 Taras Bombak is an Edmonton-based sports enthusiast.