So, the long 2008/2009 season is finally in the books. Dynamo have won their 13th Ukrainian Premier league title and reached the UEFA Cup semifinals for the first time ever. it is bittersweet that they were knocked out of the competition by their fiercest rivals and eventual UEFA Cup champions, Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk also claimed the ( Read more... )

On Wednesday, Ukraine edged out Serbia, 1-0, to win the 17th Annual Cyprus Football Association international tournament.

This was a difficult affair with a lot of tight marking and mid-field competition. Nazarenko's pile-driver from 17 meters unlocked the Serbian goal and remained the game's sole score.


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Finally, the very disappointing Euro2008 Qualification campaign is over. Now, one could have said back in 2006 that Ukraine had very little chance to advance since both the World Champions (Italy) and the World Cup runner-up (France) were in Ukraine's group. But, the optimist in me thought that we could, at least, give them run for their money. ( Read more... )

This is the end of the road. The current qualification campaign went from confidence to hope to despair to shame. Lost to Lithuania!!!

Disgusting. Shameful...

The final and current standings of UEFA and FIFA official competitions with Ukrainian National Team's participation

Euro2008 Qualification. Group B

France 11 8 1 2 ( Read more... )

Dynamo fought resolutely to hold on to, at least, a small slice of respect but, in the end, Manchester united are just too good, too strong, too fast, too mobile for us. Dynamo are just a shell of what they used to be. It is almost too bad they are good enough to make it to the Champions League group stage every season (almost every season) and, ( Read more... )

So, what we had all dreaded had finally become official. Ukrainian National Team is officially eliminated from Euro2008 next Summer in Austria and Switzerland. It is hard to provide an unbiased conclusion to this qualification cycle. From the getgo, Ukraine were locked into a horrendous grouup with both WC2006 finalists, Ukraine and France, with ( Read more... )

As most, perhaps, expected, Ukraine did fall into the Abyss. Italy had proven too much for them. 2-1, a loss that had pretty much (if not mathematically) eliminated Ukraine. But one thing was different this time around. Ukraine were leaving the field with their heads held high. They fought. They dominated. They forced Italy, the reigning ( Read more... )

This is not an exaggeration: Ukrainian National Team is at the edge of the Abyss as far as the Qualification to the Euro2008 is concerned. Their unexpected draw in georgia has seriously damaged whatever was left of their chances to qualify for next Summer's continental tournament. Now, to retain any sort of a chance, Ukrainian National Team ( Read more... )

Ok, so this was just FK Sarajevo. In any case, Dynamo have won on the road and virtually guaranteed their participation in the Champions League Group level. They had to fight hard for it, but now, with two consecutive victories in hand, they seemed poised to come out of the season-starting funk. Olay ( Read more... )

Last Saturday we were treated to a preview of Ukrainian National Team's future. It was long obvious that, with a lack of human resources, THIS national Team is not going to last. There certainly are some promising players at U-21, U-19, U-17 levels, so the picture may not be as bleak as I am painting it right now ( Read more... )