More than 40 members of the Ukrainian national team are distributed in the center circle of the Tarczynski Stadium in Wroclaw.
Players, coaches and backroom staff set their sights on the 30,000-strong crowd clad in blue and yellow as they stepped up to the Vikings’ thunderous pace. Iceland were the architects of the Euro 2016 celebrations but lost the Euro 2024 play-off final thanks to a goal from Chelsea striker Mykhailo Mudryk. Can listen desperately.
Strangers hug. The family posed for photos draped in Ukrainian flags. Others shared the moment via video call, possibly from home in war-torn Ukraine, with others some 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) away in southwestern Poland who could not experience the emotional release in person.
Ukraine has already done it.
Ukrainian players address the crowd (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite more than two years of Russian invasion and indiscriminate bombing, which has displaced millions of Russian citizens, weakened the domestic league and long-diluted home advantage, Sergey Rebrov’s side have passed two A tight play-off match qualified them for this summer’s European Championships – a hill they failed to climb in the race for a World Cup spot two years ago and lost to Wales in the closing stages.
Captain Oleksandr Zinchenko took to the pitch to celebrate his second comeback victory in five days, following a similar victory away to Bosnia and Herzegovina with the same scoreline, a 2-1 win over Iceland, surrounding Guttural cheers arose. arena.
“Zusu! Zusu! Zusu!“
The abbreviation stands for “Zbronyi Syly Ukrainy” – the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These Ukrainian supporters, almost all wearing the country’s blue and yellow flag, reminded the world why this victory was more than just a football victory.
This was less an honor than a sideshow that illustrates how conflicted Ukrainians are today. They were jubilant at qualifying for a second major final through seven play-offs, but also acutely aware that smaller sports seemed to be in the shadow of war. Gathered together in a foreign country but separated from their loved ones; grateful for the support of the international community, but worried that their struggle is disappearing from public consciousness.
“I’m very excited – this is one of the most important things, if not this And most importantly, a historic victory for Ukraine. ” said Andrew Todos, the founder of the Ukrainian football website Zorya Londonsk and a British-Ukrainian journalist.
“This is the backdrop against which the tournament must be held to provide a huge and important platform for the country. People will see the country and hear about the war that is going on during the build-up to the tournament and in the weeks to come.”
Andriy Buniak (bottom), the British-born drummer of the Ukrainian folk band Cov Kozaks, with Andrew Todos (third from right) and Myron Huzan (right) (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
The Ukrainian Football Federation, who drew the draw as hosts, chose Wroclaw for this play-off final, knowing it would be their best chance of getting close to home advantage. A 1-1 draw with England in the group stages in September attracted 39,000 spectators and Wroclaw has been one of the main cities to which Ukrainians have fled over the past two years.
Since the invasion, more than 17.2 million Ukrainians have been recorded crossing the country’s border with Poland, which stretches more than 530 kilometers.
In 2018, it was reported that 1 in 10 residents of Wroclaw was Ukrainian. The city’s university status means family reunification brings this figure to around a third of the population. On Tuesday, prices will be slightly higher again as the city turns into “Little Kiev.”
Drummers in traditional costumes beat out joyful choruses and heartfelt rallies in the market square. Every cheerful gesture by the Ukrainian delegation soon felt like an expression of contempt.
What remains constant is a sense of togetherness, which was evident earlier in the day at a charity match between a team made up of former players and the “Potato Soldiers”, organizer Mikola Va Silkov’s nickname was given to him for the amount of food his team delivered to the front lines. Thanks to the national team players for their fundraising assistance.
“‘Without Ukraine there is no European football’ has always been our message – and now we have done it,” said Vasilkov, who was head coach of Andriy Shevchenko during his five years as Ukraine coach. One of his team members.
Vasilkov helped then-head coach Andriy Shevchenko with the Ukrainian team (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Most of the Ukrainians involved in last night’s play-off match had been living elsewhere in Europe for several years before the conflict. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country unless they receive a special exemption.
Unable to fight for causes in the traditional sense, the diaspora played its part on this day.goal scorer victor Tsygankov and Mudryk, play for S ClubPain and England, along with their eclectic fanbase, have put their country on the map at this summer’s German Championship.
“There’s an amazing emotion and atmosphere in the dressing room – it’s special these days that we have the Ukrainian badge on our chests,” Zinchenko said. “It’s hard to describe the feeling inside, because today every Ukrainian is watching our game.
“All the video messages we received before the game were from people in Ukraine and abroad, from the troops who stayed on the front lines fighting for our independence and freedom… They all supported us. This was extra motivation for us. “
Zinchenko applauds fans after Ukraine’s victory (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Just last summer, Zinchenko used Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the United States to call for the supply of American F-15 fighter jets to the Ukrainian army. He does not want the world to become tired and forget the suffering of his fellow citizens.
“It (Euro 2024) will be very important,” he said. “We all understand that. The whole world will watch this game because it is one of the biggest games in the sport. It is an unreal opportunity to show how good we are as a team and as Ukrainians How brilliant.
“Our people never give up and fight to the end.”
Iceland’s population of 375,000 dwarfs Ukraine’s estimated population of 34 million, and their FIFA ranking of 73rd is well below their opponents’ 24th, so Zinchenko and his teammates were hardly at a disadvantage last night, But Ukrainian players still have to deal with family members enduring life in a war zone.
Ukraine missed out on qualifying for the play-offs at the most recent World Cup in June 2022, beating Scotland 3-1 away in the semi-finals before being beaten 1-1 by Gareth Bale’s shot in Cardiff. 0 defeated. In a huge departure, their domestic players have only been able to feature in friendly matches against club teams over the past seven months. That won’t be the case this time, but four of the starting XI and 11 of the 23-man squad are from Ukraine.
Domestic leagues resumed in the summer of 2022, but with the departure of most of the top foreign players, the quality of the league dropped and only small crowds were allowed to watch the top flight again last month. They could only do this if they provided an anti-aircraft warning and had ready cover.
Ukrainian fans celebrate promotion (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In that play-off final, footage emerged of Ukrainian soldiers watching the game on their mobile phones in the trenches. The ties to home were strong in Wroclaw on Tuesday.
“I work in the army and brought a flag with the signatures of Ukrainian soldiers,” said London fan Artem Genne, who held up the words “Keep working for peace and prosperity in Ukraine” with the signatures of different regiments. “We visited the team the day before the game and took a photo of them holding the flag to send back to the troops and boost morale.
“Some family members live near some military installations and they have witnessed many attacks. Many of my friends live in Kiev (the capital) and they have sent me footage of windows being smashed on their balconies. This happens every day , even if we’re not there, knowing your friends are in the underground shelter, it still affects you.”
Artem Genne and a friend hold up a flag signed by Ukrainian soldiers (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
Roman Labunski traveled more than 200 miles from Berlin, West Germany, with his wife and two sons to watch the game.
His eldest son Nathan, 13, has only been to Ukraine twice, but he stood on his father’s shoulders during the 2014 Maidan revolution. He witnessed something on the way to the stadium that gave him a wake-up call.
“We saw trucks bringing tanks to the border,” Roman said. “It reminds us that we can still do some safe and fun things. Sometimes I feel guilty that I don’t have a life because my cousins lived with us after the invasion but went back after they thought it was safe. Now they face the Rockets again.
“We want to win more than just football and the team knows this. It’s no longer them on top and the fans below. We are with them now. The Euro will bring back some hope and happiness for everyone.”
Aaron, Natan and Roman Lanouski traveled from Berlin to Wroclaw (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
While most in the game had left Ukraine years earlier, there were some who narrowly avoided life on the front lines.
Serhi, 16, was living in a village 5 kilometers from Kiev when a convoy of Russian tanks began rolling toward the capital.
“This is the last unoccupied town. If this happens, it will be a big problem for Kiev,” he said. “As soon as the war started, I moved west; then I went to Germany for seven months before coming home.
“Now I have been living in Chelm (just near the Ukrainian border in eastern Poland).”
Fedir (centre) and Serhii (right) in Wroclaw’s Market Square (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
His friend Fedil is from Vinnitsa, a city southwest of Kiev.
“The Polish people have been very kind and welcoming to us,” Fedil said. “We appreciate their support, but it’s lower than it was two years ago. This war is exhausting everyone. Ukrainians, Poles. People are starting to forget about it. We are not.”
Vitaliy, who is part of a selected fighting-age group, was allowed to cross the border because he had been working in Denmark since 2010.
“I grew up hearing stories about my grandparents not being able to read Ukrainian books, so I wasn’t surprised when the war came,” he said.
Vitali (left) and family outside the stadium (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)
“They are trying to tell us that western Ukraine is different from eastern Ukraine – in terms of language, culture and history.
“That’s why football is so important. Since our independence, as a people we are more able to resist and see things first hand. We have our own identity and this summer is our chance to show that to the world.”
(Top photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP)
