Football. SOS! Who will save the Ukrainian national team?

Less than 20 days before the start of the qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup, we must state. We do not have a competitive national team that can worthily fight in matches against such teams as Denmark, Greece and Turkey. All the talk of the head coach of the Ukrainian team, Oleh Blokhin, that he has a plan to lead the team to the world championship from first place after the game with England, which was lost "cleanly" with a score of 3:0, can be considered only a farce, or self-suggestion.

There are footballers in Ukraine, but the game that the team has demonstrated in the last year under the leadership of the best footballer of Europe in 1975 no longer withstands any criticism. From all the matches played over the year, one can pick out 15-20 minutes from each meeting, but matches, unfortunately, are not won that way. On the eve of the friendly game with England, Blokhin said aloud that he already knows 90% of the backbone of the national team for the first game of the qualifying tournament. If this "backbone" plays the same way in the first game with the Danes, then Oleh Volodymyrovych will have to return to his second place of work on Hrushevskyi Street...

Blokhin also noted that in the game with England we would see something new, like a tactical formation of the Ukrainian team, and that we should not be surprised. But apart from Shevchenko's new hairstyle, the players in the "blue-and-yellow" shirts did not create anything noticeable on the field. Or perhaps Oleh Blokhin still hid something so that the enemies from Denmark would not find out how we will play against them? And indeed, how we will play against Denmark is probably not known even by Blokhin himself.

Let's go on. Blokhin at his last press conference noted that with Shevchenko, Ukraine would play completely differently in attack. It did not work out. The "Milan" forward was probably already mentally in the game for the Italian Super Cup with "Lazio". And in Ukraine he is a "star", he goes to the national team if he wants to, or not if he doesn't. He scores if he wants to, and doesn't score if he doesn't. During the entire time spent on the field, Shevchenko delivered only one shot on James's goal. In contrast to him, the equally "star" Beckham ran around the entire match like a madman, scored a goal and created practically a second one into Shovkovskyi's goal. Or the same Owen, who, not shying away from tackles and fighting, boldly went into sliding challenges without fearing injury, and this despite the fact that he had only recently signed a substantial contract with "Real". What is this? It is patriotism. After the failed Euro 2004, the English tried by any means to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of their fans and they succeeded.

And what about Ukraine? They had no less reason to "bite the ground" in the game with England. Six matches without a win under Blokhin's leadership — what could be a better motivator than beating the English, or at least simply playing beautiful football. They did not play.

Now further. In the 56th minute, Blokhin replaces Shevchenko with Voronin. It is unlikely that the head coach of the Ukrainian team wanted to show by this that he is dissatisfied with the "Milan" forward; most likely, it was agreed upon to let Shevchenko rest for new victories of "Milan". What is surprising is something else. The captain of the national team and the main scoring force leaves the field when his team is losing 2:0. Something like this has already happened, but then Shevchenko was made the injured party.... Where else have you seen such a thing??? No one blames Shevchenko for the defeat; he played as he saw fit. Moreover, over the last year, the "Milanista" has not been spoiling the Ukrainian national team with his play.

However, let's move away from Shevchenko. The question is now to Blokhin, which most likely will remain unanswered. Why did Serhii Rebrov never appear on the field. Why did none of the substitutions strengthen the game? This is with the lackluster play of the same Shevchenko and Voronin, who came on in his place, who was remembered only for a heel pass to Rotan, who lost the most realistic chance to score by shooting straight at the goalkeeper from a few meters. Or did Oleh Volodymyrovych test his tactical schemes, into which the "West Ham" forward did not fit. And perhaps Rebrov is currently not in his best form, but one thing is clear: he would have fought on the field to the last as did the same Tymoshchuk, Husiev, Rotan, Vorobei and some others.

Now as for the newcomers in the national team. Oleh Volodymyrovych often likes to repeat that he constantly travels and watches footballers. Who from the current national team did not play under the previous coach? Rotan and his "Dnipro" colleagues in the number of three or four people. That is where Blokhin decided to stop, because the "backbone" already exists... By the way, Serhii Serebrennikov, who recently visited Donetsk, when asked whether the national team's camp had contacted him, answered:

"Yes, the administrator called. Asked how things were...?

- And did Blokhin or Bal call.

-No"...

As for the match itself, football in the performance of the Ukrainian team was only in the first 20-25 minutes. During this time, Blokhin's charges managed several dangerous attacks and they played on equal terms with the English, demonstrating powerful speed. In the first part of the match, Husiev's shot after a pass from Shevchenko was memorable. In the other two moments, Vorobei and Shevchenko shot, but the hosts' goalkeeper dealt with these balls without problems. The first goal into Shovkovskyi's net flew in at the 26th minute. Terry went down the left flank and crossed to the far post, where Beckham was the quickest, pushing the ball into the net past the goalkeeper of the Ukrainian national team who had flown past.

Before the break, the English troubled Shovkovskyi's goal twice more, but the keeper saved the shots of Smith and Lampard. The second half of the game is something of the worst in the performance of the Ukrainian national team in recent times. It seemed as if the players of the Ukrainian national team did not know what to do on the field. Where to run, and how to shoot. True, the English did this well for them. In the 49th minute, Beckham, at the corner of the penalty area, spun past three players in "blue-and-yellow" shirts and crossed to Owen, who with a header into the corner of the goal made the score 2:0. Shelaiev, who should have played against the forward of the English national team in this moment, acted as a spectator.

In the 72nd minute, Wright-Phillips, who came on as a substitute, finally finished off the Ukrainian national team. Having made a raid across the half of the field of the Ukrainian team, he powerfully shot from about 16 meters into the corner of Shovkovskyi's goal, who failed to parry a not-too-difficult ball. England did not stop there. A few minutes later Defoe forgave Ukraine, missing the goal from a few meters, and towards the end of the game Owen's shot had to be tamed by Shovkovskyi. The players of the Ukrainian national team had practically no chances to score. Only in one moment was Vorobei a few centimeters short of lobbing James.

So, a 3:0 defeat, which extended the winless streak of the Ukrainian national team under the leadership of Oleh Blokhin to six matches. One thing is clear: for the Ukrainian national team at the moment, a resuscitator is urgently needed, since we already have an anesthesiologist...

By the way, after the lost game, Eriksson approached and restrainedly thanked Blokhin for the game, who, smiling, patted the coach of the English national team on the shoulder. Yes, there is something to laugh about. Or is it perhaps a convulsion...?

Friendly game.

England - Ukraine - 3:0 Goals: Beckham 26, Owen 49, Wright-Phillips 72

England: 1. James, 2. Neville (Johnson 46), 3. Cole (Carragher 62), 4. Gerrard (Dyer 46), 5. Terry, 6. King, 7. Beckham, 8. Lampard (Jenas 75), 9. Smith (Defoe 46), 10. Owen, 11. Butt (Wright-Phillips 52). Ukraine: 1. Shovkovskyi, 2. Nesmachnyi (Radchenko 64), 3. Fedorov, 4. Tymoshchuk, 5. Yezerskyi, 6. Shelaiev, 7. Shevchenko (Voronin 56), 8. Rusol, 9. Husiev (Kormyltsev), 10. Rotan (Zakarlyuka 67), 11. Vorobei.