The first goal in the match between the national teams of Ukraine and Macedonia was seen by the spectators only in the 3rd minute. What is pleasing is that its "authorship" belonged to the left winger of our team, Olena Radchenko – 1:0. The team led by our coach Andriy Portnoy had barely equalized the score when the "blue-and-yellows" launched an spectacular counterattack: Olena Reznir with a diagonal pass "found" Radchenko on the left flank, and she instantly set up our Hanna Syukalo "one-on-one" with the opponents' goalkeeper Olha Kolesnyk. A jump by the player of the Slovenian "KRIM" and we are ahead – 2:1. And then – the first "test": the Ukrainians concede a run by the "yellow-reds" "+3" – 4:2. The trio of its "organizers": Valentyna Radulovik, who demonstrated the ability to precisely convert seven-meter throws, Klara Boyeva, who made a scoring shot into the right corner of our Tetiana Vorozhtsova's goal, and Olha Buyanova. The former Russian proved that a distance of 10 meters is a convenient distance for her long-range "strikes".

However, this was only the beginning: already in the 23rd minute the "gap" in the score was a whole 6 goals (13:7), but... already in favor of our girls! The main credit for this goes to Radchenko and Verhelyuk, who over the course of 15 minutes together scored 5 goals. And no matter how Todorovska and Boyeva tried to "even out" the score on the scoreboard, the "blue-and-yellows" did not allow them to. Thus the converted handball penalty by Radulovik 38 seconds before the break did not bring significant "damage" to our team: before the second half of the match the advantage of the bronze medalists of Athens was a quite comfortable 5 goals - 17:12.

The game resumes, and here is Hanna Syukalo in all her glory: first the playmaker of our national team, having removed former Ukrainian Yuliya Portyanko with a "feint," hit the "nine" to her right, and a moment later she selflessly broke through the dense defense of the Macedonians – 19:13! The stopwatch has not even counted 2 minutes when Iryna Shutska after a "drop-off" from Radchenko "finishes off" the opponents – 20:13! It would seem, what more could one wish for? However, handball is the kind of sport where sometimes even such handicaps are "nullified"... It is sad, but today's match became yet another example of the above statement. Perfectly understanding that every delay or lost opportunity to score another goal effectively "dissipates" all their hopes for "salvation," Portnoy's team became significantly more active in the second half of the match. Thanks to Dymovska, Portyanko and Boyeva, the Macedonians in the 43rd minute "lit up" – 18:21... Despite the fact that while in the majority (Boyeva earned a two-minute suspension) our girls converted two consecutive attacks thanks to Reznir and Shybanova – 23:18, the "yellow-reds" had no thought of stopping... Later, having conceded 2 "dry" goals while four (!) players down – 24:22, the Ukrainian handball players made an attempt at another breakaway, but the opponents were already holding them too "tightly."

After a masterfully executed "parachute" by Olena Radchenko, our team for the last time in this game went ahead by two goals – 29:27 (with 2.21 remaining)... Boyanova sets "29:28," and Leonid Ratner takes a timeout... "Personally pick up... we calmly retreat back. Maryna (to Verhelyuk), if possible, you will go into the dribble. Just don't rush!..." – the coach instructed the Ukrainians. However, luck was not on our side: during an attack the "blue-and-yellows" lose the ball, and Radulovik in a counterattack scores her 5th goal in this encounter – 29:29. Borodina is given a "foul," and now Andriy Portnoy decides to take a short break for decisive instructions... There were 40 seconds left until the final whistle. Here our girls played precisely: they did not concede despite the ball being with the Macedonians. True, the "blue-and-yellows" no longer had time for a final self-sacrificing attack...

UKRAINE – MACEDONIA – 29:29 (17:12, 12:17)

UKRAINE: Tetiana Vorozhtsova – saved 9 of 29 shots, Mariia Makarenko – 3/12 / Anastasiia Borodina - 7 goals, Maryna Verhelyuk – 5, Olena Radchenko – 5, Hanna Syukalo – 3, Olena Reznir – 3, Oksana Sakada – 1, Olena Yatsenko – 1, Natalia Liapina – 1, Iryna Shutska – 1, Regina Shymkute – 1, Iryna Shybanova – 1, Tetiana Shynkarenko

TOMORROW – A "DUEL" WITH THE ROMANIANS...

Tomorrow the Ukrainian national team faces one of the two most serious tests of the preliminary stage of the tournament: their "old acquaintances" – the Romanians – will come out onto the court against them! For this world championship the team of Gheorghe Tadici arrived in its most optimal composition: the presence at their last line of the experienced goalkeeper of the Slovenian "KRIM" Dina Luminitu is worth something alone!

The Ukrainian national team has met the Romanian team 6 times in official tournaments, and three times our girls left the court as winners. Twice the Romanians were more successful, and once the final whistle summed up a draw in their confrontation (in the match of the first round of the preliminary round of the 2003 World Championship in Croatia they parted at 28:28).

If we recall much more recent events, then at this year's Turciun Cup in Kyiv our girls in a tense struggle for the main trophy of the competition defeated the Romanians with a score of - 26:25.

"Many experts predict the Romanians a place in the final of the competition," said Leonid Ratner before departing for Russia, "... I believe the Romanian national team will definitely win medals at the 2005 championship," - confirmed the thoughts of her coach Hanna Syukalo, "... the current Romanian national team has gathered its strongest players," - said the captain of the "blue-and-yellows" Natalia Liapina. Yes, all these "quotes" reflect (at least, for now) objective reality: on the eve of the match Tadici's team "went to town" on the defensive lines of the Argentinians – 31:15, and today no less generously "greeted" the Cameroonians – 50:19! However, the size of the true ambitions of the Romanian handball players we will be able to assess only in their next matches, in which they will meet opponents equal to themselves. The first among them will be the Ukrainian national team, so we wish it the same result that it achieved at the 2005 Kyiv Turciun Cup...

2005 World Championship. Preliminary round.

Round 2.

Group "A".

Uruguay – Netherlands – 8:29 (4:17, 4:12)

China – Russia – 20:36 (9:16, 11:20)

Croatia – Japan – 31:30 (11:14, 20:16)

Group "B".

Australia – Slovenia – 13:41 (4:19, 9:22)

Angola – Hungary – 30:34 (17:14, 13:20)

South Korea – Norway – 30:25 (11:13, 19:12)

Group "C".

Brazil – Poland – 34:31 (17:13, 17:18)

Germany – Austria – 34:27 (17:14, 17:13)

Côte d'Ivoire – Denmark – 21:42 (9:22, 12:20)

Group "D".

UKRAINE – Macedonia – 29:29 (17:12, 12:17)

France – Argentina – 33:11 (13:4, 20:7)

Cameroon – Romania – 19:50 (8:26, 11:24)

Tomorrow in Group "D" will play:

UKRAINE – Romania

France – Cameroon

Macedonia – Argentina