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As co-hosts of Euro 2012, Ukraine would be expected to put up some sort of show to please an expectant home audience. Yet odds are firmly stacked against Oleg Blokhin’s side to get past from a group that features contenders France and England and the ever dangerous Sweden. A side that is rich in experience in the form of the legendary Andriy Shevchenko, Anatoliy Timoschuk, Andriy Voronin and Ruslan Rotan not much is expected from the Ukrainians in a tough group yet with a passionate partisan crowd firmly behind the nation the former Soviet Republic could cause a few ripples at their own backyard.
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As co-hosts, Ukraine were not required to qualify and as such were involved in a host of international friendlies against tough opponents to fine tune their preparations for the summer event. In Oleg Blokhin the Ukraine have a strong personality to look up to in the tournament. The former USSR forward has instilled a positive attitude within his folks and their attacking play in a few internationals has made some people believe that the co-hosts can indeed go further than what many of us think. Take for example a November friendly against hot favourites Germany in Kiev. The match was staged on the occasion of the opening of the revamped Olympic Stadium which would stage the Euro 2012 final and it finished 3-3 with the home side giving the Germans an almighty run for their money. Their quick counter attacking play with swift moves surprised the ever so industrious Germans and the home side led 2-0 and 3-1 before surrendering the two goal lead. That match and a few more over the course of the period leading up to the Euros earned the Ukrainians enough plaudits to be considered a force to be reckoned with. One disadvantage would be the fact that the country had not seen enough competitive games to be ready for the big matches although it cannot be an excuse given that this is the disadvantage of being the hosts and it applies to everyone else.
Player to watch out for
Andriy Shevchenko is the legend in the side and a man that is more precious than diamond in the Ukrainian sporting fraternity. Yet at 35 the former AC Milan and Chelsea forward is not expected to carry the bulk of the load in a tournament like the Euro 2012. That baton might just pass on to another Andriy in the course of the group stages and, tipped to be the next ‘Sheva’ of Ukrainian football. 22 year old Andriy Yarmolenko is regarded as one of the hottest prospects of the European game and Euro 2012 would be his chance to announce the arrival of a star on the international stage. Already prolific in terms of attacking football, young Yarmolenko combines physical strength with wonderful football skills. The FC Dynamo Kiev player has caught the eyes of foreign scouts with some dazzling displays both for club and country. Thirty goals in eighty four appearances for Kiev is some return for a player who is dynamic enough to play both as a winger and as a support striker. The six feet two inches forward holds the record for his country’s fastest goal scoring after just fifteen seconds in a 3-2 loss against Copa America champions Uruguay last September. Having made his debut in 2009 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier and scoring in that very game against Andorra, the former Ukraine U-21 player has gone on to score eight goals in twenty appearances for his country underlining his international credentials. His greatest compliment has come from none other than his team captain Andriy Shevchenko. The veteran striker was quoted as saying,
“Yarmolenko is the future of Ukrainian football. He has a rare combination of physical strength and football intelligence.”
It remains to be seen though how well Andriy Yarmolenko adapts himself to the pressure and attention of the home and international media in the prestigious yet a pressure cooker environment of the European Championships. One thing for sure he is lucky enough to have a stalwart in the form of Shevchenko to guide him and nurture his football personality throughout the course of the tournament and beyond.
