June 10, 2016

June 14, 2006

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Ten years ago, on June 14, 2006, Ukraine’s national team debuted at the World Cup hosted by Germany. Millions of Ukrainians stopped what they were doing and watched Ukraine play on the world stage against Spain.

More than 100 fans were not deterred by the heavy downpour of rain and gathered in Kyiv’s Independence Square to watch the historic match on a large projection screen.

Ukraine, in Group H, lost its opener 0-4 against a difficult Spanish team (which won the group with nine points). However, Ukraine finished in second place in the group (with six points) after winning 4-0 against Saudi Arabia on June 19, and it won 1-0 against Tunisia on June 23 and advanced to the playoff round.

In the Round of 16, Ukraine won 3-0 on June 26 after a scoreless match forced penalty kicks, and the debutantes were headed to the quarterfinal against Italy. Italy won the quarterfinal match 3-0 on June 30 in front of 50,000 fans in Hamburg. Italy won the World Cup title after a 2-0 win against Germany in the semifinal and a 5-3 win after penalty kicks in the final against France following a 1-1 draw.

Ukraine’s debut at the World Cup was also able to unite members of the Verkhovna Rada in support of the team. “I am convinced that [our players] will do today a thousand times more for Ukraine than our president, prime minister and national deputies combined,” said former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

“Spain has a strong and highly technical team, but at times we looked like the worst team in Europe,” said national team coach Oleh Blokhin. Andriy Shevchenko, the team’s leading player, was more optimistic but admitted that the two initial goals by Spain had broken the team’s spirit.

In the 2012 Euro Cup, Ukraine was in Group D with England, France and Sweden. Ukraine and Sweden were eliminated after third-place finishes in the group with three points each.

This year, Ukraine is in Group C of the 2016 UEFA European Championship hosted by France. Ukraine plays against Germany on June 12, against Northern Ireland on June 16 and against Poland on June 21. The top two teams of the group stage advance to the Round of 16 knockout phase. The tournament final is to be held on July 10.

Source: “Soccer mania grips the country as Ukraine debuts at World Cup,” by Zenon Zawada, The Ukrainian Weekly, June 18, 2006.

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