February 28, 2020

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SOCCER

Shakhtar exits UCL, draws Benfica

Shakhtar Donetsk finished in third place in Group C after its 0-3 loss to Atalanta (Italy) on December 10 in Kharkiv as part of the UEFA Champions League. After six matches played, Shakhtar, with six points and is relegated to the UEFA Europa League knockout phase. It won 2-1 against Benfica (Portugal) in the Round of 32 of its first-leg match on February 20. The second-leg is set for February 27. The draw for the Round of 16 will be made on February 28. In Group C, Manchester City advanced to the round of 16 in first place (14 points), followed by Atalanta with seven, and in fourth place, Dinamo Zagreb (five points) was eliminated.

 

Dynamo, Oleksandriya exit Europa League

Dynamo Kyiv and Oleksandriya exited the UEFA Europa League on December 12 after Dynamo finished in third place (Group B, seven points) and Oleksandriya in fourth place (Group I, three points) after six matches played. Dynamo tied 1-1 with Lugano (Switzerland) and Oleksandriya lost 1-2 against Gent (Belgium). Dynamo finished with one win, four draws and one loss, with seven goals for and seven against; Oleksandriya finished with no wins, three draws and three losses, with six goals for and 10 against.

 

MFA calls for investigation

Spanish authorities investigated insulting chants and taunts from Rayo Vallecano fans against Roman Zozulya on December 15 between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete (Segundo, a second-tier league). The club was fined 18,000 euros and a two-game partial stadium ban. The match was abandoned at half-time by referee Antonio Lopez after he heard the chanted Nazi slogans. A league statement backed up the ref’s decision. Zozulya briefly played for Rayo, but now plays for Albacete after he returned to the parent club, Real Betis. While at a press conference on December 19, Zozulya stated that six Rayo fans had fought against Ukraine in the Donbas. Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, said that insults made toward Zozulya should be investigated by the Spanish police. Rayo club president Raul Martin Presa was attacked by the club’s ultra fans after he appealed to police with the request to find the fans who were harassing Zozulya.

 

Ukraine friendly matches 2020

Ukraine is scheduled to play an international friendly match against France in Paris on March 27 and against Poland in Chrozow on March 31. Ukraine is also scheduled to play an international match against Cyprus in Kharkiv on May 27, and a tentative friendly match is scheduled for June against Hungary or Wales.

 

BOXING

Berinchyk wins WBO international title

Lightweight Denys Berinchyk (13-0, 7 KO) won by unanimous decision against Hector Edgardo Sarmiento (21-2, 14 KO) of Argentina on February 22 at the Ice Palace in Brovary, Ukraine.  After 12 rounds, Berinchyk was awarded the WBO International title. Judges scored the fight 117-111, 117-112, 118-110.

Olga Ivashchenko

Lightweight Denys Berinchyk wins against Hector Edguardo Sarmiento on February 22 in Kyiv.

 

Vykhryst opens pro heavyweight career

Heavyweight Viktor Vykhryst (1-0, 1 KO) won by first-round TKO against Andrei Mazanik (13-11, 10 KO) of Belarus on February 8 at EWS Arena in Goppingen, Germany. The fight was scheduled for six rounds, but the 27-year-old Ukrainian called it an early night. As an amateur, his record stands at 36-10, 7 KO for 2012-2019 (15.22 percent KO rate out of 46 fights, 120 rounds). The 6-foot-five Ukrainian from Svitlovodsk, resides in Hamburg, Germany.

 

Chukhadzian wins WBA international title

Welterweight Karen Chukhadzhian (15-1, 7 KO) of Ukraine won the WBA welterweight international title by split decision after 10 rounds against Sergey Vorobiev (9-0, 6 KO) of Russia on February 1 at Yantranty Sports Palace in Kaliningrad, Russia. Judges scored the fight 99-91, 95-96, 96-94.

 

Dalakian retains WBA flyweight title

Flyweight WBA champion Artem Dalakian (12-0, 14 KO) won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds against mandatory challenger Josber Perez (16-3, 14 KO) of Venezuela on February 8 in Kyiv. Judges scored the fight 118-110, 117-111, 117-111.

 

Redkach climbs up welterweight division

Welterweight Ivan Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KO) lost by unanimous decision after 12 rounds against Danny Garcia (36-2, 21 KO) of the U.S.A. on January 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Judges scored the fight 117-111, 118-110 and 117-111. On the undercard, super bantamweight Arnold Khegai (16-1-1, 10 KO) of Ukraine lost by unanimous decision after 12 rounds against Stephen Fulton (19-0, 18 KO) of the U.S.A. Judges scored that fight 116-112, 117-111, 117-111. Redkach was fined $10,000 by the New York State Athletic Commission, which suspended the fighter for one year and confiscated his entire purse of $300,000. The ruling came on January 27 after the fight, when it was discovered that Redkach had bitten his opponent on the base of the neck during a clinch. However, boxing observers noted that Redkach deserves to address these allegations before punishment is administered. Some have drawn comparisons with Alice in Wonderland, where the queen issues the sentence before the verdict.

 

Postol fights for WBC, WBO titles

Super lightweight Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 KO) is set to fight WBC and WBO super lightweight champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (25-0, 17 KO) of the U.S.A. in a 12-round bout, that was originally scheduled for February 1 in Haikou, China, because of the Coronavirus outbreak, has been moved to May 9 in Fresno, Calif.

 

Usyk to fight Joshua in 2020

Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KO) has announced his next fight will be against Dereck Chisora (32-9, 23 KO) of Great Britain in April, with a location to be determined. The official confirmation is expected in coming weeks.

 

WBO: Lomachenko Fighter of the Year

WBA and WBO lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KO) was presented the 2019 Fighter of the Year award during the WBO’s 32nd annual convention in Tokyo on December 2-6. Lomachenko was named franchise champion by the WBC but the WBC lightweight title is held by Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KO) of the U.S.A. Lomachenko’s next fight, according to his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, will be on May 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York against IBF lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KO) of the U.S.A. Lopez stripped Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KO) of Ghana of the IBF title with a second-round TKO on December 14 at Madison Square Garden. The fight was scheduled for 12 rounds. The fight is to be broadcast on pay-per-view and Lomachenko is looking at a $4.5 million payday. The winner of the fight will also claim the vacant WBC lightweight title.

 

Rudenko loses to Zhang for WBO title

Heavyweight Andriy Rudenko (32-5, 20 KO) lost by unanimous decision after 10 rounds against Zhilei Zhang (21-0, 16 KO) of China on November 30 at the Monte Carlo Casino for the WBO (Oriental) heavyweight title. Judges scored the fight 99-91, 98-92, 97-93 in favor of Zhang.

 

BIATHLON

Ukraine wins bronze at World Championships

Anastasiya Merkushyna, Yuliia Dzhima, Vita Semerenko and Olena Pidhrushna won bronze in the women’s 4×6-kilometer relay at the World Championships in Anthholz-Anterselva, Italy, on February 13-23.  The Ukrainian team missed eight shots and finished with a time of 1:07:24.1 seconds, just 18.4 seconds behind first place.

Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine

Bronze medalists in the women’s 4×6-kilometer relay at the world championships in Italy on February 21-23 (from left) are: Vita Semerenko, Yuliia Dzhima, Anastasiya Merkushyna and Olena Pihrushna.

Zhuravok wins bronze at IBU Cup in Italy

Yuliya Zhuravok won bronze in the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start 60 (37:43.3 seconds) at the IBU Cup on February 8-9 in Martell-Val Martello, Italy. Zhuravok missed one shot and finished with a time just 20.8 seconds behind the first-place winner, Ida Lien of Norway.

 

Bronze for mixed relay team in Brezno-Osrblie

Ukraine’s mixed relay team – Vitaliy Trush and Yuliya Zhuravok – won bronze in the single mixed relay (39:40.3 seconds) at the IBU Cup in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovenia, on January 10-15. The team missed only two shots during the relay, finishing 42.6 seconds behind the winner, Norway.

 

Gold, silver and bronze in Austria

Serhiy Semenov won gold in the men’s 15-kilometer short individual race (40:36.9 seconds) at the IBU Cup in Obertilliach, Austria, on December 18. Semenov showed great speed after making one shooting error. Anastasiya Merkushyna won silver in the women’s 12.5-kilometer short individual race (40:37.0 seconds) after she finished with zero errors in shooting, but nearly one minute (56.8 seconds) after the leader, Stefanie Scherer of Germany and Merkushyna won bronze in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint (21:29.6 seconds) with one missed shot.

 

Merkushyna wins silver in Italy

Anastasiya Merkushyna won silver in the women’s super sprint final at the IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy, on December 12. Merkushyna finished with zero shooting errors and a time of 16:27.8 seconds (just 1.7 seconds behind Ingela Andersson of Sweden), after finishing in first place in the qualifying round.

 

Dzhima wins silver in Sweden world cup

Yuliia Dzhima won silver in the women’s 15-kilometer individual race at the World Cup in Oestersund, Sweden, on November 30 through December 8. Dzhima finished with a clean sheet (no errors) and a time of 42:46.2 seconds.

 

FENCING


Bodnar wins silver in saber in Croatia

Oleksandra Bodnar won silver in the female cadet saber event at the European Championships U-17 in Porec, Croatia, on February 22-26. She won 65 points for her performance. Bodnar is ranked No. 1 in the cadet saber rankings with 237 points based on performance at 2019-2020 tournaments and this is her first individual medal in cadet European competitions.

 

Nikishin wins bronze at Worlds in Vancouver

Bohdan Nikishin won bronze in the men’s individual epeé at the World Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia, on February 7-9. In the semifinal, Nikishin won 15-11 against Bas Verveylen of the Netherlands. In the final Nikishin won against Serhiy Bida of Russia.

 

Kharlan wins gold in Montreal

Olga Kharlan won 15-7 in the women’s individual final against Olga Nikitna of Russia at the Saber Grand Prix in Montreal on January 10-13. Kharlan won 15-14 against Shao Yaqi of China in the semifinal.

 

TENNIS

Ukraine in playoff at Fed Cup

Ukraine’s women’s tennis team advanced to the playoffs at the Fed Cup on February 8 against Estonia, winning 2-1. The playoffs will also determine qualification for the Fed Cup in 2021. In the group stage, Ukraine won 3-0 against Bulgaria and won with the same score against Croatia.  In the playoff round, Ukraine plays against Japan on April 17-18.

 

Svitolina loses in third round at Australian Open

Elina Svitolina lost 1-6, 2-6 against Garbine Muguruza of Spain in the third round of the women’s singles at the Australian Open. The Spaniard, ranked 32nd, quickly dispatched Svitolina in 68 minutes of play. Svitolina is ranked No. 4 by the Women’s Tennis Association rankings published on February 3. Svitolina is ranked No. 7 by the WTA, having dropped one spot with 4,301 points.

 

Yastremska advances to finals in Adelaide

Dayana Yastremska won 6-4, 6-3 against Donna Vekic of Croatia in the quarterfinal and won 6-4, 7-6, 7-4 against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the semifinal of the 2020 Adelaide International tennis tournament in Australia that concluded on January 18. In the final, Yastremska lost 2-6, 5-7 against No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia. After the final, Yastremska expressed her experience and opportunity of playing against a No. 1-ranked player.  At a post-match press conference, she stated: “This is not a victory, only a start. And, of course, thank you all for your support throughout the week.”

 

HOCKEY

Bellows scores in NHL debut

When he realized he was putting too much pressure on himself and was able to alter his mindset entering his second pro year, Kieffer Bellows went back to moving his feet, utilizing his deft puck awareness and winning battles in small places. Bridgeport’s leading scorer (16 goals, 24 points) received a call-up from the parent New York Islanders and debuted on February 4. He proceeded to tally his first NHL point on a secondary assist on Derick Brassard’s game-tying goal in the second period. Kieffer logged some nine minutes of ice time on 13 shifts while playing on Brassard’s third forward line. In his second game, Bellows recorded the first two goals of his NHL career – including the game-winner – to propel his Islanders to a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on February 6. His first was a second-period shot off a pass from Anthony Beauvillier to bring the Isles to within a goal (3-2), his second when Kings goalie Jonathan Quick got caught too far out of the net. At an odd angle to the right of the goal, the rookie threw it on net and the puck trickled in as the decisive marker. The Islanders offense was in need of a boost and the club believes the 21-year-old Bellows’ scoring capability can provide a necessary jolt as the team makes its playoff push. Two goals and three points in his first two NHL games was a most solid start.

 

Pelech lost for rest of the season

The New York Islanders lost the services of stalwart defenseman Adam Pelech for at least the remainder of the regular season when he suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury during pre-game warm-ups on January 2. The Ukrainian was seeing regular duty on the team’s top defense pairing with Ryan Pulock. Prognosis for recovery was approximately four months, which could mean no availability until a potential third playoff round. Pelech, 25, had one goal and nine points in 38 games this season.

 

Pysyk steps up with hat-trick

Coming into the game against Toronto on February 3 Florida Panther Mark Pysyk had scored three goals as a defenseman. Shifted to forward because of injuries, Pysyk scored twice in the third period to complete the first hat trick of his NHL career and helped the Panthers to a 5-3 victory. He opened the scoring by taking a pass from Mike Matheson and sending a quick one-timer past Frederik Andersen from in close for a 1-0 lead in the first period. Down 3-1 after three consecutive Maple Leafs’ tallies, Florida came back with three goals in a row of its own, starting with a second Pysyk goal at 2:20 of the third period. Mike Hoffman had the game-winner at 10:13 and Pysyk finished off his hat trick with an empty-net marker with under a minute left. Florida’s fourth line, comprising Ukrainians Pysyk and Jayce Hawryluk plus Denis Malgin, came up big with Pysyk spending a lot of time in front of the opposition’s net. United as a line for the first time all season, the trio brought a ton of energy to the ice while combining for four points, five hits and three takeaways. Enjoying a spike in his offensive numbers since the transition from defense to forward, Pysyk set a career high in goals with seven (four as a forward). The 28-year-old dual threat had scored nine points (5G, 4A) in his last 11 games.

 

Pateryn back on Wild defense

After undergoing bilateral core muscle repair surgery on October 1, 2019, Greg Pateryn’s season finally got going on January 12 in a 4-1 loss to Vancouver. Pateryn suffered through a couple of setbacks in his return from surgery, which had an initial timeline of six weeks. He was forced to watch the first 44 games of 2019-2020, feeling frustrated while itching to take advantage of his opportunity to get back on the ice. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound veteran of 248 NHL games is a classic defensive defenseman with the size and willingness to engage in combat in front of the net. His return to the line-up saw him receive 12.5 minutes of ice time with four hits, one blocked shot and an even plus/minus.

 

Tkachuk plays in All-Star Game

Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames was the team’s lone representative at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis on January 25. This was Tkachuk’s first time playing in the All-Star Game, and it was recognition of his evolution from notorious pest to complete player. In his fourth season with Calgary, he was named an alternate captain at the start of the 2018-2019 season, and showed how a few years’ experience in the league has refined his skill set. He cut his penalty minutes from 105 in his rookie year to 61 the following year and now is at 34 in the 2019-2020 season. In 29 games this season, Tkachuk has tallied 15 goals and 23 assists, and tied for the team lead in points with 38.

 

Makar sets franchise scoring record

Cale Makar, in his 40th game of the 2019-2020 season, broke the franchise record for goals scored by a rookie defenseman when he recorded his 11th of the season, breaking a 2-2 tie for the Colorado Avalanche and helping the club to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on January 18. The 21-year-old moved past John-Michael Liles (10 goals in 79 games in the 2003-2004 season) for the first in goals by a rookie defenseman in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. The Avalanche have 34 matches remaining in the season. Makar tied the record against the Detroit Redwings on January 20 to tie the franchise record (Bruce Bell’s 37 points in 1984-1985), and Makar was eight points shy of breaking Bell’s franchise record for most assists by a first-year blueliner (31 assists, 1984-1985).

 

U-20 team wins bronze

Ukraine’s U-20 men’s team won bronze in the International Ice Hockey Federation Division 1, Group B world championships in Kyiv on December 18. Ukraine won 7-3 against Estonia, won 2-1 against Italy on December 17, lost 1-3 against France on December 15, won 3-0 against Poland on December 14 and lost 1-5 against Hungary on December 12. Artur Ohandzhanian was awarded the best goalkeeper of the tournament with a 90.98 percentage of saves per game average, allowing an average of 2.37 goals per game. Ukraine finished with a record of 3-2 after five matches played, with 14 goals for and 12 against. Hungary advanced to Division 1, Group A, and Italy was relegated to the lower division.

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