Ukraine (National Football)

With two perfectly placed headers, Andriy Shevchenko proved that tournament co-host Ukraine cannot be taken lightly at Euro 2012.

The 35-year-old legend delivered two clinical goals in Ukraine's opening match against Sweden, leading his team to victory and quieting his critics within a seven-minute span.

With his team down 1-0, Shevchenko delivered a vintage performance.

Just three minutes after Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored for Sweden, Shevchenko soared above Olof Mellberg and headed in a gorgeous cross from Andriy Yarmolenko.

Seven minutes later, Oleg Gusev sent a corner into the box, where Shevchenko took advantage of some sloppy marking. He effortlessly stepped in front of Ibrahimovic and squeezed the ball past Mikael Lustig at the near post.

The two goals were an emphatic reminder that Shevchenko is not just a quality striker, but one of the best in the world. Even in his ripe old age, he is capable of dominating a game against elite competition.

While some may have thought that his inclusion on the national team was for nostalgic purposes only, Shevchenko proved that he is still a world-class talent.

He and his teammates also sent a strong message to the rest of the field at Euro 2012.

Despite being in a group with powerhouses France, England and Sweden, it is Ukraine who sit atop Group D with three points. The co-hosts showed that they are a deep and talented team, capable of upsetting anybody in the tournament.

Although Shevchenko will get the attention, and deservedly so, Ukraine also got wonderful performances from Andriy Voronin and Evgeni Konoplyanka. The two were a nuisance for the Swedish defense, using their creativity and constant pressure to wreak havoc in the attacking third.

The Ukrainians will have their hands full with a quality French side on Friday, but they certainly shouldn't be counted out. 

With their scrappy midfielders and unflappable leader up front, the Ukrainians are an incredibly dangerous team. Don't be surprised if they take at least one point from France and England to move into the knockout rounds, where no one—not even the tournament favorites—will want to see them.

Every match at Euro 2012 is crucial for Ukraine as they embark on their quest to come out of Group D alive, but none is more important than the kickoff match against Sweden on Monday. 

Even with the home crowd behind them, it will be a challenge for the hosts to knock off a Sweden squad that has won four in a row, particularly considering the bout with food poisoning that has ravaged the team over the last week. For Ukraine to have any hope of advancing past England and France, kicking off their first-ever Euro with a victory over Sweden is an absolute must.

Here's a look at the players who will be the most crucial to Ukraine's chances of winning on Monday (ESPN, 2:45 p.m. ET).

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk

The midfielder is going to be the key to any upset the host nation is able to pull off at Euro 2012 because of his experience and his defensive-minded approach. His 116 game appearances are the most of any player on the team, and he has the leadership skills to engender fusion between the newbies and the veterans on the squad.

Tymoshchuk is well aware that his team is a long shot considering the strength of the other squads in his group, but he also understands the factor that will allow Ukraine to emerge victorious. It's not that he has to do everything himself; he has to help the rest of the team understand the value of teamwork.

He told the Associated Press:  

We have one of the strongest groups, so any team can be our main rival, and every match is important. We have to play to our strong points—commitment, fighting qualities, organization and discipline.

Artem Milevskiy

He's a veteran forward who could bring a much-needed scoring touch to the Ukrainian side after tallying seven goals in 43 games. This squad is going to need to formulate some serious offense to have any hope of knocking off Sweden, and Milevskiy could be the guy to bring it. Scoring isn't all he's good for, either: Milevskiy is just as capable of creating offense for his teammates as he is of getting the job done himself.

The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with Kiev, and Euro 2012 could be exactly the kind of big stage he needs to truly thrive.

Andriy Shevchenko

If there's anyone on the team who can use the advantage of experience even better than Tymoshchuk, it's Shevchenko, the most recognizable face on the squad.

At 35 years old, he knows that he's not going to be quite as effective on the field as he might have been in his heyday, but he can still have a resounding impact on his team because of the knowledge he has gleaned throughout the course of his career as Ukraine's all-time leading scorer.

Shevchenko is one of those rare players who can still have a massive impact on the field without even being in the lineup because he can provide the composure and in-depth knowledge that will be crucial to the younger players' success. And as he is considering possible retirement after Euro 2012, you can bet that he'll do everything he can to make sure his first and only Euro trip isn't a quick one. 

Never underestimate a host nation's chances to succeed in a major tournament.

As has so often been the case in the World Cup, with then-minnows South Korea's run to the 2002 semifinals perhaps the best example, hosts have a habit of playing above their normal level. There is something about hearing the roar of a partisan home crowd that brings out the best in a side.

This summer will mark the first time Ukraine have ever participated in a European Championship, following the nation's affiliation with UEFA and FIFA in 1992 following the break up of the Soviet Union.

It is a nation with a strong footballing history, however, as its players littered the powerful Soviet sides of the 1970s and '80s. Current manager Oleg Blokhin a perfect example of that rich pedigree.

Blokhin scored 42 goals in a career that spanned 16 years (1972-88) and 112 caps. His first stint at the helm of Ukraine came from 2003-07, during which he helped lead the country on a surprise run to the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals.

He had stepped down in 2007 following Ukraine's third-successive failure to reach the Euros, telling the country's football association that "he had nothing more to give to the national team."

Following short-lived coaching stints by Myron Markevych (forced out after being implicated in a betting scandal) and Yuri Kalitvintsev, however, the Ukrainian FA arrived at the conclusion that Blokhin did, in fact, have more to offer the national side.

They brought him back on board ahead of this summer's championships, where a good showing in front of a rapturous home audience will be of the utmost importance.

Worries about racism have soured the buoyant mood ahead of the Euros, but Ukraine will want to put its best foot forward as it represents Eastern Europe's first staging of a major sporting event since the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

Much of that will come down to Ukraine's play, which has been indifferent in recent appearances. They have struggled to just five wins in their last 18 matches, a span that has included losses to Brazil, Italy, France, Sweden, Uruguay and the Czech Republic, according to Soccernet.

A win over Estonia last October brightened the picture somewhat, but considering that Ukraine also struggled to a 2-2 tie at home against Canada in 2010, guarded optimism might be the best approach toward the upcoming tournament.

A 3-2 win in a friendly against Israel in February will have reignited confidence ahead of the June 11 opener with Sweden, but worries concerning the shaky defense still remain.

Blokhin, who has said that a winner's medal is the goal, addressed the criticism surrounding his squad with a defiant tone.

"We hear the cynics saying we are not ready for this tournament, and there is only one response," Blokhin said. "Win, win, win."

To do that he will rely upon the greatest player in Ukrainian history, Andrei Shevchenko. The forward, now 35, has lost a step or two of that blinding pace that once saw him considered as one of Europe's finest forwards, but his 46 goals at the international level cannot be scoffed at.

Shevchenko has seen his role in the national team framework diminish in recent years, but expect him to play a key role in June. Should Blokhin employ his oft-used 4-5-1 formation, Shevchenko could lead the line, although Andrei Voronin and Artem Milevskyi offer younger, and stronger, options to start. 

If Blokhin goes with a 4-4-2, expect Shevchenko to have a chance to partner with either of those two aforementioned strikers.

Wide play is essential to Ukrainian success, and wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Oleg Husiev will be tasked with providing the creative output for a side that has played some rather dreary matches in recent months.

Anatoli Tymoshchuk, fresh off a start in the Champions League final with Bayern Munich, will anchor the midfield. Like his manager, the Bayern sentinel is confident of a strong performance in front of partisan crowds.

"Our ambition should be the maximum because when you have a tournament in your home country, it is a once in a lifetime moment. I had something similar with Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final this season and now we have to take our chances at Euro 2012."

But Tymoshchuk, who made his first appearance for the senior team in 2000, remains a realist. Speaking to Planete Foot, he realized that Ukraine will have their work cut out for them at the upcoming tournament.

"We cannot declare ourselves favorites for this competition," Tymoshchuk said. "There are a number of very formidable teams, but I think we have the means to achieve some very good results. We're in a difficult group with France, Sweden and England, but we won't concede anything."

The defense has been somewhat of a revolving door in recent friendlies, with the likes of Vasyl Kobin, Oleksandr Kucher, Mykola Ischenko, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Taras Mykhalyk, Yevhen Selin and Yevhen Khacheridi all vying for spots in the first-team lineup.

Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, the 37-year-old Dynamo Kiev goalkeeping institution, has a chance to add to his 92 caps for the national side this summer, although Andriy Pyatov, the Shakhtar Donetsk No. 1, could also be called upon in goal.

The national team is dominated by players who ply their professional trade with Ukraine's top club sides—and bitter rivals—Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk.

As has often been talked about with the Spanish national team, whose success is attributed to a heavy dependence upon FC Barcelona's Catalan stalwarts (Catalunya is noted as harboring separatist ambitions), there is a worry that the animosity between Kiev and Donetsk's players could undermine the team dynamic.

But playing in front of the home crowds should alleviate some of that tension. It is hard not to feel patriotic, after all, when you hear tens of thousands of your fellow countrymen pulling for you every step of the way.

In his heyday, Andriy Shevchenko was a striker who struck fear into the hearts of defenders around the world. From 1997 to 2006, Shevchenko picked up numerous individual honors and even came third in the World Player of the Year selection in 2004.

But at the age of 35, Shevchenko's glory years are well behind him, and he'll serve as more of an inspirational leader for Ukraine at Euro 2012 than as their main danger-man or goal threat.

Still, any team would be foolish to disregard Shevchenko throughout the tournament.

Even though injuries have limited his playing time with Dynamo Kiev, he still boasts a solid strike rate and has adapted his game to create opportunities for his teammates if he can't finish them himself.

In Numbers

Shevchenko is his country's all-time leading scorer with 46 goals, only second to Bayern Munich defensive midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk in terms of caps (106 to Tymoshchuk's 115).

There was a time in Shevchenko's international career when he could not be stopped. Between 2000 and 2001, Shevchenko scored 11 goals in 12 international matches.

Most of these came during 2002 World Cup qualifying, a campaign which ended in disappointment when Ukraine lost to Germany in the playoffs.

More recently though, Shevchenko's goal-scoring for club and country has dried up a bit, as he has scored only three goals in 11 matches for Ukraine over the last two years and ended this year with six goals in 16 league matches during a rather injury-hit campaign.

He did, however, record two goals and two assists in the final four matches of the season.

What to Expect

Oleh Blokhin, Ukraine's national team manager, has elected to utilize Shevchenko as an impact substitute in Ukraine's last two international frendlies, and that could be the role Shevchenko plays at Euro 2012.

Ukraine's options up front are rather confusing.  

Artem Milevskiy seems to stand out as the most talented centre-forward, but he's more known for his assists than his goal-scoring and hasn't been selected as a starter in Ukraine's last two international matches.

Meanwhile, Andriy Voronin has been the attacker taking Milevskiy's place as a starter, but he's been absolutely awful for Dynamo Moscow since the restart of the season and has been called up more on reputation than on form.

At the tip of the 4-2-3-1, which is the formation Ukraine will likely utilize at Euro 2012, Ukraine have experimented with Marko Devic and Yevhen Seleznyov, but neither striker has netted with much consistency.

If Blokhin gets fed up with both Devic and Seleznyov's inconsistency, Shevchenko may start at the tip of Ukraine's 4-2-3-1. If he remain's cautious or doubtful of Shevchenko's ability to compete for 90 minutes, he may elect to keep playing him as a substitute.

What They Say About Him

Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, of High Barnet, London, says there is "no real problem" with racism in Ukraine.

— John Brewin (@JohnBrewinESPN) May 29, 2012

ESPN's Senior Editor John Brewin is one of many who have been left a bit perplexed by Andriy Shevchenko's declaration that Ukraine don't have a serious racism problem, contrary to one eye-opening documentary.

Andriy Shevchenko Will be playing in the #Euro's again .... Must be coming towards the end of his career

— Ryan Whitmarsh (@19Ryan92) May 31, 2012

Ryan Whitmarsh believes this will surely be Shevchenko's final major tournament, which I can't disagree with, given how old he is now.

On This Day in 2006: #Chelsea broke the English transfer fee record when they signed Andriy Shevchenko from #AC Milan. twitter.com/shirtboutique/…

— FSB (@shirtboutique) May 31, 2012

Finally, FSB takes us down memory lane to remind us that Chelsea broke the English transfer fee record when they signed Shevchenko six years ago. Now, they're reportedly lining him up to be their striker's coach next season.

To close, here's a reminder of just how great Shevchenko was over the course of his career:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGcVm90rkug

Will he be able to roll back the clock in Ukraine and Poland this summer?

For most fans, the world of football in the former Soviet republics is mostly an unknown. Most clubs don't attract much international attention. Most of the West finds a grayish haze shielding any land east of German borders.

But in the dawn of a new day, the powers of the East are only just awakening.

And next summer in South Africa, several of these new powers could very well break down the doors of international respect. Russia and its former republics have experienced revolutions in the past, and they are in the midst of a new one now.

Fans in Spain, England, and Italy have already seen part of it first-hand. Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko delivered a major opening statement as he ran unchallenged through Serie A, scoring 127 times in seven seasons. He now stands in second place all-time in scoring for AC Milan, behind the great Gunnar Nordahl.

Then came Belarusian Alexander Hleb and Russian Andrei Arshavin, both moving to Arsenal—Hleb in 2005, Arshavin in early 2009. Scoring four times on a debut at Anfield is probably not something that a lot of players can say they have done.

But Arshavin can.

The move of Yuri Zhirkov to Chelsea has gone incredibly under the radar so far. Many casual Chelsea supporters would probably say they hadn't even heard of Zhirkov before he went to Stamford Bridge.

But a handful of talented players moving west isn't enough to start a revolution now is it?

First Revolution: Quality of Club Football

Club football in the Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, even the Baltic nations and oil pipeline countries, has reached many new highs over the past several years.

For starters, no former Soviet republic had ever won the UEFA Cup since its creation in 1972. That is, until 2005.

In the last five years, the Cup has been won three times by an Eastern European club. In 2005, it was CSKA Moscow hammering Sporting CP in Portugal by a final tally of 3-1. It was the first time that the Cup made its way to the Russian capital city.

Next, Zenit St. Petersburg bulldozed to the Cup in 2008, eradicating Bayern Munich 4-0 in the semifinals before shutting out Rangers 2-0 in Manchester's final. Zenit also took down English Premier League giants Manchester United to win the UEFA Super Cup that same year.

And most recently, Ukrainian power Shakhtar Donetsk won the 2009 Cup in extra time over Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

But many doubters will point to the lack of Champions' League success.

Oh, just wait.

Apart from European success, the face of club football in Eastern Europe has also been changed for the better. Of course, there will always be a truck load of Russians playing for CSKA Moscow and a bushel of Ukrainians playing for Dynamo Kiev.

The difference now is the internationals in leagues. Brazilians. Argentines. Nigerians. Koreans. Players from all continents are coming East, and not as a retirement home either.

Like many top clubs in England, Spain, or Italy, the starting 11 are comprised almost entirely of international stars in their respective countries.

And the money is just beginning to stream in.

Second Revolution: Young Talent

It's become almost common for local children to have access to football training. Many top clubs across the land run camps for young players to develop their skills. Thanks to these opportunities, many highly-touted teenagers are leaping from the ground.

Let's highlight a couple.

First, there is Alan Dzagoev, a 19-year-old Russian attacking midfielder for CSKA Moscow. He was the Russian Premier League's Best Young Player of 2008, his first full season with the Moscow giants.

He was so impressive for CSKA that he earned a call-up to the national team in October 2008, and became the youngest outfield player in history for Russia when he came on as a second-half substitute against Germany.

His passion for the game is second to none. His former manager said "Dzagoev plays football not for fame and money, but because football is his life."

Next is another attacking midfielder, 20-year-old Kazakh Zhambyl Kukeyev. Kukeyev plays for Lokomotiv Astana, and if you aren't from England or Kazakhstan, you probably have never heard of this young star.

His current claim to fame is scoring at Wembley Stadium against England after snatching up an errant Ashley Cole pass and running through the defense before beating David James to the far post. At the time, the goal cut the English lead to 2-1.

Ukraine has their centerback of the future in towering Shakhtar Donetsk defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy. The 22-year-old has already accomplished more than his weight in gold on the field.

Chygrynskiy has established himself as a dominant back line presence for any team he plays for, and became a full-time starter for Ukraine before his 21st birthday. According to Kiev newspapers, he rejected a move to Barcelona in order to stay with Shakhtar.

Finally, there is no way to leave Igor Akinfeev off the list. Russia's starting netminder has quickly emerged as the best keeper nobody knows much about. And he's only 23.

Akinfeev was a major reason for Russia's unexpected run to the semifinals of Euro 2008 and a pivotal piece to the team now sitting in 6th place of FIFA's July rankings. He is currently on a streak of not allowing a goal in over 430 minutes of international competition en route to four consecutive shutouts.

As scary as it may sound too, he still improves with every match he starts.

Third Revolution: New Facilities

It's true that many stadiums in former Soviet republics are small in size. It's also true that the quality of the pitch can deteriorate easily in some places too, many thanks to the weather.

But a boatload of clubs will be moving to new, state-of-the-art homes in a couple of years. Zenit St. Petersburg, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, FC Astana, and Shakhtar Donetsk will all open new venues for certain, as the construction is either nearly completed or under way. 

That doesn't even include the 80,000 seat Colossus that Kiev is constructing for Euro 2012, which very well might be passed on to Dynamo Kiev after the tournament.

Many cities like Grozny, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and Borisov all plan for new arenas. Dnipropetrovsk has already opened doors to the Dnipro Stadium in 2008.

Fourth Revolution: National Relevance

For about a year now, national teams are beginning to gain more respect around the football world. Some could say it started 13 months ago, when Russia dominated the Netherlands in Basel, 3-1. Russia wasn't expected to win the group, or even advance for that matter.

But they did, and Guus Hiddink's men sent his home nation packing after 120 minutes of heart-racing action.

Russia now sits one point behind Group Four leaders Germany in World Cup qualifying, and are staring at a showdown in Moscow for the group in a couple months. The Sbornaja also have reached their highest FIFA ranking in the past 14 years, as they came in 6th in the most recent national standings.

Captained by Andrei Arshavin, the squad also features Zhirkov, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Konstantin Zyryanov and keeper Akinfeev.

The Ukraine isn't a side to stick your nose up at either. Sitting at 19th in the world, the Ukrainians have found a way to consistently get into the top 20 over the past several years. Despite missing out on Euro 2008, they are right back in the mix for the World Cup.

Shevchenko is their unquestioned leader, but the team also fields plenty of other skilled players. Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Andriy Voronin, Serhiy Nazarenko, Chygrynskiy and Andriy Vorobei have all shown brilliance on the international stage.

The team is currently tied with Croatia for second place in Group Six, behind undefeated England. Although the Ukrainians have already drawn twice with Croatia, two of their remaining matches are against Andorra and they face England in Kiev.

And if the battle waged at Wembley Stadium is any indication to how the October match will go, the Ukrainians may even be a slight favorite at home.

Belarus is miraculously still alive. With five games left to play, three at home, the hard-working Belarusians could find themselves going to South Africa too. Kazakhstan has all but been eliminated from the World Cup, but their showing against England will stick with many for a long time.

A match that finished 5-1 in favor of England, the score would indicate a total domination from the home side, which it was anything but. Kazakhstan played very well and will only improve as football grows in the country.

The Revolution is under way. And it isn't close to complete.     

Will David Beckham run out of skin to tattoo? Can Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko just get a room? Does Capello actually have emotions? Did David Pleat actually call Andriy Voronin anaemic?

With little by way of notable entertainment during England's World Cup Qualifying home match against Ukraine, I looked in vain for something interesting to analyse.

It was perhaps surprising therefore in this context when the television cameras panned to the England coach punching the air in relief rather than delight after watching his side battle to an uninspiring 2-1 victory over group rivals Ukraine at Wembley.

For all of England's possession and Wayne Rooney's stellar football, Andriy Shevchenko looked to have punished England for their inability to finish off mediocre opponents with an instinctive close-range strike in the closing minutes.

However, man of the match captain John Terry was in the right place at the right time to guide a cushioned Steven Gerrard header into the net from close range in the 85th minute despite a suspicion that it was from an offside position.

Capello resisted the temptation to start icon David Beckham on the right after an encouraging second-half display during the 4-0 friendly victory over Slovakia at the weekend. Lennon started on the right and, with Peter Crouch upfront. The emphasis was to use the full width of the big playing surface to create some space away from the compressed midfield area.

To their credit, the visitors effectively cut off this service to Lennon in particular and were combative in the midfield, none more so than the impressive Anatoliy Tymoschuk. On the plus side for England, this tactic allowed Wayne Rooney to expertly explore the pockets of space that opened up in front of the visitors' defence.

Rooney's effervescence and intelligent movement and vision was comfortably England's biggest threat going forward and, in the 13th minute, he played a fine one-two with Gerrard on the left and skidded an excellent ball to the other side of the pitch, only for a dangerous Lennon cross to be cleared to safety from in front of goal. This was a move that was replicated half way through the first half with a similar result.

England's ascendancy was rewarded in the 29th minute later when Peter Crouch acrobatically turned in a cushioned header from John Terry from yards out despite the best efforts of the onrushing Ukrainian goalkeeper Andrii Piatov.

There was reason for Capello to be concerned shortly afterwards as Gareth Barry, already booked for a clumsy challenge, was fortunate to escape without further punishment after hauling down the tricky striker Milevskiy and David James struggled to keep out Liverpool reject Voronin's seemingly harmless long-range strike on goal.

Capello will have been relatively pleased as the half-time whistle blew as his side were seemingly on course for a comfortable, problem-free victory.

He will not have been pleased by what was to follow as England slowly let their grip on the game slip through a combination of sloppy play in possession and a lack of incisiveness in both their moving and decision-making in key areas of the pitch.

Rooney was the only player whose level of performance had not visibly dropped as he surged past three flailing defenders with consummate ease before scorching a shot past Pitaov's near post.

One player who had flattered to deceive, Aaron Lennon, was replaced shortly into the second half by Beckham. An incident where Lennon aimlessly floated the ball onto the head of a defender after more sumptuous build-up play by Rooney seemed to convince Capello that he had seen enough.

Despite this understandable substitution, what Lennon lacks in quality of delivery he makes up for in pace and Beckham's introduction failed to add impetus to the home side's performance. So much so that it was the Eastern Europeans that levelled the scores when fellow high-profile replacement Shevchenko proved his many doubters wrong by latching on to a loose ball in the six-yard box to fire past a helpless David James.

Game on.

Capello and his staff reacted to this shock by bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips for a waning Crouch, who had worked tirelessly to deny the Ukrainian defenders an easy route out of defence.

The diminutive Manchester City winger moved to the left-flank, Gerrard slotted in behind lone striker Rooney, and Beckham remained on his favoured right side. While this reduced Rooney's impact on the match, Beckham came to the fore—just in the nick of time.

In similar circumstances to those which led to England's opener, a headed knockdown set up a simple close-range finish, this time for the deserving captain John Terry, who was commanding throughout.

Five matches, 15 points, no more injuries. A good night's work? Perhaps...but Capello will rightly expect more from this talented group of players.

Full Time

England 2 (Crouch '29, Terry '85) Ukraine 1 (Shevchenko '74)

Ratings

England—James 5, Johnson 6, Terry 8, Ferdinand 7 (Jagielka n/a), Cole 5; Lennon 5 (Beckham 6), Lampard 7, Barry 5, Gerrard 6; Crouch 6 (Wright-Phillips 5), Rooney 8

Ukraine—Piatov 6; Yarmash 6, Mykhalyk 6, Chigrinsky 6, Shevchuk 7; Aliev 6, Slyusar 6, Tymoschuk 7, Valyaev 6; Voronin 5 (Shevchenko 7), Milevskiy 5

This is a true story that I was told by my father. It has inspired athletes, filmmakers, children, and sports fans around the world—but most of all it inspired a nation.

In 1942 during the height of World War II, the German army steamrolled across Europe. War was waged on many fronts. France, Britain, Northern Africa were all close to falling to German rule. But Hitler wanted to prove he was the greatest military general of all time, so he focused attentions towards Russia.

As the Nazi forces swept through Eastern Europe on their conquest they eventually came to the Ukraine. Wehrmacht forces crushed any resistance, while the Luftwaffe bombed from above. The Germans rolled into the city of Kiev with little or no resistance.

All the citizens were rounded up and forced to listen to the German military decree themselves their new rulers. It was here that Major General Eberhardt decided that the population were too great to police and he decided on a plan to placate the people of Kiev.

His idea was to stage a football match between a German team and Ukranian Champions Dynamo Kiev. During the occupation, the Kiev team had been rounded up by a soccer mad Wehrmacht officer and he had decided to spare their lives when all other citizens of a certain public stature were being executed.

During this first match things did not go as Eberhardt had planned. And despite not having trained for many months because of the war the Ukranians skill shone through. Kiev led 1-0 at half time, and received a half time speech from Eberhardt telling them they would be executed if they did not lose. Kiev went out to the second half and buoyed by a stadium full of Ukranians they went on to win 4-1.

Nobody was executed but news of this defeat had reached Eberhardt's superiors. They insisted on a re-match. The Kiev players were banned from training and their rations reduced. And five days later they took to the field against a stronger Nazi select team.

Kiev again were threatened with execution, but they paid it no heed and recorded a resounding 6-0 victory.

Under extreme pressure, Eberhardt brought in a professional team from Hungary, MSG Wal. As they were Nazi sympathisers they had continued their professional training throughout the war. They were brought to Kiev to restore Nazi pride and to put the Kiev team where they belonged.

This was a malnourished untrained Kiev team's third match in seven days. And this time it was against a professional outfit. Undaunted by what faced them, Kiev won 5-1 and then 3-2 five days later.

The Kiev players knew they had to win every match because their lives depended on it. They knew that the arrogant Wehrmacht officers would want to win the match and not make martyrs of the players. So this time unbeaten German team Flakelf were brought in to restore pride.

On August 6th 1942, Dynamo Kiev took to the field against the unbeaten Luftwaffe team of Flakelf. The match was played in front of a stadium of entirely German soldiers. No Ukranians were allowed to even be near the stadium on the day.

The Dynamo Kiev players were warned before the match. Lose and they would be spared. Win and face execution.

Kiev won 3-2.

As the winning goal went in, members of the SS in parts of the stadium began taking potshots at the Kiev players. After the game Kiev waited in the dressing room accepting their fate.

But Eberhardt did not come in. Instead a Gestapo officer informed them they would be given one more chance to lose. A match had been arranged for four days time against another German team, Rukh.

Kiev went into this match knowing it would be their last. Win or lose. National pride was at stake and they knew that they could inspire the Ukranian people to face this occupation with their heads held high.

Dynamo Kiev played the match of their lives. They won 8-0.

After the match they were rounded up by the Gestapo. Some were tortured. Some were executed. Some were sent to concentration camps. None survived.

Kiev had inspired when others would have wilted.

A statue dedicated to the Kiev team of 1942 stands in Kiev today.