WIESBADEN, Germany: With patriotic songs broadcast and thousands of exiled Ukrainians in the stadium, the men’s national team was made to feel at home at their first training in Germany for the European Championship.
After the national anthem played, and before the warmups began, there was a vivid reminder of the war at home that is a constant and uniting force for this Ukraine squad.
Each player had a ball to give to a fan and Oleksandr Zinchenko presented his to a military veteran who had prosthetic legs below each knee.
Near the downtown stadium of Wehen Wiesbaden is the United States military headquarters in Germany which is coordinating the delivery of weapons and other aid from Ukraine’s allies to fight against the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Wiesbaden six months ago.
It is a subject the Ukraine team want to address, and hope Euro 2024 watched worldwide will help put on center stage.
“We need to talk about this,” coach Serhiy Rebrov said. “I know that some people are tired about the news of the war, but we are continuing to fight, and we need your support.”
“It’s very important that Ukraine is represented in the Euro because we, all Ukrainians, we want to be in (the) European family,” said the former national team star who also played in England and Russia, and coached in Hungary. “On the war we are fighting for all Europe.”
Zinchenko was in the Ukraine team that reached the quarterfinals of Euro 2021, the pandemic-delayed tournament. That was the last European summer before the Russians attacked.
This tournament is “100 percent” different and special, Zinchenko said.
“There are still people dying for no reason and we have to stick together,” said the Arsenal player, stressing that what the players have lived through does not compare to fighters on the front lines and their families.
“For them it is super difficult, for us it’s obviously extra motivation. We all know who is behind us. We need to show our best performance,” Zinchenko said.
Ukraine first play on Monday against Romania in Munich. Four days later, Ukraine play Slovakia in Duesseldorf then finish in Group F against favored Belgium on June 26 in Stuttgart.
Preparation for those games started in earnest on Thursday morning after a formal welcome on the field by politicians from the region where Wiesbaden is the state capital.
The 4,000 fans in the stadium gave standing ovations to greet different groups of players as they passed by doing light warmup runs in laps of the field.
“In Germany, the Ukrainian community is everywhere. We were very happy with everything here,” said Rebrov, one day after the squad arrived.
At home, the country is under constant threat of Russian bombs targeting the people and essential infrastructure for daily life like the power grid.
“I hope when we play the games,” midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi said, “people in Ukraine have lights to watch the games on TV.”
For the past 10 years, Ukrainian champion Shakhtar Donetsk has been unable to play games in its home city because of the conflict in the country’s east involving Russian-backed separatists.
Ukraine midfielder Taras Stepanenko has stayed with Shakhtar through the whole decade, including playing Champions League ‘home’ games this season in Germany. He said on Thursday, “We deserve to be here for our people.
“Every day people die, cities destroyed. Every day when we wake up, we read the news about what the situation is in Ukraine,” said the 34-year-old player appearing at his third straight Euros.
“Every day, I see on my phone screen, messages about air (raids). So, every morning I phone my parents to ask if everything is OK,” Stepanenko added. “We live in this condition almost three years. It’s so difficult.”
Ukraine arrive at Euro 2024 to a patriotic welcome and vivid reminder of the war at home
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Ukraine arrive at Euro 2024 to a patriotic welcome and vivid reminder of the war at home
- “We need to talk about this,” coach Serhiy Rebrov said
- This tournament is “100 percent” different and special, Zinchenko said
Real Madrid edge Valencia to stay on Barca’s tail, Atletico slump
- After Spanish champions Barca had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals
BARCELONA: Kylian Mbappe scored his 23rd goal of the season in La Liga to help Real Madrid claim a battling 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday and close the gap to leaders Barcelona to one point.
Third-place Atletico Madrid slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Real Betis, three days after thrashing the Andalusian side in the Copa del Rey, falling further away from the top two.
After Spanish champions Barca had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.
Missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos lacked sparkle but did enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.
Alvaro Carreras put the visitors ahead midway through the second half and Mbappe struck late on to seal their win.
“It was going to be a game where we had to have a lot of patience. I think it was a win that came because of how solid we were, and our focussed performance,” said Arbeloa.
“I think that we were fair winners.”
England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return after injury as a substitute in the second half of Madrid’s victory.
Arda Guler and Mbappe had chances in the first half, while Madrid right-back David Jimenez, from the club’s youth academy, came closest to scoring but was denied by goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Midway through the second half, Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing to give Madrid the lead.
Coming in from the left, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside Dimitrievski’s near post.
Valencia might have levelled but Lucas Beltran’s effort on the stretch clipped the post.
Madrid eventually secured the three points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz teed up La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe to finish from close range.
“Right now he’s the best player in the world, for what he’s showing day after day and game after game,” said Arbeloa, who reiterated that Mbappe could live up to his boyhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid.
“As I’ve said before, it seemed like Cristiano was something alien, impossible to equal, and that nobody would get close, but Kylian is on a good path... it’s not easy, obviously, but if anyone can, it’s Kylian.”
Valencia’s fans, some of whom had waved white handkerchieves during the match in protest at the club’s situation, headed for the exits with Los Che 17th, one point above the drop zone.
“It’s normal that (the fans) are nervous, I would be too,” admitted Valencia captain Jose Gaya to DAZN.
Revenge mission
Antony’s first-half strike helped Betis win at Atletico, earning his side revenge for their cup mauling, and leaving Atletico 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.
Betis, fifth, continued their push toward the top four, now trailing fourth-placed Villarreal by four points, although they have played two more matches than the Yellow Submarine.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico waltzed into the Copa del Rey semifinals with a hefty 5-0 win at Betis on Thursday, but this was a far closer affair at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium.
“It’s a tough defeat to take after the great game we had in the cup. We weren’t as good as the other day,” admitted Atletico captain Koke to Movistar.
“They set up a lot tighter at the back... We had very few chances and they played a great game.”
Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini made five changes to the team which crumbled at home and his side were determined to prove a point in the Spanish capital.
“I’m very happy for the goal and even more so for the victory — it’s been a very difficult week,” said Antony, who curled home after 28 minutes, beating Jan Oblak at his near post.
“We had to change, there was no other option... we’re sorry (to the fans) for the game in the cup.”
Atletico had the ball in Betis’s net with 15 minutes to go when Diego Llorente headed Giuliano Simeone’s cross into his own net, but Antoine Griezmann was judged to be fractionally offside and interfering with play.
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao beat Levante 4-2, Sevilla and Girona shared a 1-1 draw, and Getafe won 2-0 at Alaves.
