Another game, another last-gasp defeat for Dynamo Kyiv. A goal five minutes from the end by Barcelona’s European footballer of the year Lionel Messi sent the Ukrainian champion crashing out of the Champions League with a 2-1 defeat on Dec.9. A draw would have been enough to secure third place in the group and a place in the second-tier Europa League, but defeat gave Dynamo last place and put it out of European competition altogether. Shakhtar Donetsk will be left flying the Ukrainian flag.
This isn’t the first time that Dynamo has lost in the dying minutes. It was leading 1-0 against Inter Milan a few weeks ago with five minutes left, only for goalkeeping and defensive errors to hand the Italians a 2-1 victory. Earlier this week, an acquaintance of mine who is an expert of Eastern European soccer explained why. In Russia and Ukraine, games take place from spring to the end of winter. So by December, the players are exhausted, and struggling to stay switched on mentally and physically for the full 90 minutes. There is certainly a pattern: as well as Dynamo’s last-minute defeats, the Russian and Ukrainian national sides both lost to supposedly inferior opponents in the World Cup playoffs.
On the other hand, this means that the players will be fresh after the winter break – hence Shakhtar’s run to UEFA Cup glory last season. It may give the Donetsk team another boost this year – they’re already through to the next round of the Europa League (the UEFA Cup’s replacement).
But it’s no consolation for Dynamo. It got the perfect start against Barcelona when Artem Milevskiy nudged home from a free kick while many spectators were still taking their seats. What followed, however, was a soccer master-class from what the Dynamo coach afterwards said is “the best team in the world.” In the first half, the Catalans had 80 percent of possession, and passed the ball around with ease and style. Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola explained afterwards that they are not constantly looking for a killer pass, but just to keep the ball, passing it around and knowing that a chance will come. With players like Messi, that’s a luxury Barcelona can afford.
Post-match press conferences are usually boring affairs. One coach explains that his team lost despite trying hard; the other explains that his team won because it tried hard. But this time it was spiced up by the question of language. Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola spoke mainly in Catalan, the language of Catalonia, where Barcelona is located. Dynamo had engaged a translator who worked only with Spanish. Ukrainian journalists were incensed, but not, apparently, at the lack of foresight of Dynamo’s public relations team. “Why are you speaking in Catalan? You may as well be speaking in Swahili!” asked one Ukrainian journalist. Guardiola responded calmly, and to the applause of visiting journalists, that it is his native language, and an important part of Catalan identity. The Ukrainian journalist did not notice the irony that he had asked the question in Russian.
Another person lost in translation is Vitali Klitschko. Despite dominating the heavyweight boxing world, his reputation has never really been cemented in the pantheon of greats in the United States. Klitschko faces off against American Kevin Johnson on Dec. 12. But the fight isn’t in Las Vegas, or New York. It’s in Bern, Switzerland. Only boxing specialists know much about Klitschko’s unheralded opponent, who is not expected to put up much of a challenge to the WBC heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian’s clinical style, based on battering his opponent with repeated jabs, doesn’t have the fireworks that excite American crowds. But his main problem is a dearth of quality opponents.
Klitschko’s main rival in the heavyweight division is now David Haye, the British boxer who won a points decision against Russian giant Nikolai Valuev in November, and has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t rate the Klitschko brothers very highly. A fight will hopefully happen next year, if Haye successfully negotiates his first title defense.
As for Klitschko’s fight this weekend, no doubt we’ll see an exhausted, battered and bloody Johnson remaining on his stool at the start of the eighth round. But Klitschko won’t be any closer to securing a reputation as a legend of the ring. That’s not his fault, though, and by getting back in the ring just over two months after his last title defense, he has proved once again that he won’t duck anyone and will fight the best challengers available. Let’s just hope he doesn’t get tired in the last few minutes or lose his concentration after a busy year.
James Marson can be reached atmarson@kyivpost.com
