SPORTSLINE (03/15/98)

SPORTSLINE

by Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj

Soccer

On March 4, Kyiv's remarkable Dynamo tied the Italians at their own game. In the away half of their two-game quarterfinal against European No. 1 Juventus, they hung on for a desperately earned 1-1 result in front of 40,723 fans in Turin.

When Coach Valeriy Lobanovsky arrived in the Italian city, he promised "the football of the year 2000," but instead the jittery Ukrainians tore a page out of the tactical book written by the hosts in the 1950s. Except for brief two-man sallies by Andriy Shevchenko and Serhiy Rebrov, the Dynamisty used an "everyone back" defense known as "catenaccio" on the Mediterranean peninsula.

As Reuters put it, "Juventus [players] were essentially thwarted by the defend-and-prosper tactics which countless Italian sides have used to such great effect down the decades when playing away in Europe."

The Kyivans had reason to be conservative. The heat applied by the black-and-white striped 1997 Champions League finalists was torrid. Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, Dutchman Edgar Davids and Italian Alessandro Del Piero menaced constantly. Goalkeeper Oleksander Shovkovskyi did his imitation of Czech hockey sensation Dominik Hasek, making several miraculous saves.

Some chances fell at the feet of hard-working midfielder Angelo DeLivio, who has been known to have trouble finishing, and sent several balls harmlessly into Shovkovskyi's hands.

Kyiv's fans had their hearts in their throats for 90 minutes, then another six of injury time which the English referee allowed to stretch out for an apparent eternity.

In the 41st minute, veteran defender Oleh Luzny drew a yellow card, his second in recent matches, which meant that he'll be suspended in the return game. This set up a dangerous foul shot that Davids sent low and just wide. The Dutchman was himself given a yellow sometime later for contesting a call.

At the 45th minute, Zidane threw the defenders into a panic with a lightning run, but then hooked a weak shot at the goalie. Zidane struck a vicious drive at the 52nd minute which Shovkovskyi just managed to knock over the net at full stretch.

At the 55th minute, a miracle. Del Piero laterally outsprinted three defenders and launched a rocket that beat the Kyivan netminder. It clanged off the crossbar!

At the 57th minute, an even greater miracle. The Ukrainians sprinted down field and earned a corner kick on the right. The ball flew across, arriving in front of Juventus midfielder Didier Deschamps, and he cleared it straight to a waiting Andriy Gusin. He lashed it past a stunned Angelo Peruzzi. Dynamo led 1-0.

Juventus players were clearly shocked and briefly on their heels. At the 60th minute, a signature brilliant surge from Rebrov ended with a shin-bashing trip in the penalty area by Alessandro Birindelli - but no call.

Escaping a 2-0 deficit seemed to revive the 1996 European League Champions, and they resumed their furious attack. In the 76th minute, it finally, paid off. Fillipo Inzaghi met Davids cross with a purposeful header, Shovkovskyi parried it gamely, but Inzaghi crashed the rebound into the net.

The Gusin goal goat was displeased after the game. Deschamps said, "If that's the future of football, I don't like it. Dynamo shut up shop. They didn't give us an inch of space."

Coach Lobanovsky said "Juve were stronger than us tonight. They studied our game and they used the results of their studies to good effect. They subdued Andriy Shevchenko very well."

As the TV announcers related during the game, 50,000 tickets had already been sold for the March 18 rematch in Kyiv, with another 50,000 fans expected to buy privileges to roar for their side. According to Reuters, the Italian-based side will arrive in the Ukrainian capital with "a staggering 10 players on yellow cards" (another foul will mean ejection).

Fans' fists are clenched ever tighter.

Athletics

World and Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka began 1998 on a better note than 1997, by winning the ninth annual Pole Vault Star International Competition he organizes in his home town of Donetsk. On January 26, he won the tournament, to which he invites the world's top vaulters (such as 1996 Olympic Champion Jean Galfione of France), with a leap of 5.80 meters. It was the eighth time he won the meet. As has become his habit, he also made an attempt to beat his own world record.

Last year, Mr. Bubka was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of injury.

Earlier in January, the 35-time world record holder was declared the Champion of Champions for 1997 by French magazine l'Equipe for winning his sixth consecutive title at the world athletics championships in Greece in 1997. (Eastern Economist)

Chess

According to a report in the February 10 issue of The New York Times, Ukrainian grandmaster Dimitri Komarov tied for first place at the 12-player invitational round-robin 40th International Tournament in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Mr. Komarov played conservatively and did not lose a game, finishing with a score of 7.5-3.5.