The Ukrainian Weekly (https://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/author/matthew/page/2/)
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) lost its appeal against the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Swiss Football Association (SFA) following the dismissal of the case by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a decision announced on March 19.
SOCCER
Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk advance
Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk advanced to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League after winning their respective matches in the Round of 32.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – A virtual winter gala, “Rekindle the Magic of Soyuzivka” that was hosted online on January 16 by the Ukrainian National Foundation, an affiliated company of the Ukrainian National Association, raised more than $200,000 to benefit the Soyuzivka Heritage Center in Kerhonkson, N.Y. The gala was organized with the aim of raising funds for the continued operation of Soyuzivka, which has faced significant financial hurdles as a result of ongoing pandemic restrictions. Those restrictions have temporarily shuttered the center’s camps, festivals and other in-person events.
SOCCER
Kovalenko signs multi-year deal with Atalanta
Atalanta FC (Bergamo, Italy) announced on February 1 the transfer of FC Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Viktor Kovalenko, and Shakhtar also confirmed that the 24-year-old footballer (he turns 25 on February 14) will continue his career in Italy, but the clubs did not disclose the details of the agreement. According to the Transfermarkt website, the transfer amount was 700,000 euros, contracted for four years and six months until June 30, 2025. Kovalenko, a graduate of the FC Shakhtar Academy, made his debut in the premier team in the 2014-2015 season. He played 200 official matches for the club in all tournaments and scored 32 goals. As part of Shakhtar, he won 10 trophies: he won the Ukrainian league and cup four times, and the Ukrainian Super Cup twice.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Dynamo Kyiv’s Ruslan Neshcheret, 19, and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Anatoliy Trubin, 19, are among eight contenders for the title of best save in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL). An online vote is being hosted on Instagram (www.instagram.com/championsleague), where viewers can vote for their favorite goalkeeper of the UCL group stage. The direct website link for the vote is: www.instagram.com/p/CJnv4DxDVUx/.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine – represented by 197 athletes – finished in third place on the medals table (16 gold, 17 silver and 18 bronze, for a total of 51 total) at the 2019 European Games in Minsk on June 21-30. The games – the second iteration, as the first were held in 2015 in Baku – attracted 43 National Olympic Committee member countries that sent some 3,667 athletes that were featured in 200 events in 15 sports (archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, beach soccer, boxing, canoe, cycling, gymnastics, judo, karate, sambo, shooting, table tennis and wrestling). Ten of the sports offered qualification opportunities for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine’s under-20 men’s team put on a showcase final with its 3-1 come-from-behind win against South Korea on June 15 at Lodz Stadium in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. South Korea drew first blood with a penalty kick in the fifth minute by Lee Kang-in. Through modern Video Assistant Referee technology, the play that triggered the penalty was reviewed and showed that captain Hwang Taehyeon was tripped on the inside right edge of the penalty area. Ukraine dominated the scoring for the remainder of the match with a brace of goals by Vladyslav Supriaha in the 34th and 52nd minutes. (He is among few players to score multiple goals in a U-20 World Cup final, including Oscar’s hat-trick in 2011 for Brazil.) Supriaha’s equalizer came off Serhiy Buletsa’s free kick returned by South Korea, when Supriaha captured a loose ball and fired it into the goal from eight yards.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Serhiy Buletsa’s shot in the 65th minute was the lone goal that sealed Ukraine’s 1-0 win against Italy on June 11 in the semifinal of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Gdynia, Poland. With the win, Ukraine advanced to the final against South Korea on June 15 in Lodz.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine’s Under-20 men’s national team won 4-1 against Panama on June 3 in Tychy, Poland, in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland and advanced to the quarterfinals against Colombia on June 7. Tournament hosts Poland lost 0-1 in the Round of 16 against Italy. Ukraine enjoys the home crowd of Poles cheering them on.
SOCCER
U-20 men’s team advances to knockout stage
Ukraine’s men’s under-20 national team tied 1-1 with Nigeria on May 30 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, to finish in first place in Group D of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland (tournament hosts). Ukraine won 2-1 against the U.S. on May 25 and won 1-0 against Qatar on May 27 in Tychy. Ukraine finished with seven points.