UU, the people in the stadium shouted in turn, while the players in the center circle raised their arms and clapped their hands, KRAAA – II – NAA, the fans continued the rhythmic incantation. The individual syllables of the powerfully delivered battle cry reverberated through the stadium in Leverkusen like an echo in the mountains.
This moment of proud ritual and demonstrative unity between footballers and fans was actually a moment in which the Ukrainian players with slumped shoulders and sad faces should have waved a final greeting to the group because they had not won the game and had not achieved their goal reached. It was 0-0 after 90 plus five minutes in the Arena in Leverkusen, where Ukraine and Italy met in the final in Group C. The Italians have secured admission to the European Championships thanks to the draw, and their opponents still have a chance in the playoffs in March.
But the usual criteria for a football game did not apply to the Ukrainians. The game, which was moved to Leverkusen because of the war with the support of Bundesliga club Bayer 04, was first and foremost a celebration of cohesion; the result, despite its sporting importance, remained secondary. The Italians had the tact to put themselves on the sidelines as the winners of the evening. There were no exalted scenes of jubilation on the pitch, no loud chants, no celebration of the triumph. The players were happy, but they did it discreetly. Many sought to get close to their Ukrainian colleagues in order to hug them. Inter Milan’s Nicolò Barella didn’t miss anyone he could catch, not even the Ukrainian supervisors.
Even before the game, Squadra Azzurra supporters and footballers showed their sympathy by applauding during the Ukrainian national anthem. “The Italian spectators and players showed us respect, that was very emotional,” said Ukrainian coach Sergej Rebrow, 49, and praised the “peaceful atmosphere” in the stadium and the hospitality that was experienced in Leverkusen.
“We have to thank the referee and the VAR,” writes an Italian newspaper
The encounter shortly before injury time began offered the best opportunity for excitement and division. The Ukrainians got into the penalty area with patient passing, the fast left winger Mykhailo Mudryk was a moment quicker to the ball than Bryan Cristante, and there was exactly the kind of “contact” that the TV commentators always use when they say: Okay , this penalty can be given. But the Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano did not give it, and the video assistant apparently did not protest. Mudryk stayed down and the game continued.
If you look at it calmly, you can argue about the scene. Cristante was definitely a moment too late, but Mudryk flies off with such a flourish on the anticipation of contact that he may have discredited himself. Manzano led the game confidently and let some tough things happen. “We have to thank the referee and the VAR,” said the Gazzetta dello Sport, speculating that the discussions in Italy would have taken forever if the roles had been reversed.
Open detailed view
Goal achieved: Coach Luciano Spalletti is allowed to coach Italy at the European Championships in Germany.
(Photo: Maik Hölter/Team 2/Imago)
Sergei Rebrow, once the strike partner of the great Andriy Shevchenko – an eyewitness in Leverkusen on Monday evening – didn’t make much of a fuss about the missed shot at luck. “From my point of view it was a penalty,” he remarked in an almost indifferent manner, “but they checked it, so it was just my feeling.” He preferred to talk about his satisfaction that his team had shown “the character of Ukraine.” “The war continues, it’s not easy to work in this atmosphere. The players think about home, they have their eyes on the phone, they listen to the news, like me.” The game remained close until the end, the Ukrainians defied an opponent with superior playing skills. That’s why Rebrow didn’t want to complain about a missed penalty or the fruitless draw.
Under Luciano Spalletti, Italy plays courageously offensively
This 0-0 score sounds like a typical Italian success story, it meets their needs exactly, they didn’t need anything more than this point. Nevertheless, it was not a minimal result achieved according to the old custom of Calcio Cinico. New coach Luciano Spalletti’s team played courageously and courageously and sought their luck on the offensive most of the time – especially the daring left winger Federico Chiesa. It was only when he left the field tired with a quarter of an hour to go that the Azzurri discovered the time factor. The execution of throw-ins now took a little longer, substitutions dragged on, but it remained a harmless sabotage – José Mourinho, the master of time game management, would have been angry at how quickly the ball was back in play. Only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma stood out as a minute stealer when he took the ball out of bounds only to kick it away again.
Now his real work can begin, said a very relieved Spalletti. The 64-year-old master coach of SSC Napoli had broken off his sabbatical to take on the job as national coach, but the beginning was difficult (“everyone was afraid that things could go wrong again”). In the final minutes of the game, Spalletti couldn’t hide his enormous excitement. But his team held firm and the current European champions will defend their title in Germany next summer.
