End of Season Round Up
Well, there isn't any football for a whole 3 weeks in Ukraine and an epic season has come to an end. I am undecided about how to spend the first day of the season with Chernomorets hosting Arsenal in Odessa and Dynamo playing at home to Illichevets. Funnily enough the two promoted teams are playing the top two teams, as usually happens every year despite the fixtures being drawn in lots and Shakhtar will play FK Lviv. The end of the first half of the season will be completed with Shakhtar V Dynamo, as always happens.
On to last season which was an epic and for me started with FC Seoul thrashing Suwon 4-1 at The World Cup Stadium and finished with Obolon beating Dnister Ovidiopol 3-0. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights, concentrating on those games played in Ukraine
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Best Games
3 games really stood out this season the first one would have to be Dynamo Kyiv 7 Karpaty Lviv 3 (19/08/07. This was my first game back in Ukraine, and after a goal drought in Korea it came as a welcome surprise to see a goal fest. A video of the highlights can be seen at http://www.halfvalue.com/playVideo.jsp?kw=karpaty&id=NBfBnrK7heQ The second great game was Obolon 4 CSKA 3 (4/11/07) , which was another game full of goals and had a nail biting finish. the third and final game, which you can watch videos of on this site wasDynamo Kyiv 2 Vorskla Poltava 1 (11/05/08).
Worst Games
Despite playing some great football in the second half of the season, it has to be stated that Arsenal were not too easy on the eye in the first half, with Arsenal 0 Kryvbas 0 (27/10/07) being particularly bad. Another match I really didn't enjoy was Dynamo 2 Shakhtar 1 (11/11/07) . This should have been a game to relish and the result was the one I had hoped for, however the fact that it was played in a howling snowstorm, just made it farcical, as the wind was too high and there was too much snow on the pitch
Trips
Obviously, the trip to Kharkiv forMetalist 3 Vorskla 0 (1/3/08) started this website off, so that is one to remember, another great trip was that hardcore one to Borodyanka for Obolon-2 1 Dynamo -3 2 (19/6/08)
Best Players
Evgen Seleznev really turned round things at Arsenal and scored a fair few goals before shooting back off to Donetsk and shakhtar at the end of the season, Jose also got stuck in for Arsenal and his madness livened up a fair few dull performances. Over at Dynamo Ismael Bangoura was on fire and when he was out the team really suffered, Tiberiu Ghioane has looked like a much improved player of late and Artem Kravets is definitely one for the future
Booze
chernihivske Premium has been my poison of choice at stadiums of late, but the Slavutych in the bar across the road from Chapaevka was perhaps the most impressive pint I have had in Ukraine. Despite Chernihivske becoming my favourite beer it really is best avoided in plastic bottles. As far as bars go Sunduk near Mayadan is close enough to Dynamo to make it a place for pre and post match beers, whereas the kiosks near Republikansky make it a good place for a street cheekster. I am not a big one for watching football in bars, but Bochka on Bohdan Khmelnetskiy has helped fill the void left by the demise of Planetna Sport and Bundes on Lysenko has plenty of football on and is where we witnessed the Birmingham Derby.
Websites
Obviously http://www.pfl.com.ua/ provides most of the necessarry information and http://www.ffu.org.ua/ is also useful of club websites the one I like the most is http://www.vorskla.com.ua/
So there you have it, I just can't wait for the new season to start, although there is a the little matter of the Euros to be sorted out tomorrow night.
On to last season which was an epic and for me started with FC Seoul thrashing Suwon 4-1 at The World Cup Stadium and finished with Obolon beating Dnister Ovidiopol 3-0. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights, concentrating on those games played in Ukraine
.
Best Games
3 games really stood out this season the first one would have to be Dynamo Kyiv 7 Karpaty Lviv 3 (19/08/07. This was my first game back in Ukraine, and after a goal drought in Korea it came as a welcome surprise to see a goal fest. A video of the highlights can be seen at http://www.halfvalue.com/playVideo.jsp?kw=karpaty&id=NBfBnrK7heQ The second great game was Obolon 4 CSKA 3 (4/11/07) , which was another game full of goals and had a nail biting finish. the third and final game, which you can watch videos of on this site wasDynamo Kyiv 2 Vorskla Poltava 1 (11/05/08).
Worst Games
Despite playing some great football in the second half of the season, it has to be stated that Arsenal were not too easy on the eye in the first half, with Arsenal 0 Kryvbas 0 (27/10/07) being particularly bad. Another match I really didn't enjoy was Dynamo 2 Shakhtar 1 (11/11/07) . This should have been a game to relish and the result was the one I had hoped for, however the fact that it was played in a howling snowstorm, just made it farcical, as the wind was too high and there was too much snow on the pitch
Trips
Obviously, the trip to Kharkiv forMetalist 3 Vorskla 0 (1/3/08) started this website off, so that is one to remember, another great trip was that hardcore one to Borodyanka for Obolon-2 1 Dynamo -3 2 (19/6/08)
Best Players
Evgen Seleznev really turned round things at Arsenal and scored a fair few goals before shooting back off to Donetsk and shakhtar at the end of the season, Jose also got stuck in for Arsenal and his madness livened up a fair few dull performances. Over at Dynamo Ismael Bangoura was on fire and when he was out the team really suffered, Tiberiu Ghioane has looked like a much improved player of late and Artem Kravets is definitely one for the future
Booze
chernihivske Premium has been my poison of choice at stadiums of late, but the Slavutych in the bar across the road from Chapaevka was perhaps the most impressive pint I have had in Ukraine. Despite Chernihivske becoming my favourite beer it really is best avoided in plastic bottles. As far as bars go Sunduk near Mayadan is close enough to Dynamo to make it a place for pre and post match beers, whereas the kiosks near Republikansky make it a good place for a street cheekster. I am not a big one for watching football in bars, but Bochka on Bohdan Khmelnetskiy has helped fill the void left by the demise of Planetna Sport and Bundes on Lysenko has plenty of football on and is where we witnessed the Birmingham Derby.
Websites
Obviously http://www.pfl.com.ua/ provides most of the necessarry information and http://www.ffu.org.ua/ is also useful of club websites the one I like the most is http://www.vorskla.com.ua/
So there you have it, I just can't wait for the new season to start, although there is a the little matter of the Euros to be sorted out tomorrow night.
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