Ukraine 1 - 0 Norway: Victory Leaves Much To Be Desired

As John Arne Riise left the pitch with an incredulous look on his face, dismissed just minutes into the second half of his country’s friendly against Ukraine, the complexion of the match changed dramatically for the hosts. While Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko might have been content to let his side sit on their lead and focus on counterattacking football, a man advantage meant nothing short of a complete demolition would satisfy the fans gathered on a frigid evening at Dnepr Arena in Dnepropetrovsk. But even against a disinterested Norway team the Zhovto-Syni machine could not push the margin beyond Yevhen Seleznyov’s first half penalty.

Mykhaylichenko put a handful of previously uncapped players into his starting lineup. Dynamo Kyiv’s Stanyslav Bohush was rewarded for his fine club form with the #1 shirt. Arsenal Kyiv’s Vitaliy Mandzyuk played 90 minutes at right back, and Metalist Kharkiv’s pair of Valentyn Slyusar and Serhiy Valyayev started in the center of midfield. Tavriya’s Volodymyr Homenyuk slotted in just behind Seleznyov in attack.

There was no shortage of motivation for Ukraine after the lackluster showing in the World Cup 2010 qualifier against Croatia, and the hosts were on the front foot from the opening whistle. The Norwegians had no answer for the strength of Seleznyov, and the Shakhtar Donetsk forward performed admirably as the target man for his teammates. On ten minutes Homenyuk rose to head down Mandzyuk’s cross, but keeper Jon Knudsen was there to make the stop. On the quarter hour Dnipro’s Serhiy Nazarenko put a free kick from the edge of the area on frame but Knudsen was positioned well.

The Ukrainian attacks kept coming but lacked sharpness and there were no clear scoring chances to be had. Nazarenko continued to be the only true danger man for the hosts, orchestrating several one-two combinations and trying to break into the box from the left flank. During one such foray on 25 minutes the hometown favorite used a clever stop-and-go to trick a Norwegian defender into a mistimed challenge and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot. Seleznyov stepped up and calmly rolled the ball down the middle for his first international goal. The opener broke the tension for the hosts, but instead of pressing on to try and double the advantage Ukraine was content to coast into halftime.

Mykhaylichenko made four changes at the break. Dmytro Chygrynsky replaced Andriy Rusol as the defenders passed the captain’s armband between them. Artem Milevskiy and Oleksandr Aliyev were brought on to join their soon-to-be Dynamo teammate Serhiy Kravchenko in attack. But perhaps the most notable introduction was Serbian-born Marko Devic making his much anticipated debut for Ukraine. While Devic is not the only one born outside of Ukraine to wear the Zhovto-Syni shirt (for instance, Milevskiy was brought in from Belarus, while his good friend Aliyev hails from Russia), he is the first player from beyond the former Soviet Republics invited to join the National Team.

The second half had barely begun in earnest when Riise and the officials conspired to turn the match on its head. After briefly consulting with his linesman, the Latvian referee showed the veteran left back a straight red for dissent. Asked for a comment on Riise’s dismissal, Norway manager Age Hareide replied, “l think the referee needs to work on his English.” The sending off effectively turned the match into a scrimmage lacking any semblance of a competitive encounter. The visitors, already seemingly unwilling to put forth maximum effort, were mentally on the plane ride home after being reduced to ten men.

With Norway routinely pulling out of challenges and refusing to apply any pressure away from their own area, Ukraine saw a lopsided result was there for the taking. But poor decisions in attack continued to stall the hosts. Milevskiy took over where Seleznyov left off, overpowering his markers and trying to set up his teammates, but his timing was off more often than not. Aliyev seemed determined to open his international account on this day, but none of the half dozen shots he attempted had the required accuracy. No doubt Aliyev’s “shoot on sight” approach had to frustrate some of his teammates. Devic was probably more disappointed than most, as he failed to establish himself and saw very few touches in his first appearance. Near the end Devic intelligently anticipated a defender’s misplay of a bouncing ball and latched on for a close range volley, but fired straight at the keeper. As the final whistle sounded Ukraine walked off victorious but hardly satisfied.

Mykhaylichenko had this to say in his post-match press conference:

I am glad we got a chance to use this particular squad for this friendly. We only had two days to train, and we are pleased we got the win. The concentration and effort of the players overcame the lack of proper preparation.

The match can be divided into two halves. The first period was a battle, there was lots of speed and dynamic play. The dismissal in the second half played a cruel joke on our team. The players relaxed. We did not convert our chances, but at least we created them.

The defense was solid, and I honestly can not recall any dangerous moments in front of our goal. Not everyone was able to play at their highest level, but I don’t have any individual complaints.

Denpropetrovsk has a beautiful stadium, but to be honest I expected more fans in the stands. I want to thank those who came out to support our team in this weather.