Let’s plunge into history: how Ukrainian goalkeepers played penalty shootouts in official matches
Three parried blows from 11 meters in the post-match series right through. This is not a unique achievement (on the same evening Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht also hit three without conceding at all), but very rare and, one hundred percent, deserving of special attention.
Below we will consider all cases when Ukrainian goalkeepers of Ukrainian teams took part in 11-meter series in official matches. Let’s say right away: there were very few such stories, the fingers of two hands are enough to list them. Even one extra will remain.
1984/85. Champions Cup, ¼ final. Dnipro – Bordeaux, on penalties* 3:5
* It is not very correct to call the word “penalty” a kick from 11 meters in the post-match series right through, since this is no longer a punishment (penalty – punishment, fine), as in playing time, but simply an element of the game. But we will sometimes resort to this term in order to avoid excessive tautology.
The only case of the USSR era when a Ukrainian club reached the 11-meter series in European competition. In March of the 85th, Dnepr and Bordeaux rolled up combat 1:1 twice, but in the so-called “lottery” on the Krivoy Rog Metallurg, fate smiled at the team of Teagan, Lacombe, Giresse and other notorious personalities.
Everything was decided on the first shot, when Litovchenko loaded the post. Sergey Krakovsky failed to reflect anything.
1995/96. UEFA Cup, 1st round. Vidzev – Chernomorets, on penalties 5:6
We are moving into the era of independence. Buryak’s team, having warmed up in the qualification on the Maltese, in the first round of the main draw thoroughly suffered with an average Polish opponent. At home, the Sailors won minimally, but in the inhospitable Lodz, ten men spent more than half and still conceded at the end. Chernomorets finished with eight outfields in general, so the series became a reward.
In this very series, the hosts were on the verge of success (Parfyonov played), but at the right moment he flashed Oleg Suslov. He parried the fifth blow, and immediately scored himself! No more saves were required – Marek Bajor missed in the seventh turn.
1998/99. Champions League qualification. Sparta — Dynamo, on penalties 1:3
Finally, the turn has come to the flagship of Ukrainian football of those years. There would be no legendary semi-final of the Champions League, if it were not for luck in Prague. At the very end of the match, the newly released Gabriel cut the ball into his own and equalized the score by the amount of meetings. And already in the series the finest hour has come Shovkovsky!
At some point, with the score in the series 1:2, Poshtulka and his Ukrainian colleague began to take all the blows. The Ukrainian gave out three saves in a row – that was enough, because Dmitrulin scored the third immediately after that.
1999/00. UEFA Cup, 1st round. Karpaty – Helsingborg, on penalties 2:4
It was only Leviv’s second entry into European competition. And again, he broke off at the very start. Extremely embarrassing and dramatic. In the first match, the Lviv team led all the way (Getsko), but conceded at the end. In the second leg, the teams exchanged goals in the very end – here Getsko became a savior. But in the series, Brovarsky’s team was powerless. There lived Sven Andersson, who took two (Getsko, Yevtushok). Strontsitsky didn’t pull one out.
Logically, our next stop should have been at Bruges summer 2002. Exactly there Miner in the Champions League qualifier he flew out from the local club, also playing twice 1:1. But here’s the catch – at the gates of the guests was the Pole Kowalewski. And the hosts beat him without a miss, while Ferlinden took two.
Therefore, we make a one-time interlude and plunge into perhaps the most glorious moment in Ukrainian football history.
2006. World Championship, ⅛ final. Switzerland – Ukraine, on penalties 0:3
The same legendary benefit Shovkovsky. The eternal record of the world championships, which can only be repeated. Zero missed in the 11-meter series – no one has done this at world forums before. True, Alexander had two goalkeeper saves, because one of the opponent’s blows hit the crossbar.
SaSho is a well-known penalty-shooter. He was famous for this regularly, at different levels and in different tournaments. To complete the picture, it should be noted that in the Ukrainian team, in addition to the German World Cup, Oleksandr had three more penalty shootouts behind him. One – in 2005 (unsuccessful). And two in a row in 2011 (successful). True, this is all about friendly matches / tournaments, so we will not take them into account.
2008/09. Intertoto Cup, 3rd round. Tavria – Rennes, on penalties 9:10
With a creak, we add this example to the list – after all, it is, albeit already deceased, and not quite full-fledged, but some kind of European Cup. At the same time – this is a record-breaking series of post-match 11-meter kicks in European competition with the participation of a Ukrainian goalkeeper. Alas, unsuccessful for our compatriots. No less remarkable is the name of the opponent – the same Breton club that would so successfully fall into the hands of Trubin almost 15 years later!
Simferopol club at first almost resisted on the road. Then he restored the status quo thanks to Gigiadze’s home goal. In the series, the rivals drenched each other for an extremely long time! soul and Dikan took two each in the main five-hit slot. But then they scored everything, including the goalkeepers themselves! And only on the 12th move did Galyuza’s leg tremble.
2013/14. Europa League qualification. Skenderbeu – Chernomorets, on penalties 6:7
At first, “only” a minimal home victory of Grigorchuk’s not-so-weak team over an Albanian no-name seemed like a sensation. Then there was a shock on the road, when the Odessites conceded, they could still, but still brought the matter to a series of blows from the “point”.
And already there he became a full-fledged hero Dmitry Bezotosny. The Albanians did not score three times – two goalkeeper saves, one hit in the frame. Then there was a group and even a historic exit in the spring.
2016/17. Champions League qualification. Young Boys – Shakhtar, on penalties 4:2
The Pitmen’s sensational bummer in the first confrontation after the Lucescu era. Even after a comfortable home 2:0. In Bern, Adi Hütter’s team responded in kind, and then combed the “Eastern European Barcelona” in the 11-meter series. Fred and Rakitskiy didn’t score against Shakhtar, Haderjonay hit the frame against the hosts. Pyatov took nothing.
A year later, “Young Boys” will also pass Dynamo in a very similar style. 1:3 and 2:0 – thanks to the away goals rule, which has already died.
Well…
2022/23. Europa League playoffs. Rennes — Shakhtar, on penalties 4:5
The vicissitudes of Thursday’s tragicomedy are before our eyes – from offensive heads to the miraculous salvation of Belosyan’s name. We only recall that from 11 meters Trubin took three blows out of seven, and his counterpart Mandanda (senior by 16 years) – not a single one. Bondar and Sikan just missed the target.
Outcome. record for two
Nine times Ukrainian goalkeepers took part in the post-match series at the official level (European cups, national team). Here is the whole list:
- Sergey Krakovsky (Dnipro). 0 saves, loss
- Oleg Suslov (Chernomorets). 1 save, win
- Alexander Shovkovsky (Dynamo). 3 saves, win
- Bogdan Strontsitsky (Carpathians). 0 saves, loss
- Alexander Shovkovsky (team). 2 saves, win
- Andrey Dikan (Tavria). 2 saves, loss
- Dmitry Bezotosny (Chernomorets). 2 saves, win
- Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar). 0 saves, loss
- Anatoly Trubin (Shakhtar). 3 saves, win
As we see Trubin repeated the achievement of Shovkovsky from the last century with three parried blows! More than one of the Ukrainians in one series did not beat anyone.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
