Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 drew 0-0 at Kyiv’s empty Olympic Stadium on Tuesday (23 August) as competitive football returned to war-torn Ukraine with the start of the country’s new Premier League season.
The opening games of the season have been timed to coincide with Ukraine’s National Flag Day and mark another show of resistance after February’s Russian invasion, which brought an early end to last season’s championship.
But it also comes as the US embassy in the capital warned of the increased possibility of Russian military strikes on Ukraine and Kyiv on Wednesday banned public celebrations in the capital to mark the anniversary of independence from Soviet rule.
It was both sides’ first competitive game in nine months and although there were obvious signs of rust, they put up an entertaining fight with Shakhtar coming closest to victory when Mykhailo Mudryk hit the bar.
At least the game wasn’t interrupted by the still everyday air raid alarms.
The situation is so dire that only certain venues with bomb shelters are used for UPL games. No fans are allowed to enter the stadium as the games are mostly focused in Kyiv for now.
The return of the 16-team local league offers 90 minutes of distraction from the bloodshed and devastation of a war that Russia describes as “special operations”.
“It’s our job and we see it as a very big responsibility to show the world that life in Ukraine doesn’t stop but goes on,” Shakhtar’s Croatia coach Igor Jovicevic told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s game.
“Football is one of the factors that brings emotion to the whole country and the people who are fighting for all of us. It’s very important for us, not just for Shakhtar, but for the entire UPL to keep going.”