Jean-François Pérès, edited by Romain Rouillard
modified to
8:02 p.m., October 06, 2022
When it comes to challenging Rennes in the Europa League, Dynamo kyiv is going through a particularly difficult season due to the conflict ravaging Ukraine. The most successful club in the country has seen its daily life completely turned upside down and must now swallow the kilometers to be able to participate in the various competitions.
The long journey of Dynamo kyiv brings it this Thursday evening to Rennes to challenge the tricolor club in the Europa League. This Ukrainian football club is going through difficult times due to the conflict initiated by Vladimir Putin and logically cannot play its home matches. Forced into exile, the most prestigious club in Ukraine, winner of two European Cups in the 1970s, saw its daily life change.
The bombardments on Ukraine, the stoppage of the championship and the departure of many foreign players, the club has learned to manage with the means at hand. Despite the closure of the national airspace, the team has relocated near the Polish border and swallows dozens of hours by coach each week to reach neighboring airports and stadiums.
“Concentrating on the game is not easy”
At its head, an exceptional coach, the Romanian Mircea Lucescu, a true legend in Eastern Europe who, despite his 77 years, did not want to let go of his players. “We have to live these situations with enthusiasm, with the confidence that must be passed on to the players. They are in a situation that is not ideal to be able to play football. Families are scattered around the world and focus on the match is not easy, but the behavior of my players is extraordinary. Football must never stop”, he explained in perfect French.
Tonight, Lucescu and Dynamo kyiv will try to reverse the course of a fatally difficult season with already two defeats in two matches in this Europa League, but the club continues to proudly display the colors of Ukraine. A form of permanent victory.