Football Round-Up: Dynamo Kyiv Progresses, Ukraine Captain Zinchenko Joins London’s Arsenal

It’s a busy time for Ukrainian football with the new 2022/23 season scheduled to kick off in August. Although the Ukrainian authorities have said they intend to ensure games are played at stadia in Ukraine, it is likely that with all the safety and security issues considered, some games will be played in Poland, where millions of Ukrainian nationals currently reside.

However, Odesa-based club Chornomorets says it will most likely play its matches in Kyiv Region.

A case in point is the iconic Ukrainian club side Dynamo Kyiv. It recently played a vital qualifying match in the UEFA Champions League against Turkish side Fenerbahce in the Polish city of Lodz. That game ended goalless, but the second game saw Dynamo win 2-1 on Wednesday, July 27. It means Dynamo will play Austrian team Sturm Graz on August 3 and 9. The first game will be played in Lodz.

However, Dynamo Kyiv played the Peace Match against Liverpool-based Premier League team Everton on Friday, July 29, to highlight Ukraine’s current plight and to raise funds. Everton ran out winners by three goals to nil, though some of the main Dynamo players were rested ahead of the coming vital games versus Sturm Graz.

Ukrainian footballer Vitaliy Mykolenko now plays for Everton, having moved from Dynamo Kyiv last season. A big crowd of home supporters also included a healthy number of Ukrainian supporters, including many newly-arrived seeking to build new lives in the UK. The Everton goal scorers were Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dwight McNeil, who scored twice. The half-time entertainment came from Ukrainian singer Tina Karol. The best chance for Dynamo to score was at the start of the second half, when a free kick shot was ably saved by Everton goalie Jordan Pickford.

London-team Arsenal F.C. has bought Ukraine national team captain and midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko in a deal worth a reported $36 million. The deal was signed on Friday, July 22, and means Zinchenko moved from current English Premier League champions Manchester City to Arsenal.

It means he will be reunited Arsenal chief coach Mikel Arteta, who worked with him during Arteta’s time as assistant to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Zinchenko has played 52 times for the Ukraine national side and made 128 appearances for Manchester City after joining in 2016, but featured just 15 times in the Premier League last season.

He won both the Premier League and League Cup four times at Manchester City and the FA Cup once, making him the most successful Ukrainian to have played in English soccer.