The Ukrainian dream of a World Cup appearance ended in a rainstorm. The head coach didn't know what to do when the rain started. The air smelled like gunpowder after a red flare landed on the field. There was smoke in the sky. The stadium was loud. He reversed and stood alone as the Wales team celebrated. He didn't seem to know what he was looking for. His team came so close. It was hard to remember the hope and promise that had burned bright the past four days after it missed so many chances. The dressing room had no one speak in it.
He would say "dead quiet."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally asked the soldiers at the front lines to write messages of support on a flag and that's how the flag was brought to Wales. The team members were aware of who was supporting them. The players wore their pain on their faces and he said the failure was his and not theirs. A nation needed a win and a down payment on a bright future. He was trying to find the right word. He apologized to his fellow citizens who didn't score. He grinned and looked blankly at the wall. It was difficult to see. The possibilities were slipping through his fingers. Everybody did. The journalist asked the international reporters to not forget what is happening in his homeland.
There was a group of people.
He said that he knew what was happening in Ukraine. All over the country, there is war. There are children and women dying every day. Russian barbarians are ruining our infrastructure every single day. Russia wants to hurt us. The Ukrainians are fighting back. The Ukrainians are fighting.
Black smoke rose into the air after two Russian missiles hit Kyiv on the morning of the match. Petrakov woke up in Wales to the news that his hometown had been hit. He is from the Ukranian city of Kyiv. He fished on the banks of the river in the center of town as a boy. He wants to walk through the city and stop at all the old cathedrals. He will sit on a bench and think.
He refused to leave when the Russians started hitting. His children were in need of help. He told them he was born in Kyiv and would die there before anyone stole his home. He tried to join the army in the beginning of the fighting. The way he could serve his country was to do what he'd trained his entire life to do, and that's what the recruiters told him. They told him that he knew a lot about football.
The army guys told him to take them to the site of the World Cup.
Petrakov went to visit soldiers in the trenches. He gave out cigarettes while talking to them. The Russians heard blasts when they got to the outskirts. He was told not to leave the apartment. He heard a missile whistle in the air while walking to the market to buy bread. The earth shook when it hit. He told me that there were five deaths. Including a group of people. A mother and father. Two people, a boy and a girl.
He said that you don't know where it will hit. There is a lottery. You're not sure. Around 2 kilometers from me, one more fell down. There is a missile The windows were shaking. The house shook. I was in the apartment and my wife was in the shelter. I think I was not afraid because she couldn't bear it. You won't get away from your fate.
The coach roared into the night after the Ukrainians beat Scotland. He looked like he was lying when he said they were just playing a game. He looked and sounded like he had been given something by the victory but also had a burden removed after three months of fear and rage.
It's difficult to explain the situation in the country. The mass graves are still being found. If you don't step on a land mine, you can take a walk in the woods north of Kyiv and find an empty hole where civilians killed by the Russian army were quickly buried. The clothes are still there. Locals burn-out Russian tanks to see where they died. There is an app for the air raid sirens.
The girl is in the city. His wife is also included. He can only help them by coaching. For the past four days, he thought his team would beat Wales and take the Ukrainian flag and anthem to the World Cup. He was told by the soldiers that he was too old to get a rifle and man a post.
The war started over 100 days ago. There has been reason for hope over the past three months. The Russians were exposed and pushed back across the border by the Ukrainian army. The situation in the east has deteriorated, with the Russian army shelling helpless positions, the fighting happening in trenches, and more. This war could last for a long time because the Russians control 20% of the country. Ukrainians like to remind foreigners that it has been going on for a long time.
The last four days felt good for a number of reasons. It takes a lot of people to win a war, and Oleksandr Petrakov has been one of them. He gave a nation four good days and wanted to give it more.
The stadium buzzed with energy as the Ukrainian bus arrived. A man walks down a hallway. He yelled and pointed while going onto the pitch. This was a man who had been preparing for a long time. He didn't wear a jacket as the rain fell. He stood on the sideline while wiping his glasses.
The Wales crowd made a loud noise as the game started. The fans were singing and screaming. It would have been sentimental if Wales had made the World Cup. The failures and the desire to cleanse themselves of them lived in every chant. The rain got worse. One of the coach's assistants got out of the mess and put on a coat.
The free kick was lined up by Bale. He hit it low to the right and Yarmolenko dove to clear it.
The day before the war began, Yarmolenko sent his wife and child back to Kyiv to get a checkup. He asked English journalists if they could imagine what he was like when it started. I was going to hit my head against the wall. I am sitting in London with my family and I was foolish to send them to Kyiv.
Yarmolenko accidentally headed Bale's shot into his own goal after making contact with it.
The tension grew as the minutes went by.
Ukrainians missed chances after chances. Petrakov had to be separated from a Wales player. The man roared into the rain. The people were soaked. The crowd was on edge and both sides were cheering and complaining about the officials. The group of Ukrainians chanted their country's name over and over. The teams wanted to win this game. The people in the stands seemed to understand that they were watching one of the most intense days of football they've ever seen.
Petrakov yelled at the ref and begged for a long run of time. Serhiy Sydorchuk let loose a shot after fielding the ball and letting it go. He fell to his knees in pain after it flew over the goal. He knew. The Wales fans exhaled and sang an old English football song with "please don't make me go hooome!" written on it.
Petrakov didn't move after the game was over. The stadium was loud and filled with fumes. The security guards tried to stop the fans from escaping.
Petrakov had a clue as to what to do.
He went to the far right corner of the pitch where the Ukrainian fans had sung and waved their flags. The coach cheered the fans who'd been cheering for him after Bale embraced Petrakov. All of them were citizens of a nation fighting to exist in that moment.
They had four good days.
Petrakov pondered how he wanted his team to be remembered by his countrymen.
He wants the people of Ukraine to know about the team. I apologize but this is sports. I just don't understand how it happens.
There was no sound in the press room.
Petrakov was at a loss for words. I'm not sure what to say.
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