Tag: Ukraine

  • World Cup playoffs: Portugal draws Sweden

    World Cup playoffs: Portugal draws Sweden

    …  France tackles Ukraine

    The draw for the European play-offs took place at the home of FIFA in Zurich on Monday afternoon as the eight nations that remain in the race for a ticket for the 2014 World Cup found out their opponents and four enticing ties await next month.

    Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates face a tough task to make it to Brazil as they were paired with the Swedish team led by PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

    France will meet Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine in another key playoff tie.

    Finally, Euro 2004 winners Greece take on Romania, while surprise package Iceland faces Croatia.

    Goal.com reports that the first legs will be played on November 15, with the returns scheduled to take place four days later.

     

  • Ideye eyes Ukraine PL golden boot

    Ideye eyes Ukraine PL golden boot

    Super Eagles and Dynamo Kiev striker Brown Ideye has revealed his desire to emerge the top goal scorer in the Ukrainian premier league by the time the current season comes to a close. Ideye has found the back of the net 13 times this campaign for Dynamo in 21 appearances.

    He faces a tough battle of the goal king title against Shakhtar Donetsk’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan who is already with 19 goals, six ahead of the Nigerian at second spot.

    The 24-year-old in an interview on Dynamo’s official website revealed that he would be happy to end the season as the highest goal scorer but insisted the club’s success is more paramount to him than personal achievements.

    “I really want to become the top scorer of the Ukrainian championship. There are still 9 games, in which I will try to score as many goals. Truth is I’m most interested in winning with my club Kiev “Dynamo” and not interested in personal achievement,” he said.

    Ideye’s goals have had a great influence on the club’s position on the log this season and the Nigerian who has not scored for the Kiev club since his return from Africa Nations Cup in South Africa will hope to improve on his game and get more goals to help his side finish the season on high.

  • Five killed in Ukraine’s air mishap

    At least five people were killed when a plane carrying football fans attempted an emergency landing and caught fire in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, BBC reports.

    The Antonov AN-24 plane was on an internal charter flight from the Black Sea resort of Odessa, with more than 40 people on board.

    It overshot the runway at Donetsk airport. Most of those on board escaped as the plane caught fire.

    At least 12 people were injured. The cause of accident was not immediately clear.

    However, one report said the airport was shrouded in thick fog at the time.

    The twin-engine turboprop was carrying supporters travelling to a Champions League football match in the city, between Shakhtar Donetsk and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.

    A minute’s silence was held before the game which ended in a 2-2 draw.

    The Ukrainian emergency situations ministry said the plane had overshot the runway as it made the emergency landing at Donetsk’s Serhiy Prokofiev International Airport.

    The plane then caught fire and broke up.

    A number of politicians and businessmen from the Odessa region were on board.

    A local police source told the AFP news agency that the aircraft came to rest about 700m (2,300ft) from the runway.

    “We collided with the ground, then the plane opened up like a tin can,” one passenger told Ukraine’s Kanal 5 TV.

    “Thanks to the crack that formed in the fuselage, we were able to get out of the plane before it caught fire.”

    The survivors were later ferried by bus to the airport.

    Reports in Ukrainian media said the aircraft was operated by Pivdenni Avialinii (South Airlines), which is based in Odessa.