Ukraine, after beating Iceland 2-1 on Tuesday evening, qualified for the Euro football tournament which will take place in Germany next summer. A sporting victory that the inhabitants of this country at war for two years are savoring.
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Ukraine is qualified for the Euro football tournament. Tuesday March 26, the Ukrainian team beat the Icelanders in the play-offs (2-1), in Poland [où le match était délocalisé en raison de la guerre], to join Group E, with Belgium, Romania and Slovakia. Russia is excluded from the competition. So for Ukraine, at war for two years, this qualification has a very particular flavor. In kyiv, the morale of the residents is boosted.
When we talk to them about football, most respond “war”. The Kiev people, the day after this match, are proud of their national team which will wear the yellow and blue colors in Germany in June. A victory which, of course, goes beyond just the sporting issue. “It’s classy! We’re going to participate in Eurovision, we’re also qualified for Euro football… These are all ways of drawing attention to Ukraine, of showing that we’re cool, that we are strong, that we win and that we will win”, exults Darya.
“If our people achieve victory everywhere, they will also defeat the Russians.”
Darya, a resident of kyivat franceinfo
The key word, in the end, is “peremoha”which means “victory”. A word loaded with meaning at the moment in Ukraine. “All the victories that Ukraine wins, in whatever field, it gives us strength, patience, motivation and inspiration for the other, more important victory,” continues Evhen.
A lot of responsibility therefore falls on the shoulders of Ukrainian athletes, whether at the Euro or at the Olympic Games next summer. In kyiv, we hope that all the podiums in the colors of Ukraine will encourage Europeans not to relax their efforts to help their country.