Lviv national team is the winner of the championship of Ukraine among veterans in the 55+ age category

11.07.2019 14:01

Photo of the press service of AFVU

The final stage took place at the Sokil Stadium in Lviv Championship of Ukraine among veterans in the 55+ age category, dedicated to the memory of the Dynamo Kyiv player and the USSR national team Victor Matvienko. The winners of the tournament were the hosts — team of veterans of Lviv.

The Association of Football Veterans of Ukraine and Agribusiness LLC, with the support of the Ukrainian Football Association and the Football Federation of the Lviv Region, as the organizers of the competition, chose the venue of the final stage not by chance. In July, a significant date is widely celebrated - the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian and Lviv football, so the location in Lviv was best suited to identify the winners of the prestigious veteran tournament. By the way, this is the sixth championship in the age category 55+, earlier the winners were Lutsk "Aborigine" (four times) and Mukachevo "Carpathians".

Photo of the press service of AFVU

In total, 12 teams from different parts of Ukraine took part in this year's tournament. The top five competed for the final victory. The finalists approached the decisive confrontations with the test scores obtained at the previous stage. According to the rules, the matches were held on the half-field, played according to the "eight on eight" scheme, two halves of 20 minutes.

The Lviv national team, which included famous football players Anatoliy Saulevych, Eduard and Andriy Valenky, Anatoliy Petryk and Anatoliy Tsebriy, beat Lutsk's Aborigine (4: 2), Zhytomyr's Amiko (1: 0) and Chernivtsi's Bukovyna ”(1: 0) and drew with“ Sluch ”from Krasyliv (3: 3). The results of other games of the final part: "Bukovyna" - "Aborigine" - 0: 1, "Sluch" - "Aborigine" - 2: 5, "Aborigine" - "Amiko" - 2: 0.

Photo of the press service of AFVU

The best player of the tournament was the captain of the Lviv national team Volodymyr Sheremet.

Final standings of Ukraine 55+

Cups and medals were presented to the winners and prize-winners by the Executive Director of the Football Veterans Association of Ukraine Vitaliy Kulibabenko and the Deputy Executive Director of the Football Federation of the Lviv Region Andriy Smolsky.

Photo of the press service of AFVU

"This year's Ukrainian Championship in memory of Viktor Matvienko was held as part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian and Lviv football," said Andriy Smolsky. - On the occasion of celebrating this important date, we hold a number of events, starting with children's competitions and ending with veterans. Today we are once again convinced that a healthy body is a healthy spirit. Footballers who are over 50 or even 60 years old meet, communicate, play football. "

Photo of the press service of AFVU

Vitaliy Kulibabenko summed up the results of the second of the seven tournaments planned for 2019 of the AVFU: “Last year Victor Matvienko, an honored master of sports, a great football player of Dynamo and the USSR national team, passed away. So it was logical to dedicate this championship to his bright memory, to remember our good friend with kind words and deeds. The tournament itself took place in two stages. The three and two best teams out of six in the two previous rounds reached the final, the matches of which the hospitable Lviv gladly agreed to host. Several former Karpaty players played for the winning team, the Lviv national team. She was competed by the multiple winner of the 55+ Aboriginal Championship. Lucians played well in all matches, but lost directly to Lviv due to annoying mistakes of the goalkeeper. The third prize-winner, Sluch, also showed himself well: losing to the Lviv national team - 0: 2, he managed to reduce the game to a draw.

In general, the competition was held at a high level, on and off the field there was respect, friendliness and good skill. Thanks to the support of AVFU President Oleh Sobutsky and the head of the Football Federation of the Lviv Region Oleksandr Shevchenko, the teams were provided with good conditions for competitions, quality refereeing, and a wonderful stadium. As for our immediate plans, there will be a competitive break in July, and in August the preliminary rounds of the Ukrainian championship among veterans 35+ and 45+ will begin. "