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Dynamo influence Final chance at last for Milan's Kiev old boysPosted: Tuesday May 27, 2003 7:16 AMMANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- When AC Milan pair Andriy Shevchenko and Kakha Kaladze line up in the Champions League final against Juventus on Wednesday they will achieve a goal that once appeared to have eluded them. Striker Shevchenko and defender Kaladze were part of the Dynamo Kiev team of the late 1990's that was the last from Eastern Europe to make a serious impression in the Champions League, reaching the semifinals in 1999. "At Dynamo we had a great team with Andriy but we couldn't make it to the final and now we are both so happy to be there with Milan," says Georgian international Kaladze. The Ukrainian side, coached by the late Valery Lobanovsky and fired by the striking talents of Shevchenko, made a habit of upsetting some of the aristocrats of the continental game. Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven were humbled in 1997-98 before Dynamo fell to Juventus in the quarterfinals, with Shevchenko's current Milan strike partner Filippo Inzaghi scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win in Kiev. A year later Arsenal was beaten 3-1 in the group stage before one of the great night's in the history of the former Soviet side when Real Madrid was beaten 2-0 in Ukraine, Shevchenko scoring twice to put it into the semifinals. The striker scored two more as Dynamo drew 3-3 at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg, but a 1-0 defeat in Germany ended the Dynamo dream. The team then broke up with Shevchenko's compatriot and fellow striker Serhiy Rebrov heading for a disappointing spell in the English Premier Lague with Tottenham Hotspur and Ukraine defender Oleg Luzhny also moving to north London and Arsenal. While that pair have struggled to recapture the exciting European adventures they enjoyed with Dynamo, Shevchenko and Kaladze now have a perfect opportunity to finally reach their target of being champions of Europe. "It's a dream I've had since I was young, and especially since I became a footballer, to play in a Champions League final," Shevchenko told Reuters. "Back in 1999 there was great disappointment for everyone at Dynamo but, to be honest, I don't think we were ready to go all the way. We didn't think we could reach the final and that was the moment we lost it," he says. Players from the former Soviet Union have rarely made an impact abroad but Shevchenko is an exception. He scored 24 goals in his first season in Italy, more than he managed in the Ukrainian league, and repeated the feat a year later. Injury robbed him of the opening months of the season and he has rarely hit top form but, with his place in the Milan side being questioned by some, he delivered the crucial 'away' goal against rivals Inter Milan that secured a place in the final. "I was unlucky to get injured so early in the season and I was out for a few months but step-by-step I was able to refind my form despite a few other injury problems. Now, though, I've completely refound my form and my faith in myself," said Shevchenko. Kaladze played under four coaches in his first 18 months and was asked repeatedly to switch positions. But this season he has made the left back slot at Milan, for over a decade occupied by current captain and central defender Paolo Maldini, his own. "I had a few problems at first because of the different positions but now we can say I have my place. I'm very lucky to have Maldini alongside me. We talk a lot and I have become a Serie A player alongside him," says Kaladze.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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