Odesa celebrated City Day in a special way — loudly, brightly, and with football. At the "Chornomorsky" stadium, fans gathered to watch matches featuring the national team of Ukraine veterans. The touring legends paid a visit to Southern Palmira and presented spectators an atmosphere of a great sporting event.

Photo by AUTF

The real stars came out onto the field, names that Ukrainian fans remember well: Eduard Tsykhmeystruk, Yuriy Maksymov, Andriy Polunin, Ruslan Kostyshyn, Oleksandr Kosirenko, Ivan Krivosheyenko, Vitaliy Samoylov, Dmytro Bezruk, Vitaliy Mandzyuk, Kyrylo Kovalevych, Yevhen Seleznyov, Volodymyr Lisnyk, Vadym Myliko, Volodymyr Bondarenko, and Vyacheslav Svidersky. Each of them once thrilled the public as part of leading clubs, and now they have reunited for an important cause — to support the army and gift positive emotions to spectators. President of AUTF Oleg Sobetsky could not attend due to service in the Armed Forces, but his warm words and wishes for peace and good will were conveyed to those present.

Photo by AUTF

The football event was organized by the Odesa Oblast State Administration led by Oleh Kiper, the Association of Football Veterans of Ukraine, company "Agrobiznes", and the Sobetsky Family Charity Fund. The event took place with support from the Ukrainian Football Association.

The first opponent for the national team was a team of amateurs from Odesa Oblast. Before the match, the best players in the region were awarded for their victories in local competitions. Just a few minutes later — and they were already dressed up, ready to face the legends. The duel unfolded in uncompromising battle, each episode evoking emotions on the stands, but the score remained closed — 0:0.

Photo by AUTF

In the second game, the veterans faced Odesa's "Rishelie". This year’s champion of Ukraine in teams of the 55+ age category. His appearance on the field was met with loud applause as victories for Odesa teams at all-Ukrainian level are a rare occurrence today. Vice President of AUTF and team leader Petro Chilibi thanked organizers for their attention to veterans, while the match itself turned out to be combative. The slightly rejuvenated "Rishelie" squad put up tough resistance and scored twice in the first half, cementing its champion status — 2:0.

A special highlight of the football day was a master class from stars for the girls of DSK "Chornomorsky 2018". The young footballers, aged 14, got the chance to play against their idols. They did not back down, demonstrated tactical play and even scored a goal in the veterans' team net. Though they conceded more goals. But the result was not the main thing. An important feeling of celebration, support from the stands, and a group photo with legends that will surely motivate them to move forward.

Photo by AUTF

The football event had not only a sporting but also an important military sense. Active special forces and soldiers who are now undergoing rehabilitation were present on the "Chornomorsky" stands. For them, this event became a taste of normal life — they enjoyed football along with other fans and felt genuine gratitude from society. A separate block of the event was the recruitment project "SSO Recruitment", which allowed everyone interested to get acquainted closer with the specifics of service in Special Operations Forces and communicate with military personnel.

Photo by AUTF

Autumn — the most football season of the year! The veterans' football tour continues and carries an important mission to support Ukraine's Armed Forces and gift people a holiday despite war. Up next are matches in Western Ukraine. Already on September 5, the team will play against local "Dynamo" in Chernivtsi, on the 6th — in Dolyna against "Naftovyk", and on the 7th — in Horodok, which is in Lviv Oblast, where fans will witness a duel with veterans of Lviv's "Karpaty".