Ukrainian soccer league back in action

By Minako Sasako / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:08 JST, August 24, 2022

KYIV — The new season of the Ukrainian Premier League kicked off in Kyiv on Tuesday, with the first match played in an empty stadium amid looming threats of Russian attacks in the run-up to Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug. 24.

The league was forced to suspend the previous season following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The players of Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Metalist 1925 of Kharkiv entered the field Tuesday draped in Ukrainian flags, and after a moment of silence for the war dead, a Ukrainian soldier took a ceremonial kickoff.

The match between teams from the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Kharkiv ended in a 0-0 draw.