I wasn't even particularly looking forward to Ukraine v Sweden; I thought it might be the first 0-0 of the tournament.
The first half didn't really assuage my fears and then something magical happened in the second half; a true legend of the game stepped up and made this match memorable.
In his & his country's first ever game in the European championship at 35 years old, Andriy Shevchenko, captain & talisman of the Ukrainian team, scored a brace & won Ukraine's first game. The crowd went wild with both goals (this young boy is already becoming internationally famous) and the players looked close to tears in their happiness. It was an amazing thing to watch and a game, a simple game of football, suddenly meant a little more than 3 points and a win: pride and glory and love for a country and its people erupted and I admit that I got teary-eyed. How lovely for Sheva. How lovely for Ukraine. And how lovely for all of us football fans lucky enough to be watching such a spectacle.
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