Will Shakhtar’s ‘orange’ revolution succeed?

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Published: 19 May, 2009, 15:11

TAGS: Sport, Europa League, Football

On Wednesday, Shakhtar of Donetsk may become the first Ukrainian team in the country’s post-Soviet history to win the UEFA Cup. Only Germany’s Werder – the other finalist – can spoil the Ukrainian dream.

Shakhtar’s owner, Ukrainian's richest businessman Rinat Akhmetov, has been dreaming of this all of his life, and now his team just needs to make the last effort to win the long-awaited European title. Of course, the UEFA Cup is not the Champions League in any aspect, but it’s still extremely prestigious.

Never before in its history has Shakhtar been so close to the trophy, and if the Donetsk side emerges victorious on Wednesday, it will be the first European success for Ukraine in its modern history.

The clash in Istanbul is regarded as the match of the year by both contenders. Werder struggled in the domestic arena finishing just 10th in the Bundesliga. They still have a chance to get into the UEFA Europa League – the new format of the UEFA Cup – but for the time being the Bremen side is not concentrating on the domestic cup final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, Shakhtar, dubbed the 'Oranges' for the club’s colors, lost the home championship to historic rivals Dynamo Kiev and now is desperately seeking consolation in Europe.

Curiously enough, both sides narrowly qualified for the UEFA Cup play-offs after finishing third in the Champions League group stages last autumn. Back in 2008 they were not thought of as favorites, but ruined such shoo-ins as AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, CSKA Moscow, Olympique de Marseille as well as other teams on their way to Istanbul.

So who will become victorious in this European Cinderellas clash on Wednesday night?

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