Veteran Lucescu defies history to take Dynamo to brink of Ukraine title
Sports
April 25, 2021
KIEV: There was just a hint of a smile playing around the corners of Mircea Lucescu’s mouth when the final whistle blew last Saturday, signalling a victory for his current team Dynamo Kiev over their great rivals Shakhtar Donetsk, the side he ruled for over a decade.
The 75-year-old is in his first season as head coach at Dynamo but that 1-0 win over his old team at the Olympiysky stadium in Kiev means he is just one win away from delivering the club’s first league title in five years.
Ex-Shakhtar coach Lucescu guides arch rivals Dynamo to title Kiev (AFP) – Mircea Lucescu celebrated guiding Dynamo Kiev to the Ukrainian league title on Saturday in his first season as coach at the bitter rivals of Shakhtar Donetsk, the side he managed for 12 years.
Such was the level of protests at his appointment of the former Shakhtar stalwart from Dynamo fans the 75-year-old had contemplated quitting.
But he weathered the storm and masterminded Dynamo’s 16th title but first for five years, sealed with three games of the season remaining.
Lucescu’s new team did it in style by thrashing minnows Ingulets Petrove 5-0 at the Olympiysky stadium in Kiev, with centre-back Illya Zabarnyi scoring the fourth minute opener and forward Artem Besedin doubling up before the quarter of an hour mark.