Euro 2012: Magnificent Andriy Shevchenko
His career may have wavered after signing for Chelsea but in 2009 he returned home with only one thing on his mind. " the last five years I have hardly thought about anything other than the European Championship that will come to my country he recently professed. Fitness concerns have dogged Shevchenko in recent years with his back being a particular concern. The last year has been a combined effort from Dynamo Kiev and the national team to make sure he made it. 
After declaring his fitness he made Oleg Blokhin's squad but certainly nobody in the 68.000 strong in Dynamo's home stadium would have expected him to start. Start he did though. The pace may have gone, his ability to influence the game for a full 90 minutes was gone as well but his sense of timing was as sharp as ever. Seconds after Ibrahimovic had put the Swedes ahead a loose pass in the Ukrainian defence had the partisan crowd worried that their fairy story had a sting in it's tale. They needn't have worried because their hero still had something left for his adoring public. With his predatory instincts still as sharp as ever he got ahead of Sweden's Mellberg and headed Ukraine level. The crowd erupted and fireworks exploded over his stadium but Sheva wasn't done yet. With Shevchenko playing peek-a-boo in the box a corner came in from the left and was met perfectly. He strained every muscle in his neck and before the man on the line knew what had happened Ukraine were ahead. Again the crowd went mad and another fireworks display over Shevchenko's stadium but they paled in comparison to what he had just done on the pitch. Ukraine had just won their first ever match at the Euro's as an independent nation and it was down to their record goalscorer and national icon. Those two goals were near perfect moments, a crystallisation of destiny that allowed Shevchenko to enjoy one of the crowning moments of a career that is now unfortunately rapidly ebbing away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJceLt-BRNw&feature=relmfu "I'm overwhelmed with emotions, this is fantastic. I want to thank the fans. For us, every game is a final. I feel that I'm 10 years younger today. I want to say thank you to everyone who has worked with me over the past six months. I couldn't imagine that I'd be able to play because I had lots of problems with my knee and back." "Lots of people gave me support and I must thank them because I'm in good condition today. It was probably one of the best games I've played in the last seven or eight months. It's a great day for Ukraine. Those two goals are likely to prove a swansong but what a life-affirming one. As Shevchenko strode off the pitch last night it warmed the heart to witness the standing ovation that all four corners of the Olympic Stadium gave their hero.