Gustav Svensson: "The Russians, not the Ukrainians, forced me to flee the Crimea"

 

 The midfielder of the Swedish national team Gustav Svensson on the eve of the match with the Ukrainian national team in the 1/8 finals of Euro 2020 shared not only the expectations of this meeting, but also his memories of the period of his career in the Ukrainian championship SK Tavriya Simferopol.

 In the summer of 2012, Svensson signed a contract with Tavriya Simferopol, becoming the first Swede in the Ukrainian championship. The midfielder played for the Crimean until the moment when the peninsula was occupied by Russia.

“It was the Russians, not the Ukrainians, who forced me to flee home. And I have only the best memories of Ukraine. And about the country, and about the Ukrainian people, and about the players with whom I played in "Tavriya", and about this club itself.

When Crimea was filled with Russian soldiers, I decided to return home immediately. Then the airport was still working, but until I settled all the issues, packed my things, it was already impossible to fly away. And I had to get out to the mainland of Ukraine by bus.

My path was not easy: we were stopped several times by the Russian military, who burst into the bus with weapons and flashlights, asking the same question: "Who are you and why are you going to leave here?" And so I, looking at the muzzle of a machine gun pointed in my face, had to show my passport and try to explain where I was going and why.

Now, by the will of fate, my paths crossed with Ukraine again - in the playoffs of Euro 2020. The current Ukrainian team is a very good team of a very high level. Our opponent, like us, loves to control the ball. In addition, our teams are similar in terms of the ability to fight. Therefore, we respect the Ukrainian national team very much and look forward to a difficult but interesting match, ”Svensson said during a press conference held in the Swedish national team camp.

 Euro 2020 round of 16: Sweden vs. Ukraine.