Shovkovskyi stood by Surkis after the defeat against Bukovyna
Former head coach of Kyiv’s “Dynamo,” Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, expressed his support for the team’s goalkeeper, Vyacheslav Surkis, following a disappointing match against “Bukovyna.” The legendary goalkeeper reflected on his own career and shared how, after making mistakes and facing criticism, he had to learn to believe in himself again.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi reacted to Vyacheslav Surkis’s poor performance in Dynamo Kyiv’s match against Bukovyna from Chernivtsi. The former Ukraine national team goalkeeper and former Dynamo coach decided to support the young goalkeeper.
Shovkovskyi did not single out Surkis’s mistakes or criticize him for the poor performance. Instead, he recalled his own journey in soccer and explained that he, too, had often faced a barrage of criticism after unsuccessful matches. According to the legendary goalkeeper, there were matches in his career after which he was hailed as one of the best. But there were also those after which fans and critics effectively wrote him off.
“There were mistakes after which people said I was no longer worth anything as a goalkeeper. There were words that hurt. There was hate. And there were moments when the hardest part wasn’t stepping onto the field, but believing in myself again,” Shovkovskyi wrote. He emphasized that after difficult periods in his career, there were entirely different matches. Victories, crucial saves, penalty stops, and trophies eventually changed people’s attitudes toward him. “And then there were other matches… Duels won… Saves… Penalties stopped… Victories… Gold medals… The Champions League… The World Cup… Switzerland…” Shovkovskyi recalled.
The last reference likely refers to the Ukrainian national team’s match against Switzerland in the 2006 World Cup qualifying playoffs. At that time, Shovkovskyi became one of the team’s key heroes. In the penalty shootout, he didn’t let a single shot get past him and helped Ukraine reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in history. Shovkovskyi also noted that after his successful matches, the very same people who had previously harshly criticized him were the ones thanking him.
In his opinion, the path from failure to victory lies in self-improvement. A goalkeeper needs to analyze his own mistakes, work on his weaknesses, and not let a single bad game define his entire career. “A goalkeeper’s mistakes are especially noticeable. There’s no one behind him who can fix the situation. But a goalkeeper is only human… Sometimes a single mistake can break you. Or it can become the starting point for a completely different path…” wrote the legendary goalkeeper.
In this way, Shovkovskyi effectively urged people not to jump to conclusions after a single poor game. This is especially true for young goalkeepers, for whom every mistake tends to attract much more attention than it does for outfield players. Vyacheslav Surkis is a product of the “Dynamo” academy and plays as a goalkeeper. Due to the nature of this position, his mistakes directly affect the team’s result and often stand out particularly prominently.
This is exactly what Shovkovskyi pointed out. He reminded everyone that even highly successful goalkeepers have gone through setbacks, criticism, and moments when they had to prove themselves all over again. For Surkis Jr., Shovkovskyi’s words served as public support following an unsuccessful match. The legendary goalkeeper demonstrated through his own example that a single mistake—or even a string of poor performances—should not spell the end of a soccer player’s career. He shared his thoughts on Instagram.
Dynamo Kyiv’s 0–3 loss to UPL newcomer Bukovyna was a serious blow to the team. One of its leaders and veterans had to publicly answer for the poor performance.
