“I’m very pleased with the fact that United sent their scout to watch our game against Vorskla,” the Zorya Luhansk coach, Yuriy Vernydub, said this week, which makes a change from those managers who try desperately to hide themselves away from future opponents. “Before, they used to say that no one knew about Zorya, whereas now scouts are watching our boys. It means that the players deserve that.”
Zorya have particular reason to want to be known: their very existence in European competition feels like a triumph. In June 2014, the Ukrainian club were forced to flee Luhansk because of the conflict with pro-Russia separatists who founded the Luhansk People’s Republic. Zorya’s home ground, the Avangard Stadium, suffered heavy shelling.
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