Veteran Lucescu defies history to take Dynamo to brink of Ukraine title

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.

With a 10-point lead over their rivals and just four games to go, it should be the sweetest moment for Lucescu.

But having spent 12 years in the Shakhtar hotseat, the Romanian’s reticence in celebrating, is easy to understand.

“It’s not easy for me,” said Lucescu whose 40-year career includes stints in charge of the Romanian and Turkish national teams.

“It was difficult for me to organise the Dynamo play in such a short period of time and achieve the result. But we did it.”

Dynamo can wrap up the title on Sunday if they beat Ingulets Petrove but whether that will convince the fans that Lucescu is the right coach for the club is another matter.

Lucescu’s football history is only a part of the problem, albeit a big part.

His record with Shakhtar is extraordinary: between 2004 and 2016, he steered the club to an incredible 22 trophies, including the 2009 UEFA Cup. He was, and some might argue still is, ‘Mr Shakhtar’.

Dynamo’s decision last summer to bring him on board sparked an uproar from fans.

The ultras were, unsurprisingly, the most vocal, accusing Lucescu of having repeatedly spoken inappropriately about Dynamo and calling his appointment “a spit in the face of all Dynamo fans”.