Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has lamented the "frustrating" loss of his national side against Northern Ireland in Euro 2016 and simply urged his country's team to "play better".
Poroshenko posted his brief response to Thursday's match in France on Facebook, hoping to galvanize a Ukrainian side that is on the brink of leaving the Euros following defeats at the hands of World Cup-holders Germany and Northern Ireland.
"Ukraine believes in you, lads," Poroshenko wrote, wishing for a Ukrainian win in their final group game against Poland next week.
Unfortunately that will be Ukraine's last match of the tournament regardless of the result, as Poland and Germany currently top the group, with two wins each.
Oleh Lyashko, leader of one of the populist opposition parties in parliament, accusing Poroshenko of hexing the national side, following their loss against Northern Ireland.
He urged Poroshenko to spend less time worrying about football and more about combatting the corruption and high prices in Ukraine.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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I am a Staff Writer for Newsweek's international desk. I report on current events in Russia, the former Soviet Union ... Read more
