The Match of Death
It was a sticky August afternoon in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of the Kiev. Two teams were facing each other in the Zenit Stadium; one a crack squadron of German Luftwaffe pilots named Flakelf and the other a team of scrawny Dynamo Kiev players called FC Start, who had managed to find work in a bakery during the troubled times.
The match had been much promoted in the media, as news of the previous match had been suppressed due to FC Start beating the Germans 5-1. This time, they were taking no chances. Before the match began, an SS Officer entered and spoke to the team in flawless Russian:
"I am the referee of this game. I know you are a very good team. Follow the rules, do not break any rules, and greet your opponents in our fashion."
This meant that the players were expected to give the Nazi salute and that it would perhaps be in their best interests to lose the game.
With the crowd cheering, the two teams confronted each other on the field, Flakelf crying Heil Hitler! and being met with tumultuous German approval. FC Start players raised their hands aloft, but instead of the expected salute, they crossed their hands back over their chests and shouted the Soviet slogan FizcultHura! (Physical Culture, Hooray!). To the German's consternation, this was met with vast approval from the Ukranian spectators.
The Flakelf team held nothing back, and the referee showed an uncanny ability not to see the various fouls performed. When he was at last forced to award a free kick to the baker boys, a stunning set piece was scored. A few minutes later, a brave winger took on the whole German defence ,to put another one in the net and the team retired at half time, with a score of 3-1.
Two more unwanted guests appeared in the FC Start dressing room during this time. The first, a Nazi collaborator, advised them to throw the match for their own good and the second, another SS Officer, warned them of the consequences, should they win the match.
The FC Start players took no notice, went on to beat their oppressors 5-3, and the Nazi humiliation was complete. Sport should be a way to bring people together, and this act of defiance was one of the notable ways that the Soviets rebelled in those troubled times.
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