Phoenix breaks an unpleasant tradition to lose the starting game of a new season. In the combined league 2005-2006 (such is the Regulation of the new Kharkiv Cup) the team started at once with an opponent that was not in its age category. The rearranged four-player sets (as many as four Phoenix players are in its hospital: Ivaniuzhenko, Soldatenko, Khodatskyi and Shevchenko) looked rather well for the start of the season. Definitely, there was a certain portion of flawed actions in the team play, but the boys compensated for it by their zest, struggle on every inch of the pitch and by their strong will.

Gradually raising the tempo, the team started to create goal chances. In the eighth minute Phoenix skipper Daniil Dudin made a great chip shot into the far corner of the net. The teams went for a break with Phoenix narrow lead.

The minute hand had hardly made two turns in the second half of the game when an interception during a set piece led to one-on-one situation and the opposition equalized the score.

Phoenix wound up the tempo, the four player sets changed more frequently, and, as a result, more chances started to arise near Slava net. Players of the opposition started fouling more often as they were not fast enough to follow the cross and diagonal passes of our boys. As early as five minutes after the score had become even Phoenix had its triumphant six-minutes period – Danylo Boldyzhev, Demyd Yevsiukov and Kyrylo Horbatenko sent the ball into the net three times, setting the final score – 4:1.

The last two minutes of the match Phoenix spent 5-a-side, but did not create any serious scoring chances, however, no scramble was allowed at the team’s goalmouth, too.

Thus, the team gets three starting points and will expect to find out not only the coming fixture, but also the final format of the tournament – the overall number of teams and groups lineups. According to preliminary information, there will be two groups, 9-10 teams in each of them.