Victory in defeat for Donetsk

The Ukraine national team's UEFA EURO 2012 campaign ended in Donetsk, but in the fan zone and in the Donbass Arena, local supporters gave their all – and the celebration of football goes on in the Miners' Capital.

England's 1-0 victory spelled the end for Oleh Blokhin's side, but they could not fault the support they received. "It was a close match," said Dmitriy and Iryna, from Mariupil. "We came to the Donetsk fan zone especially to support our national team and it was worth it. The atmosphere was fantastic, even though we lost."

In a show of positive spirit, local fans also welcomed visiting supporters, with a team of England followers taking on a multi-national side representing FC Shakhtar Donetsk's various fan clubs in the hours leading up to the game on a pitch near the fan zone at Scherbakov Park.

"We had builders, miners, businessmen, salesmen and students in our team," said captain Juriy Zhavoronkov, director of the Proletarskiy Shakhtar supporters club. "The youngest player was 21, the oldest 54. Players from the local Azerbaijani Donbass congress were involved, as well as members of the local Georgian society, Svyataya Iveriya."

The Ukrainian team took a quick 2-0 lead, but the English rallied to make it 2-2 before eventually capitulating, losing the match 8-3. "We didn't put any bets on the result," joked Zhavoronkov. "It was a friendly so the outcome was not as important as in the proper game. Everybody ended up happy – those who won and those who lost."

The victory did not end up being a taste of what was to come for the senior teams, but the match set the tone for the interaction between the two groups of supporters. The lively contingent of England followers received plenty of attention from their base at the Golden Lion pub, singing, greeting local fans and behaving impeccably throughout.

They were vastly outnumbered by Ukrainians, but in their hour of defeat, the home supporters ended up with plenty to be proud of. "I have never seen so many national flags in one place," said Oleksandr, who had come in from Poltava to watch the game in the city. "They have been all around the city – on the balconies, cars, trees – it's amazing. Donetsk has showed how you should support your national team."