After passing through the white columns you'll come to a monument honouring the life of Valeriy Lobanovs’kyi, Dynamo's famous coach who died in May 2002. Lobanovs’kyi won countless Soviet leagues and cups first as a player and then as coach, not to his mention his team’s two European Cup-Winners Cup triumphs and a string of Ukrainian titles. It’s ironic that he can now only be seen sitting still on a bench, because his habit was always to rock back and forth between games. An even more poignant memorial is located closer to the stadium and to the left: depicted in stern granite are the four Dynamo players who were killed by occupying Nazis during WWII. Contrary to Soviet myth and many published materials, these players were not shot in their uniforms immediately after defeating a German side in a so-called ‘Death Match’. However, their team Start (consisting of players from Dynamo and other Soviet clubs) did defeat a team of German soldiers called Flakelf in August 1942 - in fact they did it twice in 72 hours by scores of 5-1 and 5-3. Only weeks later were N.Korotkykh, N.Trusevich, A.Klimenko and I.Kuzmenko arrested. Korotkykh, a NKVD (the precursor to the KGB) agent, was tortured and soon died, while the other three were executed in Febraury 1943 at the Syrets death camp. Regardless, the less-romanticized reality shouldn’t take away from the players’ heroism, embodied when they ignored orders and refused to give a Nazi salute prior to their last game.