Football news

The head coach of Zhytomyr’s Polissya, Ruslan Rotan, summed up the results of his team’s match against Epitsentr (0:0) in the 13th round of the Ukrainian championship yesterday.

«We wanted more, 100 percent, and we understand that we did not achieve the result we were striving for, but we still need to thank the guys for their work. They wanted to, they really wanted to.

Today, we faced a defensive team that wanted to play defensively and run into counterattacks. We have to give them credit — their plan worked. In the second half, there were two counterattacks by Epitsentr and two dangerous moments at our goal. The opponent bided their time for these counterattacks and, possibly, such moments unsettle us a bit because we always want to dominate possession.

As for the start of the game, it was very easy for us, we were creating moment after moment. There were many preconditions for shots today, but what we had, we didn’t capitalize on, and we somewhat carelessly treated our opportunities: we thought they would come on their own. But we saw something entirely different.

In the second half, there were very few correct decisions on our part, and with each passing minute, the opponent gained more confidence, breaking into counterattacks, two of which were very dangerous.

No big deal. I told the guys that such matches will happen in the future. You won’t always win 2:0 or 3:0. It’s somewhat reassuring. Sometimes you get matches like today’s. But if we had scored quickly today, perhaps this result would have been secure for us and then, I think we could have developed it even better.

But this is how the match turned out. We need to calmly accept this result, analyze it, and most importantly, we should already be prepared through this match. It’s like a pattern for us that the next matches will be similar. Sometimes, in such matches, you really need to want to win, play with your heart. Sometimes you score even in the 90th minutes, so you need to believe in it,» said Rotan during the broadcast on Polissya’s club YouTube channel.

This past weekend, matches of the 17th round of the current season’s First League were played, and at the beginning of the second half of the championship, a list of the main favorites for promotion to the UPL next season is clearly visible — there are currently five of them.

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President of «Epicentr» Ivan Chernonoh clarified the situation regarding the change of home stadium for Ukrainian Championship matches.

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The match of the 13th round of the Ukrainian Premier League against Kovalivka’s Kolos became a jubilee, 100th, for Dynamo’s head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi in this position.

Shovkovskyi conducted 11 matches as acting head coach and 89 matches as a full-fledged head coach of Dynamo.

Statistics of Oleksandr Shovkovskyi as the head coach of Dynamo (Kyiv):

Ukrainian Premier League: 71 matches (48 wins, 18 draws, 5 losses).

Ukrainian Cup: 6 matches (5 wins, 1 loss in the penalty shootout).

Champions League (qualification): 10 matches (5 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses).

Europa League (main stage and qualification): 10 matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 7 losses).

Conference League (main stage): 3 matches (1 win, 2 losses).

In the 2024/25 season, Dynamo, led by Shovkovskyi, won the title of Ukrainian champion and became the finalist of the Ukrainian Cup.

Forward of Kyiv «Dynamo» Matviy Ponomarenko commented on his team’s defeat against Kovalivka «Kolos» (1:2) in yesterday’s match of the 13th round of the Ukrainian championship on the «UPL TV» YouTube channel.

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Former coach of the Ukrainian youth national team and several Ukrainian clubs, Serhiy Kovalyets, visited Polissya’s training session, evaluated Ruslan Rotan’s work and the team’s performance this season.

— We talked with Ruslan Petrovych Rotan. We have maintained connections with him ever since he coached in Oleksandriya.

Now that I am without a job, I asked if I could observe the training process, talk with the coaching staff, and players. Especially since many players, who played in the youth national team such as Bushchan, Babenko, Filippov, Andriyevskyy, and Bragaru, are here. I arrived yesterday evening and watched the training process. The fact that Polissya is at the top of the table is great. Ruslan Rotan did great work in Oleksandriya, making it very interesting.

It’s important for the players to be part of the idea and fulfill the tasks laid out for them because the game in Polissya and Oleksandriya is not simple. It requires a high level of player intelligence. Again, it takes time for the team to win. Essentially, it was like this in Oleksandriya. In Oleksandriya, there was time, while in Polissya there is a bit less, but nevertheless, the team is of a good level. I think that over time, the team, like this beautiful base, will be built to a good level, a hundred percent.

We talked with Ruslan Petrovych yesterday, today, during the match, and after the match — that this is only the beginning. And when people say, immediately... yes, it is hard. Although we see glimpses of good gameplay, we see that many players who were there have changed. Many foreign players who were there — now only Ukrainians are playing in the starting lineup. Time is necessary. What is currently there — is in principle, a good result. But for stability, time and players are needed. Yet what has been done in such a short period is good work.

Based on how the team works, the training process, the coaching staff — everyone works and knows what they are doing. There is systemic approach. And it is very important that the players themselves are part of the idea. It is crucial for players to be in line with what the coaching staff lays out. And in this regard, when there is a strategy, when there are good conditions, players, a coaching staff, and a president who supports the club — I am confident that the result will always be good.

On Sunday, November 23, the program of the 13th round of the Ukrainian Championship of the 2025/2026 season continued.

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The midfielder of Kovalivka’s 'Kolos', Oleksandr Demchenko, commented on the victory over Kyiv’s 'Dynamo' (2−1) in the 13th round of the Ukrainian championship.

— We understood that it would not be possible to defend against 'Dynamo' the entire game. Therefore, we tried to meet them on their half of the field. And, fortunately, we succeeded. We played against 'Dynamo' — against a very strong rival. And, of course, they would have their moments. Fortunately, we managed to withstand their pressure. I cannot say there was a specific plan for the midfield players. The main thing was for the entire team to play compactly.

Any victory over 'Dynamo' is pleasant. But that’s already history. We are preparing for the next game. What happened in the locker room after the final whistle? We calmly celebrated. I say again — this is already history. And in football, you cannot live in the past, only in the present. We are already preparing for the next game, — said Oleksandr.

Kyiv’s 'Dynamo' will play their next home match in the Ukrainian championship on Monday, December 1. The 'Blue and Whites' will compete against 'Poltava' in the 14th round. The match will take place at Dynamo’s home stadium — named after Valeriy Lobanovskyi. The match will start at 15:30.

The ticket sales for the upcoming match have started. The ticket price will be 500, 700, 1000, 1500, and 2000 hryvnias, depending on the category.

BUY TICKET

For safety reasons, the number of tickets on sale is limited. Let’s remind you, 'Dynamo' is permitted to have 4333 spectators at home matches in Kyiv.

Shelters in case of an air raid alert are equipped on the stadium premises, under the parking area. They have all the necessities — drinking water, restrooms, etc.

We look forward to seeing you at the 'Dynamo' stadium named after V. Lobanovskyi!

Former Dynamo forward Artem Milevsky commented on the white and blue’s defeat by Kolos in the 13th round match of the Ukrainian Championship.

«Who watched Dynamo today? There are questions... And it’s Igor Mikhailovich’s birthday today, quite the gift...», Milevsky said on his Telegram channel broadcast.

Let us remind you, with the loss to Kolos, Dynamo has suffered three consecutive defeats in the UPL for the first time in its history.

Renowned expert and coach Oleh Fedorchuk shared his opinion on Dynamo’s recent defeat in the Ukrainian championship match.

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The head coach of Shakhtar, Arda Turan, after the match of the Ukrainian championship against Obolon, spoke about whether Dynamo’s defeat by Kolos was an additional motivation for his team.

«First of all, there is one thing I would like to emphasize: any team playing in the national championship should focus solely on domestic matters.

Of course, we treat all our championship rivals with respect this season: LNZ, „Dynamo“, „Polissya“, and I believe we should only be interested in our own affairs.

So it seems to me that players of our level do not need any additional motivation in the form of lost points by our competitors. And I am really glad that they were able to focus on our game and achieve a positive result this evening,» quoted Turan the official website of Shakhtar.