The first matches of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League are taking place this week. In one of them on Wednesday, August 3, Dynamo Kiev and the Austrian Sturm met. The fight was nominally home for the Ukrainian team, but due to the war, it took place in Polish Lodz.
Champions League. 3rd qualifying round. The first match
"DYNAMO» (Kyiv, Ukraine) — "STORM" (Graz, Austria) — 1:0 (1:0)
Goal: Karavaev (28)
Warnings: Popov (20), Shepelev (48) — Wüthrich (15), Stankovich (41), Hierlender (46)
"Dynamo": 1.Buschan - 94.Kendzera, 25.Zabarny, 4.Popov, 44.Dubinchak (2.Vivcharenko, 71) - 5.Sidorchuk (K), 8.Shepelev (19.Garmash, 71) - 20.Karavaev, 10 .Shaparenko, 29.Buyalsky - 41.Besedin (11.Vanat, 83).
Spare: 35. Nescheret, 71. Boyko, 3. Pain, 14. Yatsik, 15. Tsygankov, 18. Andrievsky, 21. Kravchenko, 24. Tymchik, 34. Orphan.
"Storm": 27.Siebenhandl - 22.Gazibegovic, 42.Affengruber, 5.Wuthrich, 44.Dante (28.Schnegg, 67) - 4.Stankovic - 25.Hirlender (K) (30.Lubich, 67), 19.Croat, 8 .Prass (17.Demaku, 78) — 9.Heilunn (26.Lang, 89), 11.Sarkaria.
Spare: 32.Schützenauer, 41.Giuliani, 6.Borkovich, 18.Orots, 23.Kronberger, 24.Ingolic, 29.Fuseini, 37.Wels.
Match statistics and transcript >>>
Post-match press conference >>>
Both teams started this match with extreme caution, and for some time the game did not even smell of sharpness. The first scoring chance came only in the 20th minute of the meeting, when Heilunn was allowed to break into the Dynamo penalty area a little to the right of the center and shoot - Buschan with difficulty, kicked the ball away. And four minutes later, "Sturm" was even closer to success: a pass from the left to the same Heilunn, who without interference punched right off the goalkeeper's line, and the ball miraculously flew past the gates of Kiev.
But Dynamo converted their first scoring opportunity: in the 28th minute of the match, Dubinchak made a pass from the left flank, in the penalty area of Sturm the ball struck Besedin’s head, flew further to Karavaev, and he hit the guests’ goal with an immediate strike from eight meters — 1:0.
Having conceded a goal, Sturm began to open up, and Dynamo got space for the Austrian penalty team. However, Lucescu's wards failed to take advantage of this, and the teams went to the break with the score 1:0 in favor of the Ukrainian team.
The second half of this match went in a completely chaotic manner. Although Dynamo was superior to the opponent in terms of possession of the ball and attacked much more often, Sturm was not particularly creative in attack. Not to mention scoring chances - they, in fact, simply did not exist. It is possible to note, perhaps, Besedin's head kick after a corner kick, after which the ball flew over the Austrian team's goal. Dynamo did not create anything more dangerous after the break in the attack. "Storm" looked like a pale spot on a green lawn. Therefore, it is quite logical that the second half did not bring any goals. As a result, the meeting ended with a minimal victory for the Ukrainian team, 1:0.
Let us add that the second leg between Dynamo and Sturm will take place next week, on Tuesday, August 9, in Graz. The winner on the sum of two meetings will advance to the play-off round of the Champions League qualification and will play there with the winner of the Benfica (Portugal) - Midtjylland (Denmark) pair (the first match ended with a big victory for the Portuguese team with a score of 4:1), and the loser will continue to fight in the group stage of the Europa League.
Alexander Popov
