This Thursday the first matches of the play-off round of the Conference League qualification are taking place. In one of them Dynamo Kyiv met Turkish Besiktas. The match was nominally a home game for the Ukrainian team, but because of the war it was held in Bucharest at the Giulesti stadium.
Conference League. Playoff round of qualification. First matches
"Dynamo (Kyiv, Ukraine) - BESHIKTASH(Istanbul, Turkey) - 2:3 (0:1) (Istanbul, Turkey) - 2:3 (0:1)
Goals: Shaparenko (60), Voloshin (65) - Abubakar (40 pen.), Kolli (63), Zainutdinov (90+4).
Warnings: Dubinchak (90+1) - Rosier (79), Hadziakhmetovic (89).
"Dynamo: 1.Buschan - 24.Tymchik, 4.Popov, 34.Sirota, 44.Dubinchak - 5.Sidorchuk (K), 10.Shaparenko - 20.Karavaev (77.Benito, 90+6), 29.Buyalsky (37.Tsarenko, 90), 91.Voloshin (30.Diallo, 76) - 11.Vanat.
Reserves: 35.Nesheret, 2.Vivcharenko, 6.Brazhko, 8.Shepelev, 9.Parris, 23.Malysh, 25.Dyachuk, 40.Bilovar, 92.Ramadani.
"Besiktas": 34.Gunok (K), 6.Kolli, 12.Amarti, 24.Rozier, 26.Masuaku (22.Zainutdinov, 46), 8.Uchan (15.Oxlade-Chamberlain, 86), 19.Hadziakhmetovic, 4.Bulut (11.Rasica, 64), 83.Fernandes, 40.Muleka (77.Merash, 64), 10.Abubakar (9.Tosun, 88).
Reserves: 1.Destanoglu, 97.Juvakuran, 7.Rebic, 20.Uysal, 21.Tyknaz, 23.Yılmaz, 71.Onana.
Statistics and transcript of the match >>>
Post-match press conference >>>
Both teams started this match very cautiously, but Dynamo were a bit more active. But soon Kyivians began to act more boldly, more active and, as a consequence, the game moved to the penalty area of Besiktas. However, Lucescu's wards did not achieve anything more than a few standard positions in this segment of the match. But Besiktas were very close to opening the scoring in the 20th minute: Sidorchuk was rudely cut off in the centre of the pitch, Abubakar came to the Dynamo goal, played through the flank with Bulut and, having received a back pass, shot from three meters with his heel, but brilliant reaction of Buschan saved the Kyivians from a goal. Uchan played on the rebound, but his shot was inaccurate.
For some time Dynamo continued to possess the positional advantage and controlled the ball much more often than the opponent, but closer to the 30th minute of the match Besiktas levelled the game. However, it was in this segment of the game that Dynamo celebrated a good shot by Vanat from outside the penalty area, after which Gunok covered the ball. However, Besiktas immediately responded even more dangerously - it was Abubakar who shot with his head after a diagonal from the flank and the ball almost hit the bar.
And on the 37th minute of the match the ball in the penalty area of Dynamo hit Popov's hand and the referee awarded a penalty. Abubakar realised it in cold blood - 0:1. Having conceded a goal, Dynamo were clearly knocked out and the end of the first half was at their gates. But Besiktas had no opportunities to develop success in this period of the game.
The beginning of the second half was very eventful. Immediately after the break Dynamo managed to put the ball in the net, but this goal was not counted. On the 47th minute of the match Dubinchak made a pass to the penalty area of Besiktas from the left flank, Hadziahmetovic tried to intercept this pass, but as a result he played to Karavaev, who stopped the ball with the first touch, and with the second one made a spectacular and accurate shot. It seemed that this goal was flawless, but the use of VAR revealed offside, and the score remained the same - 0:1.
However, Dynamo did not lose heart, continued to attack and equalised on 60 minutes: Karavaev broke through on the right flank, almost from the front line made a back pass to Shaparenko, who was running up and free from the guardianship, and the latter sent the ball straight into the "nine" of "Besiktas" goal - 1:1.
However, Dynamo's joy didn't last long - just three minutes. It took the Turkish team so much time to take the lead again: on a corner kick, Kolli jumped above everyone and hit the ball into the net from the goalkeeper's line - 1:2. But Kyivians managed to organise another goal very quickly - only two minutes later! Dubinchak sent Bujalskyi to the left side of the penalty area of Besiktas with a cutback pass, the latter performed a soft cross to Voloshin, who with a header from five metres equalised the score - 2:2.
These events affected the pattern of the game, it began to take place almost on a counter course. Both teams had chances to change the score. First, Tymchik finished Dynamo's attack with a shot from outside the penalty area to the near top corner, and Gunok managed to kick the ball away with difficulty. And then Fernandes "robbed" Sirota on the Kyiv half of the pitch, jumped out one-on-one with Buschan, shot on goal from approximately the same position from which Tymchyk had struck earlier, but the Dynamo goalkeeper managed to repel the ball. Finally, it is impossible not to mention two shots of Buyalskiy at the end of the match. First, he shot from 10 metres, and the ball flew within centimetres of the Besiktas goal post. And then Dynamo's midfielder had a shot from outside the penalty area - in this case Gunok again saved his team.
However, Besiktas still managed to snatch victory in the second half. The Turkish team's penetrating attack ended with Zainutdinov's shot from 8 metres, the ball slipped between the legs of Sirota, who was blocking Buschan's view, and flew into the goal - 2:3.
We would like to add that the return match between Dynamo and Besiktas will take place a week later, on 31 August, in Istanbul. The winner on the sum of two meetings will advance to the group stage of the Conference League.
Alexander POPOV
