This week the first matches of the 2nd round of the Champions League qualification round of the 2024/25 season are taking place. In one of them on Tuesday, July 23, Dynamo Kyiv and Partizan Belgrade met. The match was nominally a home game for the Ukrainian team, but because of the war it was held in Lublin at the Arena Lublin stadium.
Photo — fcdynamo.comChampions League. 2nd qualifying round. First match
"Dynamo (Kyiv, Ukraine) - PARTIZAN (Belgrade, Serbia) - 6:2 (3:1)
Goals: Shaparenko (40), Brazhko (43), Karavaev (45+1), Kabaev (55), Popov (83), Pikhalenok (90+2) - Saldanha (22 pen., 66).
Warnings: Brazhko (47) - Saldanha (1), de Medina (11), Arriaga (81).
"Dynamo: 1.Buschan - 20.Karavaev (23.Malysh, 46), 3.Dyachuk, 4.Popov, 2.Vivcharenko - 6.Brazhko (18.Andrievskiy, 86), 10.Shaparenko (17.Lonwijk, 86) - 7.Yarmolenko (K) (9.Voloshyn, 69), 29.Buyalsky (76.Pihalenok, 46), 22.Kabaev - 11.Vanat.
Reserves: 35.Nescheret, 51.Morgun, 21.Supryaga, 28.Seballos, 30.Diallo, 40.Bilovar, 44.Dubinchak.
"Partizan": 1.A.Jovanovic, 25.De Medina (26.Filipovic, 60), 6.Markovic (K), 18.Mujakic, 5.Antic, 77.Go Yong Jung (19.Šcekic, 46), 33.Arriaga, 29.Zahid (10.Natkho, 60), 7.Xander (39.Ibrahim, 60), 15.Kaljulu (43.Trifunovic, 77), 11.Saldanha.
Reserves: 31.Krunic, 85.Stevanovic, 4.Jurcevic, 9.D.Jovanovic, 16.Ovusu, 43.Trifunovic, 50.Lazarevic.
Match statistics >>>>
Post-match press conference >>>
"Partizan started the match very tough, but already on the 4th minute of the match Dinamo created the first goal: the attack of the Bilo-Syni ended with Kabaev's shot from the left side of the Serbian team's penalty area, Jovanovic kicked the ball away, it flew to the far post exactly to Yarmolenko, who shot in a fall through himself - above the goal.
Later Partizan acted intensively on destruction, pressed high, but Dinamo gradually took the ball under their control and the game began to take place more often on the Serbian team's half of the pitch. As a result, on the 18th minute of the match it was dangerous at the visitors' goal again: a sprawling multi-move of Kyiv team ended with Vivcharenko's shot from the left flank to the center of the penalty area, where Buyalsky shot from the spot, but Jovanovic saved his team again.
Everything seemed to be going well for Dynamo, but on the 21st minute of the match the referee awarded a penalty to the Kyivians for Karavaev's foul, and Saldanha realized it clearly - 0:1.
Having achieved success, Partizan "sat down" on their half of the field, and Dynamo's advantage became even more tangible. Shovkovskiy's charges lacked one thing - chances. There were a lot of preconditions for them, but the matter did not come to the actual sharpness for quite a long time. Only in the 35th minute of the game the Bilo-Syni had a new chance to hit the opponent's goal - it was Kabaev who shot from 18 meters after Yarmolenko's pass, but again Jovanovic played flawlessly.
But in the 40th minute of the game Dynamo finally got their way! Kabaev broke through on the left flank, played to Shaparenko and the latter sent the ball into the "nine" of the Serbian team's goal - 1:1.
The guests had no time to recover, as they were again forced to start from the center of the field: in the 43rd minute of the match Mujakic played directly to Brazko, the latter without hesitation shot from 20 meters, the ball hit the bar, from which flew into the gate - 2:1. But that was not all for the end of the first half: in the compensated time Karavaev dared to strike from the right side of Partizan penalty area, the ball ricocheted off Antich and flew into the far corner of the goal - 3:1.
The second half also passed under the sign of Dynamo's advantage, and already on the 52nd minute of the game the Kyivians were close to success - it was Dyachuk after a corner kick without a shot from six meters, but the ball hit Antich. However, three minutes later nothing saved "Partizan" from a goal: Kabaev took the game on himself, advanced with the ball through the central zone and hit the ball into the bottom corner of the opponent's goal from 18 meters - 4:1.
Despite the large score Dynamo continued to attack, but on the 66th minute of the game missed itself: Partizan somehow easily played a combination in the penalty area of Kyiv team and Saldanha finished it from a meter - 4:2.
After that the game began to pass in a somewhat turbulent way. "Dynamo still possessed the advantage, but Partizan became enthusiastic, started pressing and rudeness, which, of course, destroyed the combination game of Kyiv team. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to mention Vivcharenko's shot from the corner of the penalty area in the 75th minute of the game, after which the ball almost rattled the Partizan goal post.
And still Dynamo managed to score the fifth goal: on the 83rd minute of the match Brazhko made a cannon shot from a free kick, Jovanovic with great difficulty repelled the ball, but Voloshin was the first on the rebound, who played into the goalkeeper's box to Popov and he easily hit the target - 5:2.
And Dynamo put the point already in the compensated time of the second half: Vanat played a spectacular heel pass into Partizan's penalty area to Voloshin, the latter extended the combination to Pihalenok, who with a technical kick from about 11-meter mark sent the ball exactly into the bottom corner of Jovanovic's goal - 6:2!
The return match between Dinamo and Partizan will take place on July 31 in Belgrade.
Alexander POPOV
