The second part of the Ukrainian championship started on February 21 with the match of the 18th round in Kovalivka, where "Kolos" lost to "Chornomorets" 1:2. At the end of the first half, the dissatisfaction of the coaching staff of the Odessa team was caused by the cancellation of the Kovalivka team’s goal at a tie score. Former FIFA referee Myroslav Stupar commented on this game episode:
Photo: koloskovalivka.com"Odessa player Yevheniy Skiba was in a passive offside position after a teammate's pass. However, when Artem Habelko's shot hit the goal frame, and Skiba successfully played for the rebound, the offside became active. I don’t know why assistant referee Taras Klymenko did not signal an offside position, as the violation was obvious. Then, the guest coaches would have had no reason to show their dissatisfaction.
It is good that referee Volodymyr Novokhatniy clearly reacted to VAR referee Dmytro Panchyshyn's suggestion and justifiably did not count the goal.
Overall, the confrontation in Kovalivka was rich in missed goal opportunities. The hosts especially frequently missed and ultimately lost to the Odessans, who were memorable for their desire to fight to the end," Stupar said.
