This week the matches of the 21st round of the current Ukrainian championship are taking place. In one of them on Tuesday, March 11, Kyiv’s “Dynamo” faced Luhansk’s “Zarya.” The match took place in Kyiv at the “Dynamo” stadium named after Valery Lobanovsky.
Photo — Oksana VasilyevaUkrainian Championship. 21st round
“DYNAMO” (Kyiv) — “ZARYA” (Luhansk) — 2:2 (1:2)
Goals: Vanat (5), Ponomarenko (71) — Budkovsky (2), Jordan (55)
Warnings: Bragaru (27), Shaparenko (30), Yarmolenko (32), Ponomarenko (59), Popov (85) — Bashich (22), Jordan (32), Junior Reis (76)
“Dynamo”: 35.Neshcheret — 20.Karavaev (44.Dubinchak, 72), 4.Popov, 32.Mikhavko, 2.Vyvcharenko — 10.Shaparenko (15.Rubchinsky, 86), 6.Brazhko — 7.Yarmolenko (99.Ponomarenko, 46), 29.Buyalsky (C), 45.Bragaru (22.Kabaev, 46) — 11.Vanat.
Substitutes: 31.Syomka, 51.Morhun, 25.Dyachuk, 33.Salenko, 40.Bilovar, 43.Korobov, 91.Mikhailenko.
“Zarya”: 1.Saputin, 21.Bashich, 55.Jordan, 47.Vantukh (70.Kiryukhantsev, 88), 4.Eskinya, 10.Junior Reis (97.Korablina, 90+3), 32.Trontel, 15.Dryshlyuk, 22.Michin, 29.Bilozerkovets, 28.Budkovsky (C).
Substitutes: 53.Matsapura, 16.Andrushko, 39.Pisarenko.
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The match started with a cold shower for “Dynamo.” In the 2nd minute of the match, a flank pass from Junior Reis to Budkovsky took place, who, finding himself completely alone in the central zone of the penalty area of Kyiv, shot accurately into the lower corner of Neshcheret's goal — 0:1.
However, the “white-blues” needed just three minutes to restore balance: Buyalsky with an excellent cutting pass sent Vanat into the right part of the penalty area of “Zarya” and he, shooting from a very sharp angle, managed to send the ball into the net — 1:1.
It seemed that this was where the initial charge of the match was exhausted, but no! In the 9th minute of the match, after “Zarya’s” corner kick, Jordan, who was completely unmarked by any of the Dynamo players, calmly ran up, calmly jumped, and struck a header from the six-yard box — Neshcheret reacted and even touched the ball, but failed to prevent it from reaching the goal — 1:2. Moreover, in the 15th minute of play, Budkovsky was again allowed to shoot from outside the penalty area, and the ball flew over the crossbar of “Dynamo”'s goal.
In response, “Dynamo” fired a signature curling shot by Yarmolenko from the right part of the penalty area, which Saputin handled during the throw.
Undoubtedly, “Dynamo” looked extremely active in attack during this segment of the match, but “Zarya,” on the one hand, defended quite reliably, and on the other hand, did not think to sit back at their own goal, eager to intercept the ball and attack. Then players from both teams began to show excessive emotions, and the game became frankly chaotic.
However, the score on the scoreboard could have changed. Shaparenko shot twice. In the first case, the ball, sent in a high arc, barely skimmed the post, and in the second, Saputin played reliably. And in the 40th minute, “Zarya” could again have succeeded: after intercepting the ball in Dynamo's half, Budkovsky burst into the penalty area, outplayed Popov, found himself one-on-one with Neshcheret, but the “Dynamo” goalkeeper managed to minimalize the distance to his opponent and saved his team because of that. Finally, in stoppage time of the first half, Yarmolenko, after an eye-catching pass from Buyalsky, struck powerfully in one motion almost from the corner of the penalty area, but Saputin managed to react and deflect the ball. As a result, the teams went to the break with a score of 2:1 in favor of “Zarya.”
In the very first seconds of the second half, “Dynamo” could have equalized the score — it was Vyvcharenko at the far post who was closing the diagonal from Shaparenko, but hitting with his head from three meters, he missed the goal. Three minutes later, Brazhko dangerously shot from about 20 meters — Saputin had to work hard to redirect the game to a corner. “Zarya” answered in the 57th minute — Michin's shot from the penalty area line — the ball flew inches away from the post.
In general, the game in the second half was marked by “Dynamo's” advantage, but they did not exert any special pressure on “Zarya”'s goal. Nevertheless, in the 71st minute, the score was leveled: Kabaev burst into the penalty area from the left, softly crossed to Ponomarenko, who was nearby, and he sent the ball into the net with a header — 2:2.
The remainder of the match predictably played out at “Zarya's” goal, with Dynamo constantly storming them, but they failed to “finish off” their opponent — 2:2.
After this result, “Dynamo” continues to lead the standings of the Ukrainian championship solo, but now leads second-placed “Oleksandriya” by four points.
After the 21st round in the Ukrainian championship, there will be a short break due to national team matches. In the next, 22nd round, “Dynamo” awaits an away match against Lviv's “Rukh,” which will take place on Saturday, March 29, in Lviv at the “Arena Lviv” stadium (starting at 18:00).
Alexander POPOV from the “Dynamo” stadium named after Valery Lobanovsky
