Former goalkeeper of Kyiv’s Dynamo Ilya Bliznyuk shared his impressions of the final Ukrainian Cup, in which his former team lost on penalties to Donetsk’s Shakhtar (1:1, pen. — 5:6).
Ilya Bliznyuk"The atmosphere in the stadium was pleasantly surprising. Many fans, the sound of drums, the noise of the supporters, which is so lacking in our football right now. One can say — the final was a success.
The first half was cautious; the teams tried not to take risks, so they did not reveal themselves, playing carefully. The football was not spectacular, and for specialists, it resembled a tug of war. When Dynamo scored a goal, a problem in Shakhtar’s defensive zone was revealed, where a huge gap emerged, into which Yarmolenko charged in splendid isolation and shot without hindrance.
In the second half, much was decided by the substitutions at the 60th minute for Shakhtar. Shaparenko’s adventurous play, holding the ball for too long, led to a counterattack and the subsequent goal. In the conceded goal, one can also raise issues with Kyiv’s goalkeeper Neshcheret. He did not come out for the pass, which resulted in a goal being scored from the goalie’s zone. It’s no surprise that Popov expressed his grievances to him.
A similar moment at the end of the match could have led to a goal against Dynamo. Again, Neshcheret did not come out for the interception; fortunately, Popov pushed the attacker away with his body. If the first half was not fast-paced, the second half became slightly more dynamic, but the teams created almost nothing in goal-scoring chances.
With a balanced game, both teams approached the series of 11-meter shots, which was already a lottery, in which Shakhtar was luckier. Overall, the match was enjoyable, where there was somewhat more game discipline in Dynamo until the 60th minute. However, the laxity of some players led to a losing final. There are no trifles in football, and they are immediately punished," Bliznyuk said.
