On Friday, October 31, the youth team of Dynamo held another match of the U-19 Youth League. In the framework of the 11th round, Igor Kostyuk’s wards met with Donetsk’s Shakhtar. This match was an away game for our team and took place at the Arsenal-Arena Stadium in Shchaslyve, near Kyiv.
U-19 Youth League, 11th round
Shakhtar — Dynamo — 2:3 (0:1)
Goals: Smetana (60), Petruk (75) — Ponomarenko (35, 55), Hubenko (89)
Warnings: Tsyukanov (40), Baglay (85), Zubriy (90+3) — Ohorodnik (24), Ponomarenko (62), Hubenko (90).
Shakhtar: 36. Baglay, 2. Reshetnikov (13. Sheleketa, 74), 14. Mylokost, 15. Kostyuk, 5. Kalyuzhnyi, 6. Bundash (16. Petruk, 74) (c), 10. Tsyukanov, 8. Smetana (3. Harabazhiy, 83), 7. Tyutyunov, 30. Tryfanenko (11. Zubriy, 46), 28. Kante.
Dynamo: 71. Surkis (c), 11. Hubenko, 4. Ohorodnik, 34. Zakharchenko, 3. Dekhtyar, 14. Ishchenko, 8. Lusyn (18. Ozymay, 70), 22. Osypenko (5. Buravtsov, 90+1), 7. Andreiko (17. Grodzinsky, 70), 10. Redushko, 99. Ponomarenko (13. Korobov, 70).
It should be noted that the leaders of the tournament table met. Recall that after 10 rounds, Dynamo scored 22 points and were in second place in the team standings, while Shakhtar scored 27 points and secured 1st place.
Dynamo took the initiative from the first minutes and created several dangerous moments near the host’s goal, but initially, Ponomarenko was offside, and soon Osypenko shot over the goal. Shakhtar responded with two sharp attacks that could have been productive, but in both cases, Dynamo’s goalkeeper Surkis saved. First, he reacted to a free-kick strike, pulling the ball from under the crossbar, and immediately neutralized Bundash’s shot after a corner kick.
We should also note a distant but inaccurate shot by Bundash in the middle of the first half of the meeting and a similar one by Osypenko near the opposite goal. Overall, the game mostly took place in the midfield, without overly dangerous moments near either goal — all attempts to approach each other’s possessions ended at the approaches to the penalty area.
Finally, Dynamo managed to find a breach in Shakhtar’s defensive formations and took the lead: The attacking play began with Zakharchenko’s deep field pass. Then Osypenko, with one touch, further pushed the ball to Ponomarenko, who brushed off a defender, broke into the penalty area, and with a powerful shot hit the top corner of Baglay’s goal — 0:1. With a minimal advantage for the guests, the teams went on break.
The second half turned out to be even more spectacular, dramatic, and productive. At the start of the second half, the Kyiv team scored again. Our team used a set-piece: after a corner kick, Andreiko took a shot, with which the Miners' goalkeeper coped, but on the rebound, Ponomarenko was the first to the ball and sent it to the destination — 0:2.
However, within a few minutes, the hosts managed to reduce the deficit, and it was also a standard situation that led to the goal. Smetana executed a free-kick superbly with a strong direct shot to Dynamo’s goal — 1:2. Closer to the middle of the second half, Shakhtar further intensified, players used pressing, engaged in ball recovery, and created pressure near the White-and-Blues' goal, so Surkis had to enter the play multiple times and save his team.
However, the hosts managed to achieve their goal, turning the game around and scoring another goal, this time from open play. After a multi-pass combination, the ball reached Petruk, who had recently come off the bench, and with a precise strike equalized the score — 2:2.
At the end of the match, Dynamo scored a third time after a precise shot by Ozymay, but the referee canceled the goal due to offside. But a minute before the end of regular time, Dynamo managed to snatch the victory. The author of an incredible goal was Hubenko, who sent the ball from a distance of a fantastic trajectory, and it somehow ended up in the net. As a result, an away win for the White-and-Blues 3:2. Thus, our team reduced the gap from Shakhtar to two points.
It should be noted that in the National U-19 League, Dynamo’s youth team will play their next match at home: on Saturday, November 8, as part of the 12th round, our team will host Cherkasy’s LNZ on their field.