Although a demonstration game, the match proved highly emotional all the way through one hundred twenty minutes and into the penalty shootout. Abundant in bookings and suspensions, appeals for penalties (with Shakhtar Srna being most insistent), the clash was even more jazzed up by referee’s decisions.
Shakhtar seized the initiative, yet their first goal resulted from the dubious ref’s decision to award the penalty. Fernandinho did his job perfectly to give his team a late second-half lead and proved his skills again in the extra time, that time around to grab an equalizer 2-2 for his club.
It took Dynamo just a couple of minutes to make it 1-1 after Yussuf headed in the brilliant cross he picked from the late sub Aliyev. Heading into the extra time, Dynamo were the first to score after Maksim Shatskikh was the first to net in a rebound. It was the moment that moment that could have marked Dynamo’s victory, but Yussuf blundered in the opponent’s box. The referee, needless to say, was merciless.
As the penalty shootout followed, Dynamo had one advantage in their hands. With Oleksandr Shovkovskyy in the goal, the team can always count on some kicks to be parried. It was the very case in Israel. The three denied 11-meter kicks allowed Dynamo win their first Channel One Cup ever.
