Ukrainian Cup. Round of 16. Dynamo – Shakhtar – 2:1. Match report

On Wednesday, October 29, Dynamo Kyiv hosted their archrivals Shakhtar Donetsk in the Round of 16 of the 2025/26 Ukrainian Cup.

The teams started the match cautiously. In the opening minutes Shakhtar controlled possession more and created the first dangerous moment. In the 10th minute Neverton made a run down the right wing and crossed into the box where Marlon Gomes met the ball with a close-range header – but Neshcheret reacted brilliantly, parrying the attempt and collecting the rebound.

A few minutes later, after another defensive lapse on Dynamo’s left flank, Konoplia burst into the penalty area and shot toward the near post – again Neshcheret saved and, though Gomes was first to the rebound, his follow-up went over the bar.

It was evident that Dynamo’s players were nervous – almost leading to serious trouble when Popov challenged Eguinaldo with a raised foot but, fortunately for the hosts, the referee limited himself to showing a yellow card.

Chances near Shovkovskyi’s side of the field kept appearing. Eguinaldo cut inside from the left and tried a long-range effort which Neshcheret parried; soon after Meirelles got on the end of a cross from the right but once again the Kyiv goalkeeper came to the rescue.

Neshcheret had to intervene yet again after a shot from Neverton from the left edge of the box. As for Dynamo’s attack the only moment worth mentioning in the first half was a long-range effort from Kabaiev which flew over the crossbar.

The start of the second half turned out poorly for Dynamo. In the 48th minute Neverton cut inside from the right and struck from outside the box – his shot was going wide but Luca Meirelles redirected it with his head into the net, giving Shakhtar a 1:0 lead.

Conceding the goal forced the home team to increase their attacking tempo. In the 57th minute Brazhko had a great chance to equalize, heading the ball after a corner, but it deflected off Kabaiev who was battling with a defender in the six-yard box.

Dynamo kept pressing and trying long-range shots – attempts from Brazhko and Pikhalionok missed the target while a shot from Ogundana from the left side of the penalty area only narrowly missed the top corner.

Finally, in the 72nd minute, the hosts’ pressure paid off. Kabaiev intercepted the ball on the opponent’s half, sprinted down the right flank and played a clever pass to Yarmolenko who controlled it and – with his weaker right foot – curled the ball into the far corner past the goalkeeper. 1:1.

Buoyed by the equalizer Dynamo continued to attack. Brazhko missed the target from a corner while Pikhalonok’s shot from the edge of the box deflected just over the bar. But the decisive moment came soon after.

In the 79th minute, following another corner, Brazhko’s header from close range was saved by Riznyk but substitute Guerrero, who had come on just minutes earlier, was quickest to the rebound and smashed the ball home – 2:1.

In the final minutes Shovkovskyi’s men skillfully pushed play away from their own goal, preventing any late Shakhtar surge.

The final whistle confirmed a hard-fought comeback victory for Dynamo Kyiv – 2:1. The White-Blues took revenge for last season’s Cup final defeat and now look ahead in good spirits to their next Ukrainian Premier League match in Lviv on Sunday, November 2.

Ukrainian Cup, round of 16

Dynamo Kyiv – Shakhtar Donetsk – 2:1 (0:0)

October 29, 2025. Kyiv, Dynamo Stadium named after Valeriy Lobanovskyi

Dynamo: Neshcheret – Karavaiev (Tymchyk, 85), Popov (Thiare, 90+5), Mykhavko, Vivcharenko – Mykhailenko (Brazhko, 46), Pikhalonok, Buialskyi (c), Kabaiev, Ogundana – Yarmolenko (Guerrero, 74).

Shakhtar: Riznyk – Konoplia, Bondar (Marlon Santos, 86), Matviienko (c), Henrique – Ocheretko (Bondarenko, 82), Marlon Gomes (Izaki, 85), Meirelles (Kauan Elias, 71), Pedrinho, Neverton (Lucas Ferreira, 71) – Eguinaldo.

Goals: Yarmolenko (72), Guerrero (79) – Meirelles (48).

Booked: Popov (17), Guerrero (80) – Konoplia (83).