On Sunday, December 14th, Dynamo Kyiv played their final match of the autumn-winter segment of the UPL season, hosting Veres from Rivne.
Veres arrived in Kyiv with a seven-match unbeaten streak while Dynamo had just broken a four-match losing streak with a win over Kudrivka in the previous round. Both teams were eager to secure a victory and finish the calendar year on a positive note.
From the first minutes Dynamo pressed Veres into their own half, looking to open the scoring early. However several chances were blocked or missed: Yatsyk's shot from the edge of the penalty area was blocked, Rubchynskyi's header from a cross was intercepted and Voloshyn's long-range effort was saved by the goalkeeper. Ponomarenko’s follow-up shot was ruled out for a handball by Yatsyk which had led to the rebound.
However in the 9th minute Ponomarenko finally got his goal. Vicharenko made a great pass from the left wing to the penalty area, Ponomarenko outmuscled Goncharenko and with a deft touch lifted the ball over the goalkeeper – 1:0.
Dynamo had no intention of slowing down and despite the cold temperature in the capital continued to push forward. Thiare made a beautiful pass to Voloshyn on the right flank and after a run into the box he set up Karavaiev but the captain’s shot from a tight angle was saved. Later Ogundana’s cross from the left found Mykhavko but Kharatin cleared the ball off his head just in time to prevent a goal.
Dynamo kept up the pressure. Vicharenko almost scored directly from a corner kick but the goalkeeper managed to make a save. Voloshyn then tried another long-range shot that was parried away by Horokh. However in the 20th minute Dynamo doubled their lead when Thiare won an aerial duel with Smiian off a corner and headed the ball into the bottom corner of the goal – 2:0.
With a comfortable lead Dynamo slowed the tempo but still controlled the game. Veres focused on set-pieces executing several corners in the 35th minute but Neshcheret was rarely tested. Just before the break Veres had a few blocked shots from Hodia and Aydin while Boioko’s shot hit Hodia's leg and went wide.
In the second half the pattern of the game remained the same. Dynamo dominated possession while Veres looked for quick counter-attacks after errors in Dynamo's offensive play. Voloshyn nearly made it 3:0 in the 55th minute, intercepting the ball at midfield and setting up Ponomarenko who returned it to Voloshyn but goalkeeper made a crucial save. On the counter Aydin dribbled through Dynamo's defense and shot for the bottom corner but after a deflection Neshcheret managed to save the effort.
Veres continued to search for a way back into the match and in the 71st minute Aydin managed to slip past several defenders and get one-on-one with Neshcheret. However Vicharenko came to the rescue and cleared the ball off the line. In response substitute Redushko failed to score from Voloshyn’s cross shooting high over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
