In Matchday 27 of the Ukrainian Premier League Dynamo Kyiv traveled to Cherkasy to face LNZ.
As a reminder in the first round the Cherkasy side defeated “White-Blues” at the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium (1:0) so another tight and physical contest was expected at Cherkasy Arena. In addition Dynamo’s coaching staff opted for significant squad rotation while the team’s top scorer, Matviy Ponomarenko, was not even included in the squad for the match.
Right from the opening minutes hosts showed they intended once again to make life difficult for the Kyiv side. In the 5th minute Ryabov burst into the penalty area from the right flank and fired at goal but Korobov stuck out a leg and diverted the ball behind for a corner.
Dynamo, of course, had no intention of sitting back either. After a corner kick Bilovar headed the ball across the face of goal. Then, in the 21st minute, the ball found the back of LNZ’s net. During the attack Dynamo switched play from the right flank into the center, Pikhalonok delivered a pass to the left side of the six-yard box where Guerrero finished accurately into the near corner. Unfortunately for Dynamo after a VAR review referee disallowed the goal, ruling that Ogundana had been offside in the build-up phase of the attack.
Ihor Kostiuk’s side continued searching for ways to unlock the hosts’ defense. In the 32nd minute Pikhalonok unleashed one of his trademark long-range efforts from a central position outside the box but the ball clipped the post and went out of play. However just before halftime LNZ had a golden chance to open the scoring. After a lofted ball into the penalty area Pastukh managed to keep possession under pressure from Bilovar and rolled the ball toward the penalty spot where Pasich struck almost unchallenged - fortunately for Dynamo, the ball went just wide of the post. As a result teams went into the break with the score still goalless.
The second half began even more cautiously. Both sides took turns controlling possession without making much progress forward and chances were scarce for a long period. What there was plenty of, however, was emotion, physical battles and fouls - though none of it changed the scoreline. In the 67th minute Pikhalonok set up Voloshyn in a promising shooting position but Nazar failed to connect properly with the effort. Another opportunity came in the 77th minute when Dubinchak met Pikhalonok’s cross from the right with a header but could not direct it on target.
For the final twenty minutes Buialskii and Yarmolenko entered the field in an attempt to energize Dynamo’s attacking play and snatch a difficult away victory. However, the best chance was created by players who had been on the pitch from the opening whistle. In the 85th minute Pikhalonok carried the ball from the right flank into the penalty area and rolled it back to the edge of the box for Voloshyn whose shot toward the corner narrowly missed the post.
Shortly afterward Voloshyn had another opportunity when the ball bounced to him off Buyalskii but once again Nazar failed to hit the target. In the end the referee’s final whistle confirmed a goalless draw at Cherkasy Arena. Dynamo’s next match will take place on Wednesday, May 13, when they host Kolos Kovalivka in Matchday 28 of the Ukrainian Premier League.
Ukrainian Premier League, Matchday 27
LNZ – Dynamo – 0:0 (0:0)
May 9, 2026. Cherkasy, Cherkasy Arena Stadium.
LNZ: 12. Palamarchuk – 11. Pasich, 25. Horin, 34. Muravskyi, 14. Drambayev – 29. Didyk, 16. Ryabov, 19. Pastukh, 7. Mykytyshyn (22. Tverdokhlib, 25; 23. Kravchuk, 90), 17. Kuzyk – 90. Assinor (18. Awudu, 80).
Dynamo: 35. Neshcheret – 13. Korobov (20. Karavaiev, 46), 40. Bilovar (34. Zakharchenko, 57), 32. Mykhavko, 44. Dubinchak – 91. Mykhailenko, 8. Pikhalonok, 10. Shaparenko (29. Buialskii, 73), 9. Voloshyn, 16. Ogundana (7. Yarmolenko, 74) – 39. Guerrero (77. Blănuță, 86).
Booked: Horin (61), Drambayev (79), Assinor (80).
