On Thursday, September 10, Dynamo Kyiv began their campaign in the new edition of the Ukrainian Cup. In the Round of 32, the “white and blues” faced a Second League representative – Vinnytsia’s Nyva.
The visit of the reigning cup holders to Vinnytsia caused considerable excitement. All tickets for the stands were sold out literally within a few hours after going on sale, so spectators were seated around the entire perimeter of the pitch and also watched the action on the field from nearby buildings.
The hosts started the match very actively, showing from the first minutes that they had no intention of surrendering to their famous opponents. The Vinnytsia side pressed actively, and in the 8th minute, when Malysh allowed himself to be dispossessed on the flank, a dangerous cross came in, which, fortunately, none of Nyva’s players managed to meet.
Dynamo responded with a long-range effort from Pikhalionok, as well as a close-range shot from Guerrero after a cross from the right flank – in both cases, the goalkeeper dealt reliably with the attempts from the “white and blues” players.
The hosts came much closer to opening the scoring in the 24th minute. First, Olkhovyi parried Mendes’ shot from a promising position, but the attack continued, Vlasenko found Melnyk with a pass in the area in front of the penalty box, and he unleashed a powerful shot from around 25 meters – this time, the Dynamo goal was saved by the crossbar.
As time went on, Dynamo took control of the initiative, and chances began to arise one after another. Lyusin met Malysh’s cross from the right flank, but the ball flew over the goal; Pikhalionok found Voloshyn in the penalty area with a brilliant lob, but Nazar’s shot while falling was saved by the goalkeeper; and in another episode, the Vinnytsia goalkeeper parried Lyusin’s long-range effort under the crossbar.
Dynamo spent the final minutes before the break with virtually the entire team, apart from the goalkeeper, in the opponents’ half, but were unable to create anything more than blocked shots from Mungenge and Mykhailenko. There was also an interesting episode in stoppage time, when Dykyi pushed the ball forward on the left side of the penalty area and fell after contact with Moroz’s leg, but the referee did not consider it a foul and immediately blew the whistle for half-time.
Dynamo continued to press towards the opponents’ goal after the break. And they achieved their goal relatively quickly, finally opening the scoring. In the 50th minute, following a corner kick, the towering Thiare was left unmarked and, virtually from the edge of the six-yard box, headed the ball into the net – 0:1.
The visitors almost immediately had a chance to double their lead. Following a mistake by the Nyva defenders near their own goal, Lyusin intercepted the ball but could not shoot himself, while Mykhavko sent the ball over the crossbar.
Overall, Dynamo’s goal significantly calmed the game down. Having achieved the minimum objective, the visitors controlled the initiative but did not make any particular progress going forward. The “white and blues” coaching staff tried to freshen things up by making a large number of substitutions midway through the half, but they did not seriously affect the tempo of the match. In the end, the Vinnytsia side loaded the penalty area with crosses, which Olkhovyi and the defenders dealt with, while at the other end, the only things worth mentioning were a dangerous header from Ba, who met Pikhalionok’s corner, but the ball flew just wide of the post, as well as a long-range effort from Dubinchak, which the goalkeeper managed to parry with difficulty.
In the end, Dynamo’s narrow victory sends the Kyiv side through to the next round of the Ukrainian Cup.
Ukrainian Cup 2026/2027, Round of 32
Nyva (Vinnytsia) – Dynamo – 0:1 (0:0)
10.09.2026. Vinnytsia, Nyva Training Base
Nyva: 55. I. Ponomarenko, 20. Melnyk (77. Yevchev, 72), 8. Riabyi, 19. Moroz, 17. Kolchin (5. Mezhenський, 72), 13. Vlasenko, 9. Kalinin (99. Chyhur, 82), 22. Yakymchuk (23. Boriachuk, 61), 11. Petlenko, 41. Ikaru, 88. Pohorilyi (21. Popov, 61).
Dynamo: 43. Olkhovyi, 23. Malysh (5. Sych, 69), 32. Mykhavko, 66. Thiare, 90. Dykyi (44. Dubinchak, 77), 91. Mykhailenko, 14. Liusin (6. Brazhko, 68), 8. Pikhalonok, 9. Voloshyn, 39. Guerrero (42. Bah, 69), 99. Mounguengue (20. Supriaha, 68).
Goal: Thiare (50).
Booked: Dykyi (47).
