On Wednesday, September 17, Dynamo Kyiv began their 2025/26 Ukrainian Cup campaign.
Their opponent in the Round of 32 was Oleksandriya, with the match taking place in the namesake town of Kirovohrad region. Kick-off had to be delayed by an hour due to an air raid alert in the Oleksandriya district.
From the opening minutes Dynamo took control of possession, showing their determination to get a positive result. However, they struggled to create clear chances, as Oleksandriya’s defense stood firm against a barrage of crosses and long deliveries.
It took until the 22nd minute for the breakthrough to come. After a sequence of blocked shots inside the box, the ball fell to Oleksandr Pikhalyonok at the edge of the penalty area. He curled a precise effort into the corner to make it 0:1.
Dynamo pressed on with Kabaiev, Shaparenko and debutant Zakharchenko coming close. The young defender’s header from a corner was brilliantly saved by Oleksandriya’s keeper who clawed the ball away right on the goal line.
Just before halftime the hosts came alive. Beiratche had a shot blocked in a goalmouth scramble while Bol’s follow-up went wide. Moments later Kozak broke through on the right but was denied by goalkeeper Morgun.
After the break Dynamo continued to push forward. Blănuță missed a header from a Shaparenko cross and soon Oleksandriya found their equalizer. In the 58th minute after a corner kick from Buletsa the ball barely grazed Blănuță's head and went into the corner of the net (the goal was officially credited to the Oleksandriya midfielder) – 1:1.
With the new Cup rules removing extra time and taking tied matches straight to penalties, Dynamo were eager to avoid a shootout. They dominated possession but rarely broke through the compact Oleksandriya defense. Bol even denied Blănuță a chance to atone for his own goal by intercepting a dangerous cutback from Ogundana.
Finally Dynamo’s pressure paid off. In the 85th minute Buialskyi flicked the ball cleverly with his heel to release Voloshyn on the right. His low cross evaded Blănuță but fell perfectly to debutant Shola Ogundana who struck high into the net from the penalty spot area - 1:2.
Oleksandriya could not muster a late comeback and Dynamo secured an away victory, advancing to the Round of 16. Their next opponent will be determined later.
