Dynamo Kyiv dropped two crucial points in their Matchday 5 fixture of the Europa League group stage on Thursday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by group leaders Stoke City FC.
The English side went into the match against Dynamo knowing that a point would put them through to the next round, while Yuriy Semin’s men desperately needed to claim all three points to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
Dynamo looked the better side in the first half with Oleksandr Aliyev testing Asmir Begovic with a couple of long-range shots. In the 27th minute, they finally went in front when Matthew Upson, attempting to clear the ball, guided Aliyev's forceful low shot into his own net. The White-Blues could have doubled their lead through Andriy Shevchenko ten minutes later but he saw his effort hit the outside of the near post.
Stoke improved after the break and had a chance to equalise when Delap's pass found Palacios breaking into the box, but his shot was well saved by Oleksandr Shovkovskyy. Shortly afterwards they came even closer when Jermaine Pennant latched onto a loose ball and fired powerfully from inside the penalty area, only for his effort to be blocked on the line by Yevhen Khacheridi. The hosts continued to press for a goal and eventually grabbed the equaliser nine minutes from time when Jones nodded in Pennant's cross.
2011/2012 UEFA Europa League, group stage, Matchday 5
STOKE CITY – DYNAMO – 1:1 (0:1)
Stoke City: 1.Begović, 3.Higginbotham, 4.Huth, 20.Upson – cap, 30.Shotton, 15.Diao (10.Fuller, 70), 16.Pennant (18.Whitehead, 88), 24.Delap, 40.Palacios, 9.Jones (19.Walters, 84), 33.Jerome.
Dynamo: 1.Shovkovskyy – cap, 2.Danilo Silva, 3.Betão, 34.Khacheridi, 5.Vukojević, 8.Aliyev, 20.Husyev, 37.Yussuf (36.Ninković, 85), 7.Shevchenko (44.Almeida, 73), 9.Yarmolenko, 11.Ideye.
Goals: Jones (81) – Upson (27, own goal).
www.fcdynamo.kiev.ua
