U19. Olimpik 2-3 Shakhtar

Goals: 0-1 Topalov (31), 0-2 Bondar (45), 1-2 Belenkyi (51, pen.), 2-2 Masikevych (75), 2-3 Kashchuk (89)

Olimpik: Bezkrovnyi, Yedynak, Kubenko, Ponomaryov, Snurnitsyn, Gelovani, Yankov (c), Belenkyi, Pudy, Zubashevskyi (Zinatullin, 89), Masikevych

Unused subs: Ltayf, Chernysh, Yeremin, Rubtsov, Taloverov

Head coach: Stanyslav Tyschenko

Shakhtar: Pospelov, Yakimets (Chahovets, 90+3), Mate (Sobolevskyi, 79), Bondar, Korniyenko, Chekh, Kaschuk, Putrya (Andryuschenko, 52; Khachaev, 90), Kulakov (Porodko, 78), Topalov (c), Hudz

Unused subs: Kucherenko, Pavlish

Head coach: Serhii Popov

Booked: Ponomaryov (56), Yankov (73), Belenkyi (81), Gelovani (90+4)

Referee: Serhii Zadyran (Kyiv Oblast)

The opponents are sitting side by side in the table: Olimpik are in the fifth spot (12 games, 21 points), the Pitmen are one line below them (11 games and 17 points). The Olympians received the visitors on a synthetic pitch, they have not suffered any home defeats this season yet, claiming four wins and drawing once. Meanwhile, this match has been the third for the Pitmen this week: last Saturday they met with Dnipro, and with Zorya on Wednesday. The Orange-and-Black coaching staff, made minor changes in the starting line-up compared to the previous encounter. Volodymyr Yakymets replaced the injured Yefym Konoplya at right back, with Stanyslav Hudz coming on instead of Maksym Andrushchenko.

Both sides kicked off to a cautious start, without hurrying to make any all-out attacks. A couple of times the Pitmen tried to orchestrate some blistering attacks, but they lacked a killer pass. Maksym Chekh made some successful challenges near the opposing penalty area, creating chances for both his teammates and himself. The midfielder’s two long-range shots were parried away by the Olimpik goalkeeper. Gradually, Shakhtar football players felt their dominance and settled in the opposing half of the field, taking the lead on 31minutes. Approaching the penalty area, Dmytro Topalov played one-two with his teammate and hammered a left-foot shot into the top corner – 0-1. The sudden shower somewhat reduced the pace, but Serhii Popov’s team managed to double the lead towards the end of the first half. Oleksii Kaschuk delivered a left-hand corner, with Valerii Bondar dispatching it home from the edge of the goal area – 0-2.

Early in the second half, the referee awarded a penalty against Shakhtar for a collision in the box. Stanyslav Belenkyi fired it into the right corner, with Artem Pospelov guessing the direction right, but failing to reach for the ball – 1-2. It turned into an end-to-end action, in which the Pitmen were closer to success. The host keeper stopped a long-ball attempt by Maksym Andruschenko, with Kaschuk failing to push the ball into the back of the net from tight angle. The visitors’ crosses and set pieces were dangerous. However, contrary to all logic, the ball flew into Shakhtar’s net: Viktor Masikevych scored against Pospelov from close range. Serhii Popov immediately refreshed the team through substitutions, fielding Oleksandr Porodko and Kyrylo Sobolevskyi. Both of them actively entered the game, but the heroes of the meeting were other guys. On 89 minutes, Oleksii Kaschuk technically beat his marksman at the right edge of the penalty area and hammered it into the roof of the net, snatching victory for the Orange-and-Blacks. 3-2 – Shakhtar beat Olimpik in the crucial game and rejoined the title race.

The Pitmen will play their next game away vs Stal on November 5.

- Today's victory is important not only from the competitive point of view, but also in mental terms: it will help the team regain faith in themselves and their strength. They played the first half well and neat, winning 2-0. Our players fully controlled the situation on the field. But early in the second half, the referee made a blunder by awarding a penalty instead of a free kick in our favour, despite the fact that our player got injured in that episode. After that, the boys started playing nervously, and that led to the second goal conceded. But I am glad that in the very end, the team showed their mettle again: just as in the match against Zorya, when they tried to reverse the situation, but failed, this time against Olimpik the guys fought to the end, finally claiming the result. Through that kind of encounters, they become stronger in terms of character, shaping as professionals. Separately, it is worth noting that for the team it was their third match in seven days, with our players showing excellent fitness in each of those matches. They say that defeats temper your character and wins improve your skills. Hopefully, we will step it up in our every meeting.