Shakhtar vs Dnipro: 3 finals, 5 semi-finals
Monday, April 24, 2017
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On April 26, in the Ukrainian Cup last 4, Shakhtar are taking on Dnipro in Kharkiv
Today, we are inviting you to recall the Orange-and-Blacks’ performance in the tournament and the highlights of their encounters with Dnipro-based side.
The Pitmen took part in all 26 domestic cup editions: Donetsk reached the final 16 times and won the cup 10 times. For the last eleven years, the team have consistently reached the semi-finals. Aggregately, Shakhtar appeared 21 times at this stage.
In the Ukrainian Cup, the opponents locked horns in 10 seasons, with the Orange-and-Blacks winning on all occasions. The teams met in the final three times, also competing in five semi-finals.
The rivals met for the first time in 1992, in the very first cup competition. Back then, the Pitmen thrashed Dnipro 6-1 on aggregate. In the 1994/95 season, the opponents met in the final. Dnipro with the German coach Bernd Stange at the helm were considered the favourites, but normal time ended in a 1-1 stalemate, with the Donetsk side’s nerves proving stronger in the penalty shoot-out – 7-6. This trophy became the first in the club’s Ukrainian history period.
In 1995, we raised the Ukrainian Cup for the first time. We proved ourselves, conceding along the way we equalised and got a psychological advantage. That match was rescued by Dima Shutkov, who was effective in one-on-one situations and parried away the seventh strike in the penalty shootout
Sergei Atelkin, Shakhtar striker back in the 1999-2000:
- In 1995, we raised the Ukrainian Cup for the first time. In the final, Dnipro were considered to be the favourites, with a banquet being ordered and the certificates of merit signed in advance. We were no weaker in terms of the line-up, but were not in the best shape at that moment. However, we proved ourselves, conceding along the way we equalised and got a psychological advantage. That match was rescued by Dima Shutkov, who was effective in one-on-one situations and parried away the seventh strike in the penalty shootout. Currently, Dnipro are not in their usual position in the table due to points deduction, but winning the Cup and advancing to the European competitions is a chance for the team. The advantage will be on Shakhtar's side. The latter is a maximalist club with the objective of winning every tournament and no room for complacency. Especially as the Pitmen have more time to recover and more experience in general.
For the third time, the opponents challenged the domestic cup on May 30, 2004, when the Donetsk team claimed a 2-0 win (Belik, Tymoshchuk)
Two years later, the Orange-and-Blacks repeated the success, this time defeating Dnipro in normal time through a precision shot by Serhii Atelkin (1-0). And for the third time, the opponents challenged the domestic cup on May 30, 2004, when the Donetsk team claimed a 2-0 win (Belik, Tymoshchuk). It is interesting that in all three finals the Pitmen’s goal was kept by the legendary goalkeeper Dmytro Shutkov.
This is the semi-final of the tournament and, in my opinion, there can hardly be any surprise. The Orange-and-Blacks are much more experienced. I think that Shakhtar will focus on the Cup
Oleksii Belik, Shakhtar striker in the 2000s:
- Dnipro have a young team who can give their one hundred percent and be effective, or just fail it. They have been preforming pretty well in the recent games and have claimed a positive result, still facing the match against Shakhtar now. This is the semi-final of the tournament and, in my opinion, there can hardly be any surprise. The Orange-and-Blacks are much more experienced. I think that Shakhtar will focus on the Cup. There is competition in the team, which doesn’t allow them to get complacent, with all the players feeling it and every mistake being worth its weight in gold.
The overall balance of the opponents’ Ukrainian Cup meetings is as follows: Shakhtar won 8 times in 15 matches, five games ended in a draw and Dnipro proved stronger two times. The goal difference is 24-10 in favour of the Pitmen.
The new round of the rivalry awaits us at the OSC Metalist in Kharkiv on April 26. The game starts at 20:00. Ticket information is available at this link.
