U19. Shakhtar 1-0 Chornomorets

U19 League. 22nd round.

April 30, 2017. Schaslyve. Knyazha Arena. Att: 250. 22^oC.

Shakhtar Donetsk U19 1-0 (1-0) Chornomorets Odesa U19 

Goal: 1-0 Kuzmenko (44)

Shakhtar: Kucherenko, Konoplya, Chahovets, Mate, Zaporoschenko, Yakimets, Putrya (c) (Andruschenko, 90+2), Chekh, Kulakov, Khachaev (Apanchuk, 79), Kuzmenko (Kryskiv, 86)

Unused subs: Vertei, Pavlish, Mudryk, Melichenko

Head coach: Serhii Shyschenko

Chornomorets: Kozhukhar, Priyan, Babohlo, Semenchenko, Sokolyuk, Khristenko (Polevoi, 90+1), Maksimenkov (Shamugia, 72), Semeniv (c), Hluschenko (Mariyko, 46), Shoniya (Vdovichenko, 78), Plokhotnyuk (Studinikin, 90)

Unused subs: Suaib, Havrylichev

Coach: Oleksandr Spitsyn

Booked: Semeniv (90+4)

Referee: Andrii Kovalenko (Poltava)

Before the match

Two of top teams met with each other. The gap between the Pitmen and the Sailors in the standings was only one point: Shakhtar ranked fourth (40 points), as Chornomorets came third (41 points). Serhii Shyschenko did not make change to the starting line-up, which defeated Arsenal-Kyiv in the last encounter (2-0).

First half

The early stages of the meeting saw a close struggle. The teams delivered attacking moves alternatively, and in doing so, no one wanted to yield an inch of the midfield. Starting from the 10th minute, the advantage of the Orange-and-Blacks became more tangible. The first sight of goal came Andrii Kulakov’s way. He gathered a pass from the flank only to blaze it over. Immediately after that, a belter from the edge of the area from Murad Khachayev was parried by the visitor’s goalkeeper. The Sailors in turn demonstrated defensive play, trying to deny the Donetsk side’s control of operating space. However, the hosts’ attack was converted into a goal in the 44th minute.

Yefym Konoplia switched a diagonal pass from the own half of the pitch to Vladyslav Kuzmenko, which broke clear of the defender with one move and sent the ball into the top corner to make it 1-0.

Second half

The same Kuzmenko emerged in the middle of the promising moment right after the break. He steamed into the penalty area, but the defender halted his run; however, the referee did not register a foul. In general, the game pattern did not change in the second half, except that the Odesa side started pressing the Pitmen at the other end of the pitch. Shakhtar players created a successful threatening attacking move in the 66th minute. Yefym Konoplia fashioned an assist again by making a low pass across the goal line. At the far post, the left midfielder Vladyslav Kuzmenko connected with a cross and missed the target. Serhii Shyschenko’s lads continued to dominate the game, but failed to convert huge advantage into more goals. Although Kuzmenko had a clear-cut chance to double the lead following a corner from Volodymyr Yakymets. As a result, the referee’s final whistle recorded a 1-0 victory in favour of the Orange-and-Blacks. The fifth win in a row allowed Shakhtar to move higher than Oleksandriia and Chernomorets in the standings to secure the second spot.

The Donetsk side will hold their next match on May 6. As part of the 23rd round, the Pitmen will set off for an away game versus Karpaty.

Serhii Shyschenko, Shakhtar U19 head coach:

– We played quality team that demonstrate good defensive performance. In general, Shakhtar controlled the course of the game. In the first half, the opponents did not virtually approach our goal. Following the break, we did not particularly rush to deliver attacks, as the opponents did not put so much pressure. Subconsciously, the guys were probably eager to keep the lead gained. Yes, we had some good efforts that should have been converted, but failed to do that. In general, I am satisfied with the way we built up the game and operated offensively. Of course, there is something to work on, there are mistakes, but this is natural. We are going to correct them and do our best to improve some components. Goals for the rest of the season? To win every match. We set ourselves such a goal. My players are eager to extend our winning streak and take the following four fixtures seriously. I am happy that the guys look good both at the training sessions and in competitive games. Match by match, we produce even better performance.