Zorya vs Shakhtar: match report
Friday, May 9, 2025
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Shakhtar faced Zorya Luhansk on the UPL MD28
Head coach of the Miners Marino Pusic made two changes to the starting line-up compared to the previous encounter: Pedro Henrique appeared at left-back, Kevin was deployed as the right winger this time and Eguinaldo led the line from the off.
The Pitmen show more threat despite being down to ten men
Shakhtar took the early initiative in the match: two consecutive crosses from Kevin into the penalty area were cleared by Zorya defenders, and after another delivery from the Brazilian, Eguinaldo tried to shoot, but his attempt was blocked. Pedrinho also had a chance to finish off a cross from Vinicius Tobias, but the ball went straight into Saputin’s hands. The key point of the game came with Alaa Ghram's sending-off: the Tunisian centre-back had already been booked for a clash with Budkivskyi, and in the 17th minute, he received a second yellow card for a foul on the same striker, leaving the pitch. Yet the incident seemed to mobilize Marino Pusic’s men and they created 3 dangerous chances within 5 minutes. Pedrinho struck from the left side of the box, forcing a save from the goalkeeper. Eguinaldo then played Kevin through the middle, but the winger couldn’t hit the target. Moments later, the Brazilians swapped roles, with Eguinaldo missing the goal after receiving a pass from his teammate. The Luhansk outfit also had their chances when the ball clipped the crossbar after a shot from Vantukh took a deflection off Slesar. The rest of the half saw a leisurely pace, without particular danger, and the sides went into the break goalless.
Playing time for the youth and chances for victory
At the start of the second half, the opponents exchanged chances: Eguinaldo played Kevin through for a shot, but the latter hit it straight at the goalkeeper, while Budkivskyi, receiving a pass from Vantukh, narrowly missed the far post. In the 60th minute, Shakhtar coaching staff made a triple substitution – Nazaryna, Tsukanov and Newertton came on. Soon after, Marian Faryna also appeared on the pitch. Newerton almost scored shortly after a one-on-one situation, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Miners continued to push forward and had chances to snatch the win. Kevin attempted a long-ranger, but the ball flew just wide of the top corner. And after a corner kick, Faryna headed towards the near post, but it went just centimetres over the crossbar. 0-0 draw as a result.
We remind that the Ukrainian Cup final match between Shakhtar and Dynamo is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14. It will take place at the Polissia Central City Stadium in Zhytomyr, with kickoff at 18:30.
Zorya Luhansk 0-0 (0-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kyiv, V. Lobanovskyi Dynamo stadium, att.: 936
Shakhtar: Fesiun, Vinicius Tobias (Nazaryna, 60′), Bondar (c), Ghram, Pedro Henrique, Kryskiv, Marlon Gomes (Faryna, 68′), Bondarenko, Pedrinho (Tsukanov, 60′), Kevin (Shved, 74′), Eguinaldo (Newertton, 60′)
Sent off: Ghram (17′, second booking)
The Pitmen show more threat despite being down to ten men
Shakhtar took the early initiative in the match: two consecutive crosses from Kevin into the penalty area were cleared by Zorya defenders, and after another delivery from the Brazilian, Eguinaldo tried to shoot, but his attempt was blocked. Pedrinho also had a chance to finish off a cross from Vinicius Tobias, but the ball went straight into Saputin’s hands. The key point of the game came with Alaa Ghram's sending-off: the Tunisian centre-back had already been booked for a clash with Budkivskyi, and in the 17th minute, he received a second yellow card for a foul on the same striker, leaving the pitch. Yet the incident seemed to mobilize Marino Pusic’s men and they created 3 dangerous chances within 5 minutes. Pedrinho struck from the left side of the box, forcing a save from the goalkeeper. Eguinaldo then played Kevin through the middle, but the winger couldn’t hit the target. Moments later, the Brazilians swapped roles, with Eguinaldo missing the goal after receiving a pass from his teammate. The Luhansk outfit also had their chances when the ball clipped the crossbar after a shot from Vantukh took a deflection off Slesar. The rest of the half saw a leisurely pace, without particular danger, and the sides went into the break goalless.
Playing time for the youth and chances for victory
At the start of the second half, the opponents exchanged chances: Eguinaldo played Kevin through for a shot, but the latter hit it straight at the goalkeeper, while Budkivskyi, receiving a pass from Vantukh, narrowly missed the far post. In the 60th minute, Shakhtar coaching staff made a triple substitution – Nazaryna, Tsukanov and Newertton came on. Soon after, Marian Faryna also appeared on the pitch. Newerton almost scored shortly after a one-on-one situation, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Miners continued to push forward and had chances to snatch the win. Kevin attempted a long-ranger, but the ball flew just wide of the top corner. And after a corner kick, Faryna headed towards the near post, but it went just centimetres over the crossbar. 0-0 draw as a result.
We remind that the Ukrainian Cup final match between Shakhtar and Dynamo is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14. It will take place at the Polissia Central City Stadium in Zhytomyr, with kickoff at 18:30.
Zorya Luhansk 0-0 (0-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kyiv, V. Lobanovskyi Dynamo stadium, att.: 936
Shakhtar: Fesiun, Vinicius Tobias (Nazaryna, 60′), Bondar (c), Ghram, Pedro Henrique, Kryskiv, Marlon Gomes (Faryna, 68′), Bondarenko, Pedrinho (Tsukanov, 60′), Kevin (Shved, 74′), Eguinaldo (Newertton, 60′)
Sent off: Ghram (17′, second booking)
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