Tactical victory
Monday, April 20, 2026
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Shakhtar faced Polissia in the UPL round 24 at the Arena Lviv
Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan selected the following starting line-up for the match: Riznyk took the place between the sticks, Matviienko and Bondar were in central defence, Konoplia and Pedro Henrique operated on the flanks, Ocheretko, Isaque and Bondarenko played in midfield, Eguinaldo and Alisson appeared on the wings, with Traore leading the attack.
The ceremonial kick-off was taken by war veteran Bohdan Varanytsia (call sign Varan). A devoted Shakhtar fan and a brave soldier, he began his military service back in 2019. During the full-scale invasion, he defended our state in the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk directions as part of anti-tank units for three years, and later continued his service in the 43rd Separate Mechanised Brigade. While carrying out a combat mission in the Kupiansk-bound direction, he sustained a severe injury. Bohdan is an example of strength, bravery and resilience. We are proud that such people support Shakhtar.
A tactical and pressing battle
From the very start of the match, both teams showed good movement, aided by the excellent pitch conditions at the Arena Lviv and a light rain that added speed to the ball. In the opening stages, most of the play was concentrated in midfield, where the Miners traditionally looked to combine through short and medium passing, while the Zhytomyr side also responded with their usual aggressive pressing. The hosts’ first clear chance in the 12th minute ended with the ball in the net, when Isaque scored from inside the box after Traore’s lay-off, but the referees disallowed the goal for offside against the Burkinabe forward. Midway through the first half, the visitors also created several dangerous attacks, but without a final shot on target (apart from Andriievskyi’s effort from distance, which went over the crossbar). The Pitmen again stepped up their intensity closer to the break, but Eguinaldo’s dangerous cross was intercepted by Volynets.
Bondar’s goal after a set piece secured the victory
The second half started with Shakhtar attacks, and while Traore initially failed to finish from the centre of the penalty area, his shot was saved by the goalkeeper for a corner on his second attempt. And from that corner, in the 56th minute, the Orange-and-Blacks opened the scoring: Alisson delivered the ball into the goalmouth, Volynets missed it, and Valerii Bondar redirected it into the net with his knee, making it 1-0. In the very next action, Konoplia almost doubled the lead, but his shot went just centimetres wide of the left post. A few minutes later, another cross from Alisson was met by Eguinaldo, but his header went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. In the 70th minute, Arda Turan made his first substitutions, with Newertton and Lucas coming on. The latter almost immediately had a chance to score, breaking through the right side of the box one-on-one with the goalkeeper and aiming a delicate finish into the far corner, but Volynets managed to get a touch and turn it behind for a corner. Kaua Elias soon entered the game – after his pass, Ocheretko fired from the edge of the area straight into Volynets’ hands. Zhytomyr also had their chances to rescue the match, but Haiduchyk headed over from close range, while Sarapii failed to hit the target from a free kick. In the final seconds, the hosts launched a counterattack, Vinicius Tobias beat the goalkeeper, but Krasniqi cleared the ball off the line.
1-0 – Shakhtar defeated Polissia in a crucial clash, becoming sole leaders of the UPL!
On Thursday, April 23, the Miners will play their rescheduled MD21 fixture against Zorya. The clash will take place at the Valerii Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium in Kyiv and will kick off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 (0-0) Polissia Zhytomyr
Lviv, Arena Lviv, att.: 3,270
Goal: 1-0 Bondar (56′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Konoplia, Bondar, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Ocheretko, Isaque (Vinicius Tobias, 88′), Bondarenko (Nazaryna, 88′), Alisson (Lucas, 70′), Eguinaldo (Newertton, 70′), Traoré (Kaua Elias, 80′)
The ceremonial kick-off was taken by war veteran Bohdan Varanytsia (call sign Varan). A devoted Shakhtar fan and a brave soldier, he began his military service back in 2019. During the full-scale invasion, he defended our state in the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk directions as part of anti-tank units for three years, and later continued his service in the 43rd Separate Mechanised Brigade. While carrying out a combat mission in the Kupiansk-bound direction, he sustained a severe injury. Bohdan is an example of strength, bravery and resilience. We are proud that such people support Shakhtar.
A tactical and pressing battle
From the very start of the match, both teams showed good movement, aided by the excellent pitch conditions at the Arena Lviv and a light rain that added speed to the ball. In the opening stages, most of the play was concentrated in midfield, where the Miners traditionally looked to combine through short and medium passing, while the Zhytomyr side also responded with their usual aggressive pressing. The hosts’ first clear chance in the 12th minute ended with the ball in the net, when Isaque scored from inside the box after Traore’s lay-off, but the referees disallowed the goal for offside against the Burkinabe forward. Midway through the first half, the visitors also created several dangerous attacks, but without a final shot on target (apart from Andriievskyi’s effort from distance, which went over the crossbar). The Pitmen again stepped up their intensity closer to the break, but Eguinaldo’s dangerous cross was intercepted by Volynets.
Bondar’s goal after a set piece secured the victory
The second half started with Shakhtar attacks, and while Traore initially failed to finish from the centre of the penalty area, his shot was saved by the goalkeeper for a corner on his second attempt. And from that corner, in the 56th minute, the Orange-and-Blacks opened the scoring: Alisson delivered the ball into the goalmouth, Volynets missed it, and Valerii Bondar redirected it into the net with his knee, making it 1-0. In the very next action, Konoplia almost doubled the lead, but his shot went just centimetres wide of the left post. A few minutes later, another cross from Alisson was met by Eguinaldo, but his header went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. In the 70th minute, Arda Turan made his first substitutions, with Newertton and Lucas coming on. The latter almost immediately had a chance to score, breaking through the right side of the box one-on-one with the goalkeeper and aiming a delicate finish into the far corner, but Volynets managed to get a touch and turn it behind for a corner. Kaua Elias soon entered the game – after his pass, Ocheretko fired from the edge of the area straight into Volynets’ hands. Zhytomyr also had their chances to rescue the match, but Haiduchyk headed over from close range, while Sarapii failed to hit the target from a free kick. In the final seconds, the hosts launched a counterattack, Vinicius Tobias beat the goalkeeper, but Krasniqi cleared the ball off the line.
1-0 – Shakhtar defeated Polissia in a crucial clash, becoming sole leaders of the UPL!
On Thursday, April 23, the Miners will play their rescheduled MD21 fixture against Zorya. The clash will take place at the Valerii Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium in Kyiv and will kick off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 (0-0) Polissia Zhytomyr
Lviv, Arena Lviv, att.: 3,270
Goal: 1-0 Bondar (56′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Konoplia, Bondar, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Ocheretko, Isaque (Vinicius Tobias, 88′), Bondarenko (Nazaryna, 88′), Alisson (Lucas, 70′), Eguinaldo (Newertton, 70′), Traoré (Kaua Elias, 80′)
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