Champions League. Dynamo Kyiv defeated AZ to reach play-off round

15.09.2020 23:55

Photo by az.nl.

Dynamo Kyiv was the first Ukrainian club to launch the European Cup campaign this season. In the confrontation with the Dutch AZ, which consisted of one match, the white and blue at home scored two goals'.

Due to injuries of a few first choice players, the starting lineup of Kyiv side was far from optimal, first of all, in the defensive line. In the center were 18-year-old Zabarnyi, who made his debut in the European Cups, and nominal left-back Mykolenko, all-round Karavayev closed the left wing. One of the team's leaders Tsyhankov was never brought to the match selection.

At the beginning of the match, Dynamo met rivals quite high, but this did not become a problem for AZ. However, the players of AZ did not go forward with great force, as well as Kyiv, which was not surprising given the format of the confrontation in one match. As a result, the game mainly consisted of a power struggle in the middle of the field, which took place with varying degrees of success.

The white and blues did not manage to intercept the ball and counterattack, but as for the positional attack, there were also big problems with it. The guests had more possession of the ball and several times dangerously delivered it to the final third. And only under the curtain of the half Lucescu wards passed several combinations ahead at speed, culminating in a Buyalskyi shot under the crossbar from the middle distance. If the ball did not hit Vlaar's head, the hosts could well have taken the lead.

The second half took place according to a different scenario, which was determined in the 49th minute, when Kyiv finally waited for the opponent's mistake. Buyalskyi intercepted a pass in the middle of the AZ field, went with the ball to the penalty area and passed to Rodriguez, who punched irresistibly under the crossbar. 1: 0.

The guests were forced to reveal themselves, and Ukrainian vice-champions were given space for counterattacks, in which they lost the opportunity to excel twice. Buyalskyi and De Pena threatened the AZ goal, while Kyiv played quite confidently in defense. And in the 86th minute, the fate of the confrontation was actually decided when Shaparenko scored the second goal with his head from Kendziora's pass.

As part of Dynamo, the players who were at the last training camp of the national team of Ukraine took part in the match: Bushchan, Mykolenko, Karavayev, Sidorchuk, Buyalskyi (goal assist, yellow card, substituted in the 79th minute), Shaparenko (goal, replaced by 90 + 1st minute), Supryaha (replaced in the 74th minute).

In the Champions League play-off round, Dynamo will play Belgium's Ghent. The matches will take place on September 23 and 29 (the first meeting is on a foreign field).

Photo by az.nl.

Champions League. Third qualifying round

Dynamo (Ukraine) - AZ (Netherlands) - 2: 0 (0: 0)

Goals: Rodriguez (49), Shaparenko (86).

Dynamo: Bushchan, Kendziora, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Karavayev, Sydorchuk (k), Buyalskyi (Andriyevskyi, 79), Shaparenko (Lyednyev, 90 + 1), De Pena, Rodriguez, Supryaha (Verbic, 74).

Substitutions: Boiko, Syrota, Shepelyev, Sol.

Trainer: Mircea Lucescu.

AZ: Bizot, Svensson, Vlaar (Sugawara, 79), Koopmeiners (k), Weindal, De Wit, Klassi, Midtshe (Druijf, 66), Stengs, Gudmundsson (Idrissi, 58), Boadu.

Substitutions: Verhulst, Hattsidiakos, Letschert, Reinders.

Trainer: Arne Slot.

Referee: Eagle Greenfeld (Israel).

Booked: Buyalskyi (15), Rodriguez (19), Kendziora (85) - Stengs (33), Klassi (83), Idrissi (85).

September 15. Kyiv NSC Olimpiiskyi