On the website Sports Arena detailed analysis of the matches of the second round First League PFL of Ukraine for the 2024/25 season. The overview is being updated – we are constantly adding reports on the matches of the 2nd round here.
- Friday, August 16, 2024
Group A
An interesting and uncompromising couple at the start of the season. Mynay and Prykarpattia have never played in a draw (two wins by Zakarpattia, one by Prykarpattia, by the way, 3:0 on the opponent's field). In addition, they have something to prove – both teams have survived their local troubles this summer.
FC Minai – was relegated from the UPL, although it seriously improved in the spring part of the season. Even participation in the “tournament of four” did not help, where after defeating Epicenter they lost to Left Bank. The Transcarpathians will play in the First League for the first time (they missed the opening round due to an odd number of participants), but in the Cup of Ukraine they managed to beat second-league Skala 1911 (3:1). After this victory, Lubenovych resigned, so the intrigue of the match was also whether the management was able to agree on the continuation of cooperation with the head coach.
Prykarpattia started the new season with a stormy 4-0 victory in the Ukrainian Cup against the newcomer of the Second League, FC Uzhhorod, after which they played twice against such a strong opponent today as Bukovyna. They drew 1:1 in the championship, lost 0:1 in the cup. The result of these confrontations was the removal of the experienced striker Barchuk, the author of the saving goal, in the first match against the Chernivtsi. He is not an assistant in this trip. However, FC Minai was strengthened by several players at once, the most recent being the loan of winger Golovkin from Zori, who once played in the First League for Ingulets. It is interesting that only the left defender Dvorovenko (the hero of the cup match with two assists) was among the summer newcomers in the starting line-up, and the young Rosul was replaced by the veteran Bandura in goal.
The teams started the match cautiously, rightly being wary of each other's attack groups. Only somewhere in the 5th minute did the real intensity arise, and even then – Tsiucsyura, breaking through after a tricky draw of the standard, completed the free kick already from offside. Good attacks of the Carpathians sometimes posed difficult tasks for the defense of Minai (and this is one of the more conservative lines, it suffered relatively fewer losses!). In particular, the same Khoma – the joint top scorer of last season – almost closed one of the flank attacks, which resulted in a kick. And another rather dangerous free kick in the 7th minute was completed by the guests with an already too sophisticated draw, after which Khoma punched directly into the side of Rosul's goal.
Without Ustimenko, Korablin and Vakula, FC Minai had a hard time finding ways to the goal of the 2019 world champion Kucheruk. Only about a minute into the 20th minute, the hosts tested him well, but Shalfeev's shot from the middle distance went almost in the center. After that, the fast Remenyak, playing coolly with his teammates, bypassed the defender and hit the near post with his right foot. So when the goal came, it was no accident.
And it was so. Connected to the attack by Remenyuk, Dmytruk crossed from the right flank, and central midfielder Matyushenko, left right in front of the goal, headed the ball precisely into the corner – 1:0. And after 5.5 minutes, FC Minai consolidated its advantage. In general, Remenyak brought Gunichev, the author of the double in the cup match, into a striking position, but he hit the defender. However, Artur himself launched a left-footed round kick from deep into the far corner – 2:0.
This was already a strong bid for victory. And although the Carpathians actively came out of the locker room and tried to transfer the game to the other side of the field, very quickly FC Minai brought the score to a crushing level. Remenyak started the attack from deep on the right flank, connected fresh Kulish on the right flank. The newcomer's shot was taken by the visitors' defender Boldenkov, but Artur himself managed to finish at the far post and hit the goal with his right foot – 3:0. Here's Remenyak's take.
Let's note that Tsiucsyura could have scored right away, but Kulish shot back just as dangerously – in a similar manner, but this time the ball slipped past the far post. And then the active Kulish touched somewhere deep on the flank of Radulskyi, another defender – Shvets – took a free kick from his half of the field. Then Kos won the air, and after his cut, Tsyucura launched it with his left foot exactly under the crossbar – 3:1. It's not that simple in the Carpathians!
But FC Minai has already felt the courage. Kulish and Shalfeev played a good attack, the visitors' midfielder Solovyov touched Gunichev, and Dmytruk from the penalty shot spread the ball and the goalkeeper from different angles – 4:1. What followed was generally open football – sometimes a lunge from the Carpathian Solovyov, then a delicious shot from Myna Kulish. Not surprisingly, the goal fest continued. The defender of Prykarpattia Shvets closed the corner from Solovyov – 4:2.
Despite the activity of the teams, the score did not change anymore, although the successful substitutions of Lyubenovich – Kulish and Demydenko – could consolidate the advantage of the hosts, and the guests had several sharp moments in the second half. FC Minaj wins, as if giving support to its head coach. It's nice that a fighting team was relegated from the UPL to the First League, and not a bankrupt sign or removed from the tournament altogether, as is usually the case in recent decades.
Man of the Match: Artur Remenyak (FC Minai)
It was his two goals that laid the foundation of this victory, so it is very good for the people of Minas Gerais that at least Remenyak remained from the star attack group of last season.
FC Minai – Prykarpattia (Ivano-Frankivsk) – 4:2
Goals: Matyushenko, 30, Remenyak, 36, 52, Dmytruk, 65 (pen.) – Tsiucsyura, 60, Shvets, 78
pass by (starting line-up): Rosul, Dmytruk, Chuev, Prokopchuk©, Skyba, Dvorovenko, Shalfeev, Matyushenko, Remenyak, Vorobchak, Gunichev. Spares: Bandura, Yeremenko, Rozhko, Ryazantsev, Golovkin, Nagiyev, Kulish, Demydenko. Head coach: Zhelko Lyubenovych
Prykarpattia (starting line-up): Kucheruk, Radulskyi, Shvets, Boldenkov, French, Syomka, Genik, Buchakchiiskyi, Titaevskyi, Khoma, Tyutsiura©. Spares: Bobynets, Babanin, Demkiv, Zamurenko, Kos, Mikhalchuk, Romanov, Rudyuk, Solovyov. Head coach: Oleg Rypan
- pass by “Mynai” stadium. 15:30
- Arbitrator: Lyudmila Telbukh (Dnipro)
Both teams have a lot to prove in the new season – they were eliminated in the first round of the Ukrainian Cup and lost in the opening round of the championship (FC Khust scored four unanswered goals in Horodenets, after which they narrowly lost in Khmelnytskyi – Niva played both matches in Ternopil, first on penalties after being eliminated from Bukovyna, and then losing by one goal to Epicenter with a lot of created moments near the visitors' goal). At the same time, the history of confrontations between rivals is equal. Last season, at the first stage, FC Hust won at home in the first round (2:0), and Niva took revenge in Ternopil (4:1).
Of course, in terms of nominal strength, the teams are by no means equal. Niva, a member of the “Championska” group last season, kept most of the leaders (except, perhaps, midfielder Volokhaty, who left for Ingulets, and defender Khrustavka, who was simply released).
FC Khust, however, lost almost the entire previous squad, and had to be quickly replenished in the budget version. Of course, without Pryhodek, Stankovich, Chaban, Chervinsky, Dyanchuk and many other recent key players, it is very difficult for the team. Even earlier, the brothers Lutsivy, Merdeev and Flyashko were irretrievably lost. So it turns out that the current FC Hust is weaker in terms of player selection than the Second League team of the 2022/23 sample. And in this lineup, Luchka's midfielder, who is capable of playing full back, missed this round due to being eliminated from Podillia in the first round.
The match started at an average pace, without a noticeable number of hot moments. In his debut, Hrytsak tried to break through the goal of Ternopil, but did not quite hit. But Niva actually scored on her first chance. Kuharuk, immediately after the repulsed attack of the home team, gave a pass to Galaday, who connected Bey with a cross from the right flank. And this attacking midfielder, who for the first time after long trials in the position of the right defender started and received an additional impulse, led Riznyk to the goalkeeper in one touch. Andrii clearly completed the combination – 0:1.
It must be said that FC Hust did not give up without a fight. Literally in the very first attack, Pylyp punched Hrytsak's ball in response with his head – and the ball missed very close to the goal. However, the average tempo of the game and the lack of an accented, skilled, so to speak, center forward did not allow the hosts to turn the game around. Moreover, the people of Ternopil quickly consolidated their advantage. After a corner kick, Khustyan did not pick up the ball, so Kuharuk from the right half-flank crossed to the opposite end. And there, in the penalty area, Galadei was left alone and in touch with his right cheek punched from the fly into the far corner – 0:2.
But I would like to note again that FC Hust stepped up and did not give up. Pavlych earned a free kick on the left flank, Kozubenko decided to spin with his right foot towards the goal. And then either Huk touched the ball with his hair, or he didn't touch it at all, but it jumped into the far corner between the “nine” and the “six” – again the intrigue returned to our match. 1:2.
And not even ten minutes passed, when the score became equal. From the depth of the field, Pylyp gave a long pass to Umantsi, the defender of Niva ran “past the counter”, so Artem coolly shot past the goalkeeper with his right foot – 2:2. Zhupanskyi, who replaced Olkhovoy in the starting line-up, ran out to meet the opponent's midfielder all the way to the line of the penalty area, but could not help. Before the break, the teams played more without special events.
But immediately after the rest, Niva shot again with a quick goal. Kozubenko did not have time to launch the ball over the goal from a distance, when the counterattack started. Already in the penalty area, a fresh Golub passed a short pass to Riznik, who in the surrounding area punched so that the ball somehow passed under the goalkeeper's hand – 2:3. In principle, if you let the opponents combine right in front of the goal, that cramp with a ricochet will go into the net.
And what about the owners? Somewhere in the 68th minute, after a corner kick, Kozubenko sent the ball into the post. Another defender – Datsenko – tried to break through from a distance. However, the heat slowed down the teams, they had to arrange cooling breaks, which also did not contribute to the overall pace of the match. The answer from Ternopil with a double strike by Riznyk, thanks to Popovych, did not end in a goal. After exchanging several sharp moments, the teams still came to the end of the match with an unchanged score.
Niva (Ternopil) won the first victory under the leadership of Kalynichenko. FC Khust, at least, opened the scoring with its goals in the new season – whatever, it showed good potential in attack, now it remains to teach the new youth to play in defense.
Man of the Match: Andrii Riznyk (Cornfield)
Two goals by the leader of the Ternopil attack ensured his team an away victory – the first in the new season.
FC Hust – Niva (Ternopil) – 2:3
Goals: Huk, 25, Umanets, 32 – Riznyk, 9, 50, Galaday, 16
Hust (starting line-up): Popovych, Kozubenko, Huk, Datsenko, Pavlych ©, Shuh, Shevchuk, Vashkeba, Pylyp, Umanets, Hrytsak. Spares: Belimenko, Boris, Garnaga, Kolchin, Ivanov, Gromenko, Shvets, Slavik. Head coach: Volodymyr Tsytkin
Cornfield (starting line-up): Zhupansky, Mykhaylenko, Zin, Slotyuk, Kapustyan, Kuharuk, Gatala, Kozak, Galaday, Bey, Riznyk©. Spares: Olkhovy, Vadovsky, Davydov, Tanchak, Pezhinsky, Mudry, Kitsun, Demchuk, Golub. Head coach: Yevhenii Kalynychenko
- Hust. Karpaty Stadium. 14:00
- Arbitrator: Vasyl Fayda (Lviv)
