The final took place four days after a strategic draw in Donetsk. Of course, if Dynamo became champions in the arena of their main and only competitor, this would be a special chic. But a draw completely suited them. The holiday is not canceled, but only postponed. And most likely, already in the next round the Kiev team will play their “golden” match - in their native arena against the Lviv “Carpathians”.
In the final, Shakhtar needed to surprise Dynamo with something. On Wednesday, the people of Kiev were ready for any tactical tactics of the Donetsk team and achieved the result they needed. To win the Cup, it was necessary to somehow improve the game in a few days, but it didn’t work out. The fact is that in Kiev the successor of Anatoly Tymoshchuk on the captain’s bridge Matuzal did not enter the field. Last year, Shakhtar was able to beat Dynamo without a Brazilian, but now this loss has not been painlessly made up for. Lucescu was released by Igor Duluy, and the Shakhtar scheme became more closed.
The second consecutive match of Ukrainian grandees was served by a local referee. Apparently, the fashion of inviting judges from abroad is a thing of the past. Of course, various rumors were circulating, but as a result, on Wednesday, Vitaly Godulyan, an Odessa citizen, judged on Sunday and Andrei Shandor from Lviv. The very Sandor, whose arbitration Lucescu a year and a half ago after a home defeat from Dynamo, was examined in the presence of journalists almost under a microscope. Shandor worked at a very high level yesterday, but it is very difficult to satisfy Shakhtar's coach. Let’s pick on something.
Sunday's match was a little like the Donetsk meeting of the two best Ukrainian clubs. There, both opponents easily scored and easily missed. At the Kiev "Olympic" there was no frivolity. The first half turned out to be extremely heavy and boring. I remembered only the episode when Alexander Shovkovsky fought off a ball flying under the crossbar and hit his back on the bar. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.
Uninteresting football could not be attributed even to the heat, since it was raining since noon in the Ukrainian capital. It was felt that without a goal (no matter whose goal) this hymn of caution would continue until the penalty shoot-out. But nothing happened.
At the 60th minute, Dynamo Rodrigo noticed that Bogdan Shust went too far out of the gate. The indiscretion of the young goalkeeper was immediately punished. The Brazilian ventured to shoot on goal from a very sharp angle and almost threw the ball into the net. Shust did not control the situation, but he was insured by the crossbar. However, Hubshman lost the fight for the selection of the insistent Kleber, who pushed the ball into the net.
Lucescu immediately used all three substitutions. And in the stands there was a show. Kiev fans too actively celebrated a goal. The forbidden pyrotechnics pleased the security services. The police launched batons, and the fans - the poles of their flags, pyrotechnics and fists.
But Dynamo, meanwhile, remained in the minority - Rodrigo was removed. The first warning he received in the first half for a rough tackle, the second - for playing with his hand in midfield. But this did not help Shakhtar. In the Kiev penalty area and its environs, the Donetsk team did nothing at all, and in the 81st minute the orange-blacks still missed, having run into a counterattack. Milos Ninkovic dragged the ball from his half of the field and passed to Oleg Gusev. He left the three defenders and struck heavily with his left. Ricocheting from Chygrynsky’s leg, the ball hit the crossbar and ended up in the net.
But Dynamo started celebrating victory too early. Shakhtar almost won back “on character”. A minute before the end, Guy hung on Dario Srna. Horvath shot along the goalkeeper, the ball hit Andrei Nesmachnoy’s chest and bounced to Elano. The Brazilian with one feint laid four defenders and a goalkeeper on the lawn and dealt an accurate blow. And in compensated time, only the skill of Shovkovsky saved the white and blue from extra time. After a canopy Duly heading into the left “nine” struck Mariusz Lewandowski. In the jump, the goalkeeper managed to reach the ball with his right hand. A few minutes later, with the same hand, he held the Cup of Ukraine.
Victor SHARAFUDINOV