Polissia — Zorya, photo UPL November 25, 2024, 8:01 p.m

The program of the fourteenth round of the Ukrainian Premier League was traditionally extensive and affected as many as four game days. In the evening on Monday, this round was supposed to end with a match in Zhytomyr, where the local Polissya hosted Luhansk Zori against the background of a not very comforting period for itself during the last month of club football. Imad Ashour’s side have not won any of their last four games, so they have significantly deteriorated their position at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, Željko Lyubenovych’s team also had nothing to show off in front of their opponents, because the “men” won only one of the last six duels — against Livy Bereh (2:0), so they simply could not count on feeling safe in bottom of the table. And this time, the guests didn’t even have a helmsman in the technical area due to disciplinary sanctions, so they had to come up with something.

In fact, Zorya’s playing conditions have not progressed too much recently, and here there was also an opponent in front who likes to press, and even the goal home stands are not too actively supporting Ashur’s team, she still tries to make a good impression about herself. In the first half, Luhansk were caught on small mistakes several times, and the “wolves” had quite good moments, but there was some trouble with the implementation again.

Or rather, it was Saputin who returned to the frame of the goal and desperately tried to prove to the coaching staff that he was in full order. At the very least, the goalkeeper coped with the shots of Nazarenko, Hutsuliak, and Paishao in dangerous situations, thanks to which Zorya with a minimum of threats to Kovalets’ possessions at least did not concede in the first half, which frankly lacked the stable emergence of sharp moments.

Polissia’s desire to increase the speed of its own attacks in the second half is understandable and natural. But the very fact of this desire was not enough. Zorya quietly began to appear more and more often at other people’s gates, and in the end help came to her from the most unexpected source. Beni Makuana appeared on the field in the 61st minute, and already in the 65th he made a mistake near his own penalty area and created a moment for Slesary to cross Budkivskyi. Philip pretended that he was not celebrating, but he was still very sad.

No one knows how this game would have ended for Polissya, if Vantukh had not forgotten in a few moments that he already had a warning when he fouled Nazarenko on the left flank of the defense. The removal put Zorya in a very difficult position, because the “wolves” already had nowhere to go, so they simply went to someone else’s penalty area in search of opportunities. And they found it – from a corner on the right flank, Taylor transferred the pass to the near side, where Sarapii put the ball into the net. However, there were not enough hosts. Significant cooling in Zhytomyr.

In the next round, Zhytomyr’s Polissia will visit Kryvyi Rih’s Kryvbas, while Luhansk’s Zorya will host Lviv’s Karpaty.

Polissia — Zorya 1:1
Goals: Sarapiy, 84 — Budkivskyi, 65

Polissya: Volynets — Taylor (Maisuradze, 88), Vialle, Sarapiy, Smolyakov — Lednev (Mustafaev, 75), Babenko, Krushynskyi — Hutsulyak, Paishao (Makuana, 61), Nazarenko (Bristrych, 88).

Star: Saputin — Juninho, Esquinha, Jordan, Vantukh — Bashych — Kyryukhantsev (Vakula, 62), Yatsik, Slesar, Horbach (Kakhlyov, 78) — Budkivskyi.

Warnings: Taylor, Babenko, Bristrich — Jordan, Vantukh, Esquinha

Roman Vantukh (Zorya) was sent off in the 72nd minute (second warning).