Ukrainian Cup Final: Shakhtar's Victory
The Ukrainian Cup final featured two of the most decorated teams: Shakhtar, a 14-time winner, faced off against Dynamo, who has claimed the trophy 13 times.
This final also determined who would receive a spot in the Europa League. Dynamo, as the current UPL leader, had nearly secured qualification for the Champions League, while Shakhtar was in third place and could drop to the Conference League with a loss.
Match Overview
- The first dangerous moment came from Shakhtar: after a corner, Pedro Henrique shot from outside the box, but it missed. Dynamo countered five minutes later, with Andriy Yarmolenko passing to Vladyslav Vanat, whose shot was blocked.
- Despite Shakhtar controlling the ball more in the first half (59%), Dynamo created more dangerous opportunities. On the 44th minute, their efforts paid off: Vladyslav Dubinchak crossed to Yarmolenko, who struck accurately into the corner — 1:0.
- Shakhtar equalized in the 64th minute after the first substitutions. Brazilian winger Alisson delivered a pass to Kauan Elias, who found the lower right corner with his shot.
- The match ended in a 1:1 draw, leading to extra time. However, neither team could secure a win, and the outcome was decided in a penalty shootout.
- Shakhtar almost made a mistake: Ruslan Neshcheret saved Elias's shot but stepped off his line, allowing Kauan to convert the penalty. On the other hand, Dynamo's Oleksandr Karavaev missed during the sixth attempt.
Ukrainian Cup Final
Shakhtar (Donetsk) — Dynamo (Kyiv) 1:1 (6:5 on penalties)
Goals: Elias, 64 — Yarmolenko, 44
Implications of the Ukrainian Cup Final Result
- Shakhtar secured participation in the Europa League qualification regardless of their final league standing.
- This marks Shakhtar's 15th Ukrainian Cup, successfully defending their title. Overall, this was the club's 21st final.
- Shakhtar surpassed Dynamo for the most domestic trophies in Ukraine — 39.
