March 1, 2024, Friday. 19:56
If you didn’t look at the match report, it was difficult to tell from the first minutes who the real owner of this meeting was. Despite the status of guests, it was the Cherkassy team that began this meeting much more actively. The beginning of the meeting became a vivid example of how much the current Polesie depends on personalities. Wolves coach Yuri Kalitvintsev was missing three of his key players. Budkovsky and Taylor dropped out due to suspension, and Makuana will not play in the current campaign due to a serious injury.
Oleg Dulub’s team acted very intensely at the start in pressing, but in such a rhythm they did not even reach the equator of the first half. However, this didn’t really help the owners. It seemed that “Polesie” played in the minority, it was so difficult for the “wolves” to get out of the defense. It looked like the Zhytomyr team didn’t have enough players in the center of the field. By their standards, Kalitvintsev’s charges unexpectedly did little to aggravate things in front. At the same time, to say that LNZ acted much more creatively in front would also be untrue. Both sides found it extremely difficult to get the ball into the final third of the field.
The absence of Benny Makuan was very noticeable. The traditionally active left flank of the Zhytomyr team was empty. Fortune, who replaced the Congolese winger in position, was not only a pale shadow, but simply disappeared from the radar. This is confirmed by the first strike by Polesie, which came only in the 35th minute.
In general, the first half of the meeting took place under the auspices of a lot of struggle and a minimum of chances. Neither side fully worked to score at least one goal.
If LNZ acted according to the apparent scenario, then Kalitvintsev during the break needed to carry out serious reflection and make adjustments. Because, in the absence of Budkovsky and Makuan, not only were there no chances, it was not even clear how “Polesie” was going to take three points.
And we should pay tribute to the Wolves coach; the hosts came out for the second half definitely more charged and already at the very start of the second 45 minutes they had an excellent opportunity to eventually break the score. However, first Penkov made a good save, and later, in the same episode, in an incredible tackle, Nasonov knocked the ball out from under the feet of Kravchenko, who was already ready to push the leatherman into the empty goal.
The Polesie players improved significantly and began to act more relaxed. And then, the initiative completely passed to the home team. But again, not for long. Oleg Dulub made a triple substitution, which greatly enlivened his team’s play in attack, which allowed the game to even out.
In the last 20 minutes the game finally opened up. Chances began to appear with a certain frequency at both gates. The forward of the Cherkassy team, Mollo Bessal, had a great opportunity. However, the 20-year-old Cameroonian missed his next opportunity. To which the “wolves” responded with a shot from Ndukwe, but Penkov again showed himself reliably.
Until the end of the meeting, both sides made several attempts to open the scoring, but they ended 0:0. It seemed like that would be the end. But in stoppage time a real disaster occurred for Polesie. One test point, frankly, did not suit Kalitvintsev’s team. But due to Boyko’s blunder, the completely drawn match ended in defeat. The hosts’ goalkeeper, when clearing from his own goal, rolled onto the free Oleinik, who picked up the ball and calmly beat Denis.
“Polesie” is having a very hard time getting into the spring part, and LNZ, on the contrary, after a crushing defeat from “Krivbass”, did a lot of homework on its mistakes and received a positive impulse. “Wolves” risk falling straight to 5th position at the end of this round, leaving behind our giants, Dynamo and Shakhtar. Kalitvintsev will have more than one sleepless night trying to overcome the personnel loss of Benny Makuan.
Photo: UPL
19th round of the UPL season 2023/24
1.03.2024. Zhytomyr, Central City Stadium “Polesie”
“Polesie” – LNZ 0:1
Key: Oleinik 90+2
“Polesie”: Boyko – Mikhailichenko, Shabanov, Chobotenko, Kravchenko – Krushinsky (Gritsuk 69), Tankovsky – Talles (Mustafaev 77), Fortune (Nazarenko 69), Kozak (k) – Ndukwe.
Spares: Kudrik (c), Pospelov (c), Ivanov, Gritsuk, Jarju, Mustafaev, Nazarenko, Smolyakov, Checher.
Head coach: Yuri Kalitvintsev.
LNZ: Penkov – Nasonov, Salihu, Muravsky, Kaplienko – Rybalka (k) (Boyko 66), Bar (Tarasenko 90) – Pasich, Till (Shestakov 66), Naumets (Oleynik 66) – Bessala (Khoblenko 78).
Spares: Kucherenko (c), Dubovoy (c), Shestakov, Tishchenko, Oleynik, Khoblenko, Pryadun, Boyko, Tarasenko.
Head coach: Oleg Dulub.
Referee: Oleksandr Omelchenko.
Warnings: Rybalka 5, Ndukwe 8, Muravsky 27, Bar 57, Pasich 89, Oleynik 90+3
2024-03-01 17:56:00
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