The teams started very lively, the Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv players quickly crossed the center of the field. Viktor Skripnik’s team had speed, but at the same time his players acted too chaotically. The guests did not maintain structure and, as if in the yard, rushed with great forces under pressure. In turn, the hosts did the opposite – they did not stretch and delivered the ball from defense to attack in an organized manner.
And this confusion in the performance of the Metalist 1925 players brought the first problems already at the very start. Bandeira served from deep, and Zaderaka justified the trust of Yuri Vernidub. The Krivbass striker handled the ball brilliantly and hit Mozil with a second touch. The reaction of the Kharkov team coach was more than a thousand words. For an outsider to miss the start in the den of the Krivoy Rog club is, in a certain sense, a death sentence.
The hosts continued to act calmly and methodically, and already at the equator of the first 45 minutes they could bury the intrigue. Lunev could have doubled the score, but his header hit the post. But “Krivbass” did not shy away and quickly scored their second goal. Mikityshyn closed the top serve from Kuzyk.
Even before the break, the visiting coach made the first change in defense – Bezugly came on instead of Zhichikov. However, what did this change? Vernidub’s team continued to press and at the end of the first half once again scored in the Kharkiv team’s goal. Dibango, in his signature dribbling style, broke through the left flank and crossed to Lunev – 3:0. Essentially the game was done.
Quite expected absolute dominance of the Krivoy Rog team. What about “Metalist 1925″…? The guests tried to occasionally snap at something, but all these attempts were so unprincipled and lackluster…
In the second half, Kryvbas slowed down the pace a little, but the overall nature of the game did not change much. The Reds fired at the opponent’s goal from different positions and met their opponents high. Over time, Metalist 1925 managed to move the game away from their half for a certain period. However, all the sharpness from the Kharkov team came down to long-range inaccurate strikes. The most active among the guests was Garmash.
However, all the same, despite this short-term activity of the guests, the Krivoy Rog residents acted much more dangerously. Mikityshyn could have brought the score to a devastating one before going on as a substitute. In general, the Krivoy Rog team was closer to its fourth goal than the Kharkov team was to its first.
As a result, we have a very calm victory in the class for “Krivbass”. At the same time, Yuri Vernidub also carried out a certain rotation, which allowed the mentor to preserve the strength of his key players before the difficult trip to Dnepr. The hosts looked much more intense and dynamic, and outplayed Metalist 1925 in all game parameters.
A completely natural result. This is the case when expectations from the match and reality coincided a little more than completely. The Krivoy Rog club is consolidated in the status of the main contender for bronze medals in the Ukrainian championship.
Well, for the Kharkov club the clouds are gathering and the silhouette of the First League is becoming increasingly clear on the horizon. Desire alone is not enough to maintain registration in the elite Ukrainian division.
26th round of the UPL season 2023/24
04/28/2024. Krivoy Rog, Gornyak stadium
“Krivbass” – “Metalist 1925” 3:0
Goals: Zaderaka 5, Mykytyshyn 38, Lunev 43
“Cryvbass”: Makhankov – Bandeira (Monday 71), Santini, Stetskov (Beskorovainy 70), Dibango – Bizimana, Khomchenovsky – D. Kuzyk (Tverdokhleb 78), Lunev (Po 77), Mykytyshyn (Kozhushko 64) – Zaderaka.
Spares: Omelchenko, Beskorovainy, Monday, Ryabov, Tatarkov, Yadom, Debelko, Tverdokhleb, Sosa, Kozhushko, Bliznichenko, Po.
Head coach: Yuri Vernidub.
“Metalist 1925”: Mozil – Zhichikov (Bezugly 39), Imerekov, Farina, Kapinus – Obinaya (Vachiberadze 72) – Yusov, Garmash – Yurchenko – Frimpong (Boryachuk 79), Sidorov (Bychek 79).
Spares: Protsenko, Sydorenko, Kurylo, Bezugly, Chervak, Vachiberadze, Smityukh, Ary, Boryachuk, Bychek.
Head coach: Viktor Skripnik.
Warnings: Zhichikov 27, Imerekov 55, Kapinus 87.
Referee: Sandor Alexander.
