Ukrainian Cup Final: Shakhtar Claims Victory Over Dynamo

The final match of the Ukrainian Cup featured a clash between two of the most decorated teams in the tournament's history: the 14-time champions Shakhtar aimed to defend their title against Dynamo, who has won the trophy 13 times.

In the final, the teams also competed for a place in the Europa League qualification. Dynamo, as the current UPL leader, had nearly secured a spot in the Champions League, while Shakhtar, currently third in the league, faced the risk of entering the Conference League qualification round if they did not finish second.

How did the final unfold?

The first significant chance of the match came from Shakhtar: after a corner, Pedro Enrique attempted a shot from outside the box but missed. Just five minutes later, Dynamo responded with a chance: Andriy Yarmolenko passed to Vladyslav Vanat, but his shot was blocked.
Despite Shakhtar having more possession in the first half (59%), Dynamo created more dangerous opportunities. The efforts of the Kyiv team paid off in the 44th minute: Vladyslav Dubinchak crossed to Andriy Yarmolenko, who scored with a precise shot into the corner of the net— 1:0.
Shakhtar managed to equalize in the 64th minute following the first substitutions. Brazilian winger Alisson provided a cross to Kauan Elias, who accurately struck into the lower right corner of the goal.
Regulation time ended with a 1:1 score, leading to extra time. However, the teams could not determine a winner in the extra periods, and the outcome was decided by a penalty shootout.
The first mistake could have come from Shakhtar: Ruslan Neshcheret saved Elias's shot, but he stepped out of the goal line before the kick, allowing Kauan to successfully convert the penalty. Meanwhile, Dynamo's Oleksandr Karavaev missed during the sixth shot.