Bukovyna thrashes Livyi Bereh in resumed UPL match: Hrusha brace and victory after a two-week wait

In a resumed match of the 11th round of the Ukrainian Premier League, Bukovyna secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Livyi Bereh. A brace by Vitaliy Hrusha proved decisive for the Chernivtsi team, with Yevhen Pidlepenets setting the final score in the first minute of stoppage time. The match became one of the most difficult in the current championship: it spanned two weeks due to a series of air raid alerts, which forced the second half to be played on a separate day.

Two weeks waiting for the second half

The history of this clash began on October 31, when the teams took the pitch but were unable to finish: a prolonged air raid alert prevented the second half from taking place. At the time of the stoppage, Bukovyna led by a single goal thanks to Vitaliy Hrusha. The resumption was initially scheduled for November 1, but it was impossible to play the remainder of the match that day due to security concerns. The teams had to return to the field only on November 14, and even then, the start of the game had to be postponed again due to an air raid alert.

Hrusha's brace: two goals separated by 15 days

In the second half, Vitaliy Hrusha continued his prolific performance. In the 69th minute, the forward scored his second, converting a pass from Vyacheslav Tankovsky. Thus, the player's two goals in this match were separated by 15 days — he had scored the first one back on October 31 before the interruption. In the 79th minute, the game was interrupted again by an air raid alert, but the teams were eventually able to finish the match.

Pidlepenets seals the result

Yevhen Pidlepenets put an end to the contest. In the first minute of stoppage time, he latched onto a pass from Maksym Zaderaka and extended Bukovyna's lead to three goals. This goal finally decided the outcome of the match and brought the Chernivtsi club an important victory in the tournament race.

What this means for the league table

Thanks to the victory, Bukovyna reached 13 points and climbed to eighth place in the UPL standings. For the Chernivtsi team, this is their first championship win since August 31, highlighting the value of the three points in the resumed match. Livyi Bereh, conversely, remains in 12th position with nine points. It was previously reported that the Ukraine national team will also play its match this Saturday, facing Northern Ireland.