In Round 7 of the Ukrainian Premier League, Odesa's Chornomorets hosted Kyiv's Obolon at home, and a match that was supposed to proceed in a routine manner turned into a real drama. The game in Odesa ended in a 1:1 draw, with the decisive moment coming in the final seconds of stoppage time, when the visitors' goalkeeper headed the ball into the hosts' net. Sport RBC.UA reports on the outcome of the match.
A match under fire: forced pauses due to air raids
The main feature of this encounter was several forced stoppages related to air raid alerts in Odesa. The start of the match was postponed, and during the game the referee several times led the teams to shelter. The longest pause came at the moment just before Chornomorets won a penalty kick, which further heated up the atmosphere at the stadium and affected the rhythm of play for both teams.
Popov's penalty: hosts' lead at halftime
After recovering from the forced stoppages, Chornomorets converted the set piece they had won: the designated taker Popov confidently placed the ball and the goalkeeper in opposite corners, giving his team the lead before halftime. It was this goal that for a while dictated the course of the match and gave the hosts reason to believe in victory, although the Odesa side ultimately failed to hold on to the result.
Goalkeeper's goal in the 90+2nd minute: Fedorovskiy levels the score
In the final seconds of stoppage time, Obolon won a corner kick. Kyiv's goalkeeper Nazar Fedorovskiy ran into the hosts' penalty area, where he precisely headed in the delivery to level the score in the 90+2nd minute — 1:1. According to Chornomorets head coach Hryhorchuk, it was precisely such final moments that prevented his team from holding on to the victory, and he saw no point in talking about luck, pointing to specific factors that cost his team two points.
Historical context: from Borovik to Trubin
Fedorovskiy's goal was truly historic for the Ukrainian championship. He became only the second goalkeeper in UPL history to score from open play. The first to achieve this feat was Yevhen Borovik in 2010, who also scored with a header following a corner in a match between Kryvbas and Arsenal. In addition, this episode reminded fans of Anatoliy Trubin's famous goal against Real Madrid in a match of the previous Champions League campaign, which added extra resonance to the moment.
Results and the standings
After seven rounds, Chornomorets sits in 12th place in the Ukrainian Premier League table with 5 points to their name. Kyiv's Obolon is in 14th place with 4 points. Thus, both teams continue their battle for survival at the bottom of the table, and each of their remaining matches takes on the significance not just of a head-to-head contest, but of a fight for a place in the league.
