The round of 16 of the Ukrainian Cup featured one of the most dramatic matches of the stage: Kovalivka's Kolos hosted Lviv's Karpaty and, on their home turf, led twice but ultimately lost 2:3. The match turned into a genuine goal-fest, with both teams finding the net, and it was the visitors' character that proved decisive as they twice turned the game around. The final score was 2:3 (2:1 at half-time, 0:2 in the second half), which allowed Fran Fernández's side to progress to the next stage of the tournament.

Match flow: two comebacks in a single evening

The home side made the most of their home-stadium advantage and opened the scoring on the 8th minute through Salabay. Karpaty pulled themselves together and levelled on the 32nd minute thanks to Babohlo. However, right at the end of the first half, on the 45+2nd minute, Ndukae put Kolos back in front, and the teams went to the break with the Kovalivka side leading 2:1. The picture changed completely in the second half: only the visitors scored.

Goals and key moments

Karpaty's comeback run began with Chachu, who, on the 47th minute, effectively at the very start of the second half, restored parity. Then, on the 68th minute, Wantuch sealed the win for the Lviv side, making it 3:2. Thus, the final goal tally reads as follows: for Kolos, Salabay (8') and Ndukae (45+2'); for Karpaty, Babohlo (32'), Chachu (47') and Wantuch (68'). The double comeback in a single match was the main storyline of the game and demonstrated the high scoring output of both teams.

Tournament context and the schedule of the remaining matches

The Kolos – Karpaty match was part of the final series of the round of 16 of the Ukrainian Cup. The other matches of the round were spread across 16 and 17 September: on Wednesday the winners of the pairs Prykarpattia – Kharkiv, Kulikiv-Belka – Veresok and Bukovyna – LNZ were determined, while on Thursday, 17 September, Trostianets hosted Chernihiv and Olkhovets took on Shakhtar. By the time of publication, the teams already through to the next stage were Kryvbas, Metalist, Epitsentr, Oleksandriya, Novyi Razdel, Levyi Bereh, Zorya, Polissia, Dynamo and, now, Karpaty.

Fran Fernández's team and the defence of the trophy

The win over Kolos was an important step for Karpaty in the Ukrainian Cup and a confirmation of the squad's resilience under Fran Fernández, whose team knows how to find the strength to come back even after conceding two goals. It is worth recalling that earlier in this campaign, Kyiv's Dynamo began their defence of the Ukrainian Cup with a narrow win over Nyva, which underscores the high intensity and unpredictability of the tournament at its early stages.