The new season of the Ukrainian Premier League kicked off for the reformed FC Kharkiv with a tense match against Veres. The game took place at the Left Bank Stadium in Kyiv, where the nominal hosts demonstrated complete domination but managed to score the decisive goal only in the final minutes of the encounter.
Statistics that shocked the opponent
From the first minutes of the match, it was obvious that the initiative belonged entirely to Kharkiv. The team in the burgundy jerseys attacked with incredible intensity, creating a situation where Veres was forced to sit back in their own penalty area. By halftime, the statistics already spoke for themselves: 15 shots on goal against one for the guests, and 5 shots on target against one.
Despite such a crushing score in the statistics, the confident performance of Veres goalkeeper Andriy Horokh prevented the hosts from opening the score. The goalkeeper made save after save, not allowing the hosts' forwards, in particular Castillo and Profini, to capitalize on their chances due to a lack of precision in finishing attacks.
Pressure in the second half
The second half of the match brought no changes in the balance of power. Kharkiv continued to press, not giving the opponent a minute's respite. By the 84th minute of the match, the shot count reached a figure of 22:2 in favor of the hosts, with eight shots hitting the target.
Veres defenders, led by Horokh, heroically repelled attacks, trying to hold on to a draw. However, Kharkiv's persistence eventually paid off. In the 90th minute of the game, Oleksandr Krupsky made a precise cross into the penalty area. After an unsuccessful shot by Parako, the ball rebounded to Gadzhiev, who powerfully sent the ball into the far corner of the goal.
Finale and other matches of the round
After conceding the goal, Veres tried to save the match, but their chance for a draw failed. In the 90+5th minute, Fabricio took a free kick, but the ball went just past the post, securing the victory for the reformed Kharkiv.
This match was part of the busy opening program of the new UPL season. Earlier, Luhansk Zorya defeated Kolos, and Lviv Karpaty achieved a comeback victory over Kremin.