A significant event has occurred in Ukrainian football that will change the balance of power in the top division for the next season. Kyiv's 'Leviy Bereh' won the play-off matches and regained the right to compete in the Premier League. In the decisive duel, the capital team left 'Alexandria' out of the elite, which, after a historic success last season, found itself on the brink of relegation.
The Decisive Match in Kyiv
The fate of the ticket to the strongest division was decided in the capital after the first meeting ended in a 1:1 draw. The home team demonstrated their intention to play the leading role from the first minutes. Right at the start of the match, the 'storks' almost opened the scoring: Vorobchak staged an impressive solo run across half the field and brought Vikentiy Voloshyn into a shooting position, but he shot wide of the post.
Vladimir Sharan's team struck back. The coach's charges snatched the initiative and created two certain chances. First, Yade failed to finish a sharp cross from Rodrigues, and then the Portuguese himself broke through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The capital team was saved from conceding by defender Sidney, who made a heroic sliding tackle.
Goal Against the Former Team
However, the last word in the first half belonged to the Kyivians. In the 45th minute, 'Leviy Bereh' won a corner: Shastal crossed to the near post, Sidney continued the ball's flight, and the experienced Banada coolly scored against his former team's goal. Notably, Banada spent ten years of his career at 'Alexandria', but at the decisive moment, he did not hesitate against his former colleagues.
This single goal proved decisive — the final result was 1:0 (2:1 on aggregate) in favor of 'Leviy Bereh'.
Catastrophe for 'Alexandria'
For 'Alexandria', this result was a true catastrophe. After the historic 'silver' 2024/25 season, the team completely failed in the current championship. The 'yellow-and-blacks' were not saved even by the emergency return of Vladimir Sharan to the manager's bench, nor by an unexpected gift from Lviv's 'Rukh', which withdrew from the play-off matches and gave the Alexandrians a second chance.
Thus, 'Leviy Bereh', which left the UPL after its debut season last year, has returned to the football elite. Now, three capital teams will again play in the top division — 'Dynamo', 'Obolon', and 'Leviy Bereh'.
Meanwhile, 'Alexandria' is forced to go to the First League for the first time since the 2014/15 season. This event will be a serious blow to the club's ambitions, which in recent years have strived to establish itself in the elite of Ukrainian football.