Donetsk's Shakhtar secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Kyiv's Dynamo in the Ukrainian Cup Round of 16 (sponsored as the "BETON Ukrainian Football Cup"), thrashing their opponents 3-0. The turning point of the match was the red card shown to Kyiv defender Taras Myhavko in the first half: after Dynamo were reduced to ten men, the "Pitmen" seized the initiative and scored three goals. For Dynamo, who are the reigning holders of the trophy, the tournament ended at the Round of 16 stage.
How the Game Unfolded: From Dynamo's Early Push to Shakhtar's Control
According to sources, Kyiv started the match aggressively, but subsequently Shakhtar took over the initiative, controlling the ball more frequently and dictating the tempo. It was at this moment in the match that the game-defining incident occurred: in the 30th minute, Dynamo defender Taras Myhavko received a straight red card for a swinging arm during a duel with Oleh Ocheretko. Ocheretko himself received a yellow card for the same episode, but the numerical advantage for the Pitmen became undisputed.
Three Goals After the Turning Point
Just before the end of the first half, Shakhtar capitalized on their man advantage. In the 43rd minute, following a scramble in the Dynamo penalty area, the ball fell to Gleiker Mendoza, who opened the scoring with a powerful strike. In the second half, the Donetsk side continued to press: in the 74th minute, Alisson made a run down the right flank and delivered a cross, allowing Izaki Silva to head the ball past Georgiy Bushchan. In the 87th minute, Alisson scored himself—after Izaki Silva laid the ball off to him, the Brazilian fired into the bottom right corner to set the final score at 3-0.
Second Red Card and Dynamo's Exit
During added time, Kyiv lost another player: Aliu Tiare was shown a red card, meaning Dynamo finished the match with nine men. The victory allows Shakhtar to continue their fight for the Ukrainian Cup, while for the reigning champions of the tournament, the encounter with Donetsk proved to be their last in this campaign.
Context: Winning Streak and the Pitmen's Form
This victory marks Shakhtar's third consecutive win in matches against their arch-rivals. At the same time, it is the team's first success in their last three outings—having previously lost to Inter in the Champions League and drawn with Zorya in the UPL. Thus, the cup match allowed the Donetsk team to break their winless streak and keep their tournament ambitions alive. Earlier the same day, in the first cup fixture, Veres narrowly defeated Livyi Bereh.
