--- title: "Rotan's 'Polissya' Crushed 'Shakhtar' While Kozak Delivered Three Assists: UPL Names the Best of Matchday 4" description: "The UPL has released the results of Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 season: the best manager was named Ruslan Rotan ('Polissya', victory over 'Shakhtar'), and the best player — Artem Kozak ('Episenter', three goal-assists). 38 experts took part in the voting." date: 2026-09-02T14:20:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/upl-matchday-4-rotan-kozak-team-of-the-round tags: [ukrainian-premier-league, upl, ruslan-rotan, artem-kozak, polese, shakhtar-donetsk, epitsentr] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Rotan's 'Polissya' Crushed 'Shakhtar' While Kozak Delivered Three Assists: UPL Names the Best of Matchday 4 ![Polesia coach Rotan on the sidelines after a crushing win over Shakhtar in the 4th round of the Ukrainian Premier League](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/02/upl-4-tur-rotan-kozak-simvolicheskaya-sbornaya/upl-4-tur-rotan-kozak-simvolicheskaya-sbornaya-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Ruslan Rotan ('Polissya') was named the best manager of Matchday 4 of UPL 2026/27 after the victory over 'Shakhtar'; he was mentioned in 37 of the 38 ballots - Artem Kozak ('Episenter') became the best player of the round, delivering three goal-assists in the match against 'Kudrovka' — a result that had occurred only 12 times over 12 seasons of Wyscout tracking - The experts included 27 players and 7 managers in the team of the round The Ukrainian Premier League has released the results of Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 season. Based on the voting of 38 experts, who determined the best manager, the best player, and the symbolic team of the week, 'Polissya' head coach Ruslan Rotan and 'Episenter' midfielder Artem Kozak became the main heroes of the round. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official UPL website. ### Rotan and 'Polissya': Triumph over the Incumbent Champion The winner among the managers of Matchday 4 was 'Polissya' head coach Ruslan Rotan. His team secured a convincing victory over the incumbent Ukrainian champion — Donetsk's 'Shakhtar' — which became the main storyline of the round. The credibility of the choice is confirmed by the numbers: Rotan was mentioned in 37 of the 38 expert ballots, and he received the top spot in the ranking 23 times. In total, several specialists made it into the top three managers of the round, but Rotan's lead over his competitors was the largest. ### Kozak and a Rare Feat: Three Goal-Assists in a Single Match The title of best player of Matchday 4 was won by 'Episenter' midfielder Artem Kozak. In the match against 'Kudrovka' he delivered three goal-assists, demonstrating an exceptionally high level of game intelligence and vision. As analysts note, such a result is extremely rare: over 12 seasons of Wyscout tracking, a similar event had been recorded only 12 times in the history of the Ukrainian championship. ### Team of the Round: 27 Players and 7 Managers In the process of forming the symbolic team of Matchday 4, the specialists recalled 27 players and 7 managers. In addition to Kozak and Rotan, the discussion also involved players such as Sidun (the author of a brace) and goalkeeper Penkov, whose performances were also noted by the expert community. The sports desk of Sport RBC.UA had previously published its own version of the team of the round, which largely matches the official UPL selection. ### Context and Significance of the Results 'Polissya's victory over 'Shakhtar' carries special significance for the championship's standings: the incumbent Ukrainian champion suffered a defeat at the hands of a team that is showcasing attacking and productive football in the current season. For Rotan, this success became a confirmation of his tactical decisions and his ability to motivate the team to achieve feats against better-resourced opponents. At the same time, Kozak's three goal-assists in the match with 'Kudrovka' underline that in UPL 2026/27 there remain matches with high attacking potential, in which the individual qualities of playmakers come to the fore. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Triumph over the Champion and a Rare Hat-Trick: UPL Selects the Team of Matchday 4](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/triumf-chempionom-i-ridkisniy-het-trik-upl-1788358684.html) - Основной источник. Подтверждает победу Ротаня, три передачи Козака, 38 экспертов, 37/38 анкет, 23 первых места, 27 футболистов и 7 тренеров в символической сборной. - [Sidun's Brace, 'Dynamo's' Rout, and Rotan's Success: The Symbolic Team of Matchday 4 of the UPL](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/dubl-siduna-rozgrom-dinamo-i-uspih-rotanya-1788251874.html) - Основной источник. Подтверждает победу Ротаня, три передачи Козака, 38 экспертов, 37/38 анкет, 23 первых места, 27 футболистов и 7 тренеров в символической сборной. - [Kozak Conducts, Sidun Scores, and Penkov Saves. The Symbolic Team of Matchday 4 of the UPL](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/high/1788233903-kozak-dirizhiruet-sidun-zabivaet-a-penkov-spasaet-simvolicheskaya-sbornaya-4-go-tura-upl.html) - Независимое подтверждение: Козак, Сидун и Пеньков фигурируют в символической сборной 4-го тура. Совпадает с данными UPL. - [Shakhtar – Polissya. Preview and Match Prediction for the Ukrainian Championship on 20.04.2026](https://www.ua-football.com/predictions/upl/1776600475-shahter-polese-anons-i-prognoz-matcha-chempionata-ukrainy-na-20-04-2026.html) - Независимое подтверждение: Козак, Сидун и Пеньков фигурируют в символической сборной 4-го тура. Совпадает с данными UPL. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who was named the best manager of Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 UPL season? **A:** The best manager of Matchday 4 was named Ruslan Rotan, head coach of 'Polissya'. His team secured a convincing victory over the incumbent champion — 'Shakhtar'. Rotan was mentioned in 37 of the 38 expert ballots, with 23 of them placing him first. ### Q: Who won the title of best player of Matchday 4 of the UPL? **A:** The title of best player of Matchday 4 was won by 'Episenter' midfielder Artem Kozak, who delivered three goal-assists in the match against 'Kudrovka'. Over 12 seasons of Wyscout tracking, this had happened only 12 times. ### Q: How many players and managers made it into the team of Matchday 4? **A:** When forming the team of Matchday 4, the specialists recalled 27 players and 7 managers. ### Q: How many experts took part in the voting for the best categories of Matchday 4? **A:** 38 experts took part in the voting for the best manager, the best player, and the team of Matchday 4.