Zorya kicks off the season with a crushing victory over Kolos: red card in the 8th minute and two goals with a man advantage

The new season of the Ukrainian Premier League kicked off with an intriguing match at the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Arena in the capital. The opening fixture featured Luhansk's Zorya against Kovalivka's Kolos. The game, watched closely by the head coach of the Ukraine national team, Andrea Maldero, ended in a convincing 2:0 victory for the hosts.

Drama in the opening minutes

The Luhansk side took control of the game from the very first seconds. As early as the 5th minute, Bohdan Kushnirenko's long-range shot made the opposing goalkeeper nervous, hitting the crossbar. However, a truly dramatic turn of events occurred just three minutes later.

In the 8th minute, Kolos defender Nikita Burda made a fatal mistake. Tackling Ivan Nesterenko, who had broken through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he was sent off for a last-man foul. Kolos found themselves a man down almost at the start of the match.

Siege of the goal and Pakholiuk's saves

Playing with ten men, the visitors were forced to retreat into defense. Zorya launched a real siege on the opponent's goal, but the visiting goalkeeper, Ivan Pakholiuk, made a series of crucial saves, preventing the Luhansk side from opening the score in the first half. The hosts were left with only Vasyl Kravets' free-kick, which struck the post.

Despite the numerical advantage, Zorya failed to score before halftime, and the teams went into the break with the score at 0:0.

Breakthrough in the second half

The second half of the match followed the same pattern: the pressure from the Luhansk players only intensified. Pakholiuk continued to save his team from shots by Domagoj Jelavić and Philipp Budkovskyi. The breakthrough came in the 70th minute. Following a penetrating pass from Jordan and a mistake by Nesterenko, Philipp Budkovskyi tapped the ball into the net.

By the 82nd minute, Zorya's coaching staff executed their tactical plan. Fresh player Fedor Zadorozhnyi came onto the pitch, revitalized the attack, and doubled his team's advantage with a precise left-footed shot into the far corner.

Final note

Kolos attempted to restore suspense in the closing stages, but Zorya's goalkeeper Vladyslav Rybak made a reliable save on a close-range shot from the visiting captain Andriy Tsurykov. Ultimately, the Luhansk side secured a convincing 2:0 victory, becoming the first winners of the new UPL season.