Dynamo Kyiv secured a 1-0 victory over Azerbaijani club Qarabag in the first match of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round. The match took place at the Lublin Arena stadium in Poland.
The only goal came in the 10th minute after Varkonyi made a severe mistake with a weak backpass to his goalkeeper, allowing Ponomarenko to push the ball into the net. Intense action followed throughout the first half with several dangerous chances at both ends, but no more goals were scored.
Both teams exchanged goalscoring opportunities early in the 70th minute without changing the score. Qarabag player Makreckis was sent off with a red card in the 88th minute for a rough foul. Four players received yellow cards during the match: Dubinchak in the 14th minute, Kedziora in the 81st minute, Shaparenko in the 95th minute for Dynamo, and Silva in the 94th minute for Qarabag.
Team Lineups and Substitutions
Dynamo started with goalkeeper Surkis alongside Dubinchak, Mykhavko, Kedziora, Sych, Rubchynskyi, Brazhko, Redushko, Lonwijk, Guerrero, and Ponomarenko. Dynamo made five substitutions, bringing on Tymchyk for Dubinchak, Shaparenko for Lonwijk, and Voloshyn for Guerrero in the 69th minute, Kabayev for Redushko in the 80th minute, and Pikhalyonok for Rubchynskyi in the 88th minute.
Qarabag lined up with Kochalski, Jafarguliyev, Varkonyi, Silva, Makreckis, Jankovic, Bicalho, Zoubir, Cephas, Muaddib, and Kashchuk. Qarabag substituted Gurbanli for Cephas and Kadi for Kashchuk in the 62nd minute, Langa for Jafarguliyev and Lobato for Bicalho in the 75th minute, and Montiel for Jankovic in the 79th minute. The second leg will be played in one week in Azerbaijan.
Mudryk Returns for Chelsea
In other football news, Ukrainian Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk featured in his first match in two years after the cancellation of his suspension in a doping case. Mudryk took the field on the eve of the Dynamo match in a friendly game against Italian side Juventus, which ended in a 0-1 defeat for the London club.
