Viktor Skrypnyk made several surprising lineup decisions as his "Zorya" side opened their Ukrainian Premier League campaign with a goalless draw against newly-restructured "LNZ" at the Dynamo Stadium named after Lobanovskyi in Kyiv.
"Zorya" left Jordan, last season's defensive leader, on the bench, with newcomer Yanyich partnering Bashich in central defense. The match, which was briefly interrupted by an air raid alert in the 17th minute, saw both teams struggling to convert their chances.
"Both teams are still finding their rhythm after significant summer changes," a club representative noted after the match. "Every point counts at this stage of rebuilding."
The first half belonged mostly to the Cherkasy club, with Bennett and Kuzyk creating several half-chances. Bennett's cross from the left flank was cleared by Luhansk defenders, while Kuzyk's attempt from distance sailed well over the bar.
Interestingly, "Zorya" responded with their best chance shortly after play resumed following the air raid alert. Vakula's corner found Yanyich, who won an aerial duel against Kushnirenko only to hit the crossbar. Moments later, Roman Salenko failed to find the left corner when connecting with Bashich's cross from the left wing.
Vitaliy Ponomarov's "LNZ" side came out stronger after the break. Pasich created danger on the right side of the penalty area, beating his defender before shooting at the near post, but Ledviy made the save. The biggest miss came shortly after when Bennett's cross found Denys Kuzyk just four meters from an empty net, but he couldn't connect properly.
Both managers tried to shake things up with substitutions. Ponomarov brought on wingers Einel Soares and Prosper Oba mid-way through the second half, with the latter immediately making an impact with several attacking moves. Prosper's late long-range effort from the left wing went narrowly wide of the left post.
The match finished with four yellow cards for "Zorya" (Yanyich, Zhuninio) and "LNZ" (Didyk, Kuzyk, Assinor, Muravskyi), reflecting the competitive but ultimately fruitless nature of the contest.
Is this goalless draw a sign of offensive struggles to come for both teams? With new coaches and several fresh faces in both squads, fans will be hoping this was merely opening-day nerves rather than a pattern for the season ahead.
