This was the first time the trophy had been won during the full-scale Russian invasion.
Miner in the final Ukrainian Cup 2023/24 defeated Vorsklascoring a golden double – 2:1.
The match, which was called the “Match of Gratitude,” took place in Rivne at the Avangard stadium with the most noisy public support. Shakhtar predictably seized the initiative and began to put serious pressure on Pavel Isenko’s goal.
Vorskla tried to respond with counterattacks, and sometimes they were successful. In the middle of the first half, Ibrahim Kane twice ran towards Dmitry Riznyk’s goal, but the goalkeeper won the duel both times. And closer to the break, the favorite scored: Irakli Azarov’s serve, and Daniil Sikan sent the ball into the top corner with a cool header.
Soon after the break, Marino Pusic’s team was able to double the advantage: a serve from Alexander Zubkov, a save from Nikolai Matvienko, and a point-blank finish from Efim Konoplya. Isenko pulled the ball, but, as the replay showed, it was already from behind the goal line.
Vorskla did not give up. Riznyk took Nikolai Kovtalyuk’s shot on target. Ivan Nesterenko, Samba Sissoko and Ilya Krupsky shot wide. Finally, the Poltava team revived the intrigue: Kovtalyuk skillfully blocked Krupsky’s cross.
The last minutes were spent in the attacks of Sergei Dolgansky’s team, but they no longer managed to create anything worthwhile. The miner defended a nervous victory.
This Cup final was the first in the last three years. In the 2021/22 season, the tournament was ended early at the 1/4 final stage due to the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine. In the 2022/23 season, the Ukrainian Cup was not played due to the busy schedule of the Ukrainian championship, matches of the national team and the participation of Ukrainian clubs in European cups.
The miner became the absolute record holder for the number of Ukrainian Cups won – 14. Dynamo still has 13 trophies.
Vorskla, having lost, missed the opportunity to get into European competition next season. Thanks to the cup success of the Donetsk club, Krivbass will get a ticket to the Europa League. Teams that take 4-5 places in the UPL will go to the Conference League.
- Ukrainian Cup. The final
Vorskla — Miner — 1:2 (0:1)
Goals: Kovtalyuk, 85 – Sikan, 40, Hemp, 55
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
