LNZ and “Shakhtar” continued the championship intrigue in a direct battle
In the Ukrainian Premier League, the intense 23rd round of the 2025/26 season has concluded. Four days of football battles brought numerous sensations: from another failure of “Dynamo” to the historic rise of “Karpaty.” At the same time, the central match of the round between the main championship contenders – LNZ and “Shakhtar” – left the question of sole leadership open.
This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the tournament results.
Also read: “Shakhtar” secured an important breakthrough in Europe: Ukraine is on the rise in the UEFA coefficient table
Draw in the championship battle
The central event was the direct clash of the leaders – Cherkasy’s LNZ and Donetsk’s “Shakhtar.” The teams approached the match with an equal number of points (50 each), and the game lived up to expectations, ending in a fierce draw – 2:2.
LNZ continues to hold the top spot due to better results in head-to-head matches, but “Shakhtar” retains an advantage with a game in hand. The leaders are neck and neck, promising a heated conclusion to the season.
Crisis in Kyiv and a record in Lviv
The main disappointment of the round was once again “Dynamo.” The Kyiv team lost for the second consecutive time, this time narrowly to “Metalist 1925” (0:1). This defeat significantly pushed the “white-blues” away from the top three and the European Cup zone – the gap from third-placed “Polissya” has now increased to five points.
Meanwhile, Lviv’s “Karpaty” are experiencing a true renaissance. By defeating “Alexandria” (2:0), the Lviv team set a new club record, achieving their fourth consecutive victory: the overall score of these matches is 11:00 in favor of Lviv.
No hope for salvation
The situation for “Alexandria,” Lviv’s opponent in the 23rd round, is critical: their winless streak has reached a catastrophic 15 matches. It seems that the current vice-champions of the country are beyond saving from direct relegation. The gap from 14th place, which offers a chance for salvation in the relegation playoffs, has already reached 8 points. With seven rounds to go, recovering them is nearly impossible.
The situation is even worse for “Poltava.” Here, it seems they have already given up hope of staying in the elite. Moreover, the last match against “Polissya” (0:4) has come under suspicion due to abnormal betting on the outcome.
All results of the 23rd round:
- “Poltava” – “Polissya” – 0:4 (Hutsulyak, 10, penalty, Andriyevsky, 14, Sarapiy, 33, Maisuradze, 71). Misura (“Poltava”) was sent off in the 33rd minute
- “Rukh” – “Kolos” – 1:1 (Neves, 90 – Telles, 86)
- “Karpaty” – “Alexandria” – 2:0 (Kostenko, 75, Pedroso, 90+2). Myroshnychenko (“Karpaty”) was sent off in the 73rd minute, and Oharikov (“Alexandria”) in the 87th
- “Metalist 1925” – “Dynamo” – 1:0 (Antyukh, 79)
- “Veres” – “Obolon” – 2:0 (Ndukwe, 73, Kharatin, 85, penalty)
- “Kudrivka” – “Kryvbas” – 1:2 (Storchous, 81 – Parako, 32, Shevchenko, 88)
- “Zarya” – “Epicenter” – 1:0 (Jordan, 33)
- LNZ – “Shakhtar” – 2:2 (Bondar, 28, own goal, Assinor, 45+5 – Ryabov, 11, own goal, Eginhaldu, 34)
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Top scorers:
- Matvey Ponomarenko (“Dynamo”) – 9 goals
- Babukar Fal (“Rukh”/”Karpaty”) – 9
- Philipp Budkovsky (“Zarya”) – 9
What’s next
The next 24th round will take place from April 17 to 20. The central match will be “Shakhtar” – “Polissya,” which will be held on Monday, April 20, at “Arena Lviv.”
LNZ will play in Kovalivka against “Kolos” (April 18), while “Dynamo” will host “Zarya” (April 17).
Earlier, the UAF made an official statement regarding the disallowed goal in the match “Dynamo” – “Karpaty.”
