Niva Vinnytsia and Rukh Vynnyky played out a 2-2 draw in the Cup Round of 64 at Niva Stadium on 22 August 2026 before Niva won 4-2 on penalties. The match ran into extra time, and the shootout decided the tie after two hours of football ended level.
A. Vlasenko opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Rukh responded with a goal in the 36th. Niva levelled in the 41st, and K. Kyslyanka restored the lead for the hosts in the 65th. The two sides traded blows throughout the second half, and neither could find a winner in regular time.
The penalty shootout proved decisive. Niva converted their first four attempts, while Rukh missed two of their five spot-kicks. The home side closed the game out after a tense period where one mistake ends it. There is no value left at that number when the pressure mounts like this.
Going into this fixture, Niva had drawn 2-2 with Vilkhivtsi on 15 August and lost 1-2 to Podillya Khmelnytskyi eight days earlier. They had beaten Rukh 2-1 in their most recent meeting on 1 August, but this time the visitors could not afford another slip.
Rukh came into the match on a more positive run, having won 6-2 against Dynaz Vyshhorod on 15 August. They had lost 1-2 to Niva in their previous encounter and were looking to turn that result around. By then, they had also drawn 2-2 with Stal Zhytomyr and lost 1-2 to Bukovyna.
The result keeps Niva in the Cup and sends Rukh packing. The hosts will now face whoever emerges from the next round, and they cannot afford another slip if they want to progress further.
