Lyviy Bereh secured a 2-0 victory over Epitsentr Dunavtsi at the Roman Shukhevych Stadium in Ternopil on Saturday, a result that sends the visitors further adrift while the hosts remain rooted in the middle of the table. The match ended with two goals in the first half, and the visitors did not look threatened after that. To be fair, the home side controlled territory but could not find a way through.
By then, Lyviy Bereh had already taken the lead. V. Voloshyn found the net in the twentieth minute, and that was the moment Étienne Gagnon still recalls when watching the replay. The goal came from a quick transition, and the home defence switched off at the back. And here's the thing — Epitsentr camped in the final third but had nothing to do all evening.
The second goal arrived in the sixty-second minute, courtesy of N. Vorobchak, who put the game to bed early. Lyviy Bereh kept them in it for a while, but the margin of safety was clear after that. The hosts threw bodies forward, but their shots off target outnumbered those on target by nearly five to one.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the break. Sidnney, V. Gorin, M. Myronyuk, A. Kozak, N. Fedotov, A. Chelyadin, P. Fall and I. Kvasnytsya all entered the pitch, while V. Voloshyn was withdrawn just before the end. D. Vashchenko and O. Sokolov picked up yellow cards, but no reds changed the complexion of the contest.
Epitsentr dominated possession at fifty-seven per cent and recorded ninety-eight attacks against ninety-seven for the visitors. Yet the visitors registered five shots on target to the hosts' two, and that is why the scoreline tells the fuller story. The home side's corners were eight to seven, but set pieces rarely cut through.
The result leaves Epitsentr in sixth place with eight points from six games, while Lyviy Bereh sit thirteenth with four from five. The hosts have not won since their three-nil victory over Karbon, and the visitors have not lost since August. By then, the visitors had already established their pattern of grinding out results.
We had tipped the hosts to win with sixty-nine per cent confidence, but the match went the other way. Lyviy Bereh simply had more eyes on the ball when it mattered, and Epitsentr could not close the space. And here's the thing — sometimes the underdog just refuses to be pushed.
