Oleksandriya moved into the top three of the First League with a 2-0 victory over Metalur Kherson on Saturday evening. The result keeps Oleksandriya unbeaten after six games, while Metalur remain in sixth place after another defeat. The visitors opened the scoring in the second half and never looked back.
Metalur started brightly enough, with O. Kozak picking up a yellow card in the 19th minute before being substituted at half-time. Oleksandriya's D. Prykhodko went into the book a few minutes later. S. Buletsa came on for the hosts at the break, but the game changed once the second half began.
Jhonnatan scored twice in quick succession, the first goal coming in the 58th minute and the second just a minute after that. Oleksandriya went for the jugular and Metalur could not recover. The hosts made a flurry of changes after that, bringing on M. Orikhovskyi, O. Prytula and M. Tretyakov in an attempt to find a way back into the match.
P. Yade then added two more goals of his own, the first arriving in the 86th minute and the second following immediately. He was taken off at the end of the match, having completed a personal hat-trick of sorts. Oleksandriya saw the game out without further incident.
The statistics tell the story of a match where the visitors controlled the tempo. Oleksandriya registered 68 attacks compared to 51 for the hosts, and held 53 per cent of possession. They won more corners and free kicks, while Metalur's 10 throw-ins suggested they were unable to maintain sustained pressure.
Oleksandriya now sit third in the table on 12 points from three wins and three draws. Metalur remain on 10 points from three victories, one draw and two defeats. The gap between them in the standings has not narrowed, and the visitors have extended their unbeaten run.