Olexandriya edged past Probi Horodenka 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Ukrainian Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday evening. The result sends the visitors through to the next stage while ending the home side's cup hopes. By then, both managers would have been thinking about what they needed to change.
The opening goal came in the 33rd minute when Jhonnatan found the net for Probi Horodenka. Olexandriya responded before half-time with M. Girnyi's strike in the 47th minute to level matters. And here's the thing — the game never really broke open after that.
The shootout at 120+1 minutes proved decisive. M. Tretyakov scored for Olexandriya while M. Borysenko missed for the hosts. Both Girnyi and Buletsa converted for Olexandriya in the second round, but R. Kuzmyn also scored while V. Ivanychuk failed for Probi Horodenka. The decisive moment came at 120+4 when the final Probi Horodenka penalty was missed.
Olexandriya showed more composure when it mattered most. The visitors scored three penalties while the hosts managed only two. To be fair, the pressure was always on Probi Horodenka after their recent struggles.
The home side arrived with poor recent form — defeats to Agranom Volochysk 6-0 and Viktoria Mykolaiv 3-0 among their last five. Olexandriya, by contrast, had gone unbeaten in their previous five matches, including wins against Chernihiv and Bratyslav Vinnytsia.
The match statistics tell a simple story. Olexandriya won three corners to Probi Horodenka's one, suggesting they pressed more consistently. And here's the thing — the result means Olexandriya advance while Probi Horodenka face another disappointing exit.