Pukhov secured a 3-1 victory over Rovnost Krainé in the Round of 128 of the Cup on 19 August 2026. The away side took the tie deeper into the competition, leaving the hosts to reflect on what went wrong at home. By then, the result was already shaping up for the visitors.
Pukhov came into this fixture with mixed recent form. They had won one, drawn one, and lost three of their previous five matches across all competitions. The away end never stopped, even when the team was not on a great run.
The visitors did not travel to make up the numbers. They carried the side through a tie that could have gone either way, but the scoreline showed they were the sharper side when it mattered. And here's the thing about cup football — one good spell decides everything.
Rovnost Krainé will now look to regroup before facing the next opponent. They extended their unbeaten run, but only in the sense that they did not lose. The goal difference tells a different story to the result.
Pukhov's progress means they stay in the competition for another round. The market has overreacted to the favourite, but the visitors proved they could still find a way to win on the road. Things came to a head when the away side took control in the second half.