Металлург Запорожье claimed a 3-2 away victory against Атлет in the second league regular season on 27 September, a result that extends the visitors' remarkable unbeaten start to the campaign. Атлет, sitting eighth with just one point from two matches, had looked promising in their recent run of results before this defeat. Металлург Запорожье, meanwhile, remain unbeaten through three games, drawing all three so far before finding a way to win.
The opening exchanges saw Атлет take an early lead through S. Shishkin in the second minute, only for N. Movchan to level the score seven minutes later. A. Sitalo restored Атлет's advantage before the quarter-hour mark with a goal in the twenty-ninth minute, and the hosts appeared to have the upper hand going into the second half. The visitors had not yet shown the predatory instinct that would define the second period.
What followed was a complete reversal of momentum. D. Zelinskyi struck in the fifty-sixth minute to bring Металлург Запорожье back into the contest, and then found the net again in the eighty-eighth minute to secure all three points. There was a goal in the fifty-seventh minute as well, though the scorer was not listed in the match data. By then, Атлет's earlier confidence had evaporated, and the visitors had taken control of the match.
Zelinskyi's brace was the defining feature of Металлург Запорожье's performance, a reminder that they have the deeper squad and the clinical edge when it matters. Атлет, who had scored in every one of their previous five matches, could not find the same rhythm after the break. The visitors ran the show in the second half, changing shape at the break and taking advantage of Атлет's inability to close down their playmakers.
The result leaves Атлет in eighth place with one point from two games, while Металлург Запорожье move into sixth position on three points from three matches. For the visitors, the win breaks their streak of draws and suggests they will make life awkward for opponents this season. Атлет, who have not won since their opening fixture, now face a period of reflection before their next match.
