Poltava and Nyva Ternopil played out a 1:1 draw in the second round of the First League on Saturday. A. Boryachuk opened the scoring for the hosts in the eighth minute before V. Sad equalised for the visitors just after the half-hour mark. The result keeps Poltava top of the table on points and leaves Nyva in the lower half.
The opening goal came early, with Boryachuk finding the net in the eighth minute. Nyva responded after the break, with Sad pulling level in the fiftieth minute. To be fair, neither side created enough clear chances to deserve more than a point.
The match grew increasingly physical as the half progressed. Yellow cards appeared at regular intervals — at the thirty-minute mark, forty-two, sixty-five, seventy-five and eighty-three minutes. By then the tempo had dropped, and the game settled into a cautious rhythm.
Poltava controlled possession at 54 per cent but could not convert that advantage. They registered five shots on target compared to Nyva's four, while both teams missed four attempts each. The hosts had six corners to their visitors' three.
The draw extends Poltava's unbeaten run to six games, with three wins and three draws from six matches. Nyva remain in twelfth place after one victory, three draws and two defeats, but the result at least halted a slide.