The "Dnipro" head coach says he cannot understand the reasons for the team's disastrous performance in the domestic championship. "Perhaps the guys are subconsciously preparing for European cups," Yevhen Mefodiiovych reflected at the post-match press conference. "Maybe now they will 'abandon' the Ukrainian championship and switch to European cups? Perhaps we'll ask the federation and withdraw from the championship altogether... Because it's unclear – in European cups they play with enormous dedication, with pleasure. The same – in the national team. But the domestic championship was failed from the very beginning and they continue to do so. A catastrophe!" For "Volyn" coach Vitalii Kvartsianyi, the duel with "Dnipro" had special significance. "Today I told the team that throughout my coaching career I managed to win against everyone except 'Dnipro.' So I asked them to pull themselves together and make maximum effort to secure victory and change the tradition. It worked, the team deserves thanks," V. Kvartsianyi admitted at the post-match press conference.

In the reported round, FC "Kharkiv" caused considerable trouble for the vice-champion of Ukraine – Kyiv's "Dynamo." The capital players' mass attacks "resulted" in a goal only from the eleven-metre mark. So in the end, the Kyivans' victory was recorded with a score of 1:0. The "Dynamo" head coach noted after the game that, among other things, there are the same problems as with Yevhen Kucherevskyi's charges – players' fatigue from games for the national teams. "We expected that 'Kharkiv' would play with a packed defence. Of course, with such an opponent's tactics it's hard to create, especially in such weather, on such a slippery field," Anatolii Vasylovych noted. "Moreover, if you noticed, after national team matches, games are always difficult. Some prepared at the club only in training, while others gave a lot of energy in matches for the national teams. But since it was difficult, it's more pleasant to win today – we snatched victory, showed character. Of course, we had the advantage in the match, but the conversion of chances, as before, leaves much to be desired. The main thing is that the guys tried to the last. I can't reproach them regarding effort. Some things worked for some, not for others, but there's no one to reproach – everyone wanted to win and understood the importance of the result." The reigning champion of Ukraine – Donetsk's "Shakhtar" – had no particular trouble in the 12th round. The "Miners" beat Poltava's "Vorskla" away with a score of 2:0. "This match can be divided into two parts. We had a noticeable advantage and very many goal-scoring chances throughout the first half," Mircea Lucescu said after the game. "Vorskla showed fear of the opponent, but in the second half it was a completely different team – aggressive, with nothing to lose. They had several chances: the ball hit the 'Shakhtar' goalpost twice. The second half was even. Overall, I think the score reflects the game. It allows us to calmly prepare the team for the UEFA Cup match against PAOK. It's a pity that we had to play the match in such bad weather conditions. That's why I substituted Fernandinho – he's not used to such weather. We even gave him gloves after the break."

Results of other matches of the 12th round: "Metalist" – "Stal" – 1:0; "Zakarpattia" – "Arsenal" – 2:1; "Illichivets" – "Metalurh" (Z.) – 1:0; "Metalurh" (D.) – "Tavria" – 0:0; "Chornomorets" – "Kryvbas" – 2:1.

Hlib Vakoliuk