"Dnipro" - "Dynamo" (Kyiv) - 2:0. The result of the first semifinal match of the Ukrainian Cup competition, in which the Dnipro players outplayed the Kyivans on their home field in excellent style, put the Dynamo players - six-time (and current) trophy holders - before a real threat of early termination of their struggle in the tournament.
The Dnipropetrovsk football team looked significantly better on the field than their opponents. Well "warmed up" by the confrontation with Marseille's "Olympique," "Dnipro" did not slow down in the duel with the Kyivans either. The unsuccessful outcome of the confrontation with the French, it seems, added enthusiasm to our countrymen in their attacking impulse in the match against "Dynamo."
The Dnipro players surpassed the guests from the capital in activity, speed, and coordination of team actions. During the match, their counterparts managed to create only a few truly dangerous moments near Kernozenko's goal: one - in the first 10 minutes, another - in the middle of the second half.
The sending off of "Dnipro" captain Mykhailenko from the field, as a result of which the Dnipro players finished the game with ten men, did not help the Kyivans either. In attack, the Kyivans' actions continued to be clumsy and helpless.
Thus "Dnipro" achieved a fully deserved victory (scorers: Kostyshyn - 15 min., Rykun - 60 min.) and made a serious bid for final success in the two-round tie for reaching the tournament final. It is clear that in the return match in Kyiv the Dynamo players will fight "not for life, but for death," however our countrymen have every chance to withstand this difficult test.