Back in the second round of this season, Mriya met FC Mykolaiv for the first time. Back then, despite an active start and a noticeable desire to impose their football, the Gostomel team lost 0-3. The hosts quickly seized the initiative, scored twice in the first half and finally closed the game with the third goal in the second half.
It seemed that Mriya had learnt from that defeat – and indeed, in the second leg of the match in the 11th round, our boys scored twice. However, Mykolaiv proved their class again, inflicting a painful 2-5 defeat on us. Nevertheless, Mriya continues to gain important playing experience, preparing for future challenges in the amateur arena.

Already in the 3rd minute, Mriya goalkeeper Kyrylo Ivankov, being too focused on saving the ball, violated the rules against a Mykolaiv player right in the penalty area. The referee awarded an 11-metre penalty and the goalkeeper received a warning. The captain of the visitors, Hryhorii Koval, coolly converted the penalty (with a left-footed shot) – 0: 1.
In the 10th minute, Mykolaiv doubled their lead: Volodymyr Zavaliak broke through Mriya’s defence, outplaying three of our players at once, and scored a precise shot into the bottom right corner – 0: 2. The start of the match immediately showed that the guests were very determined.

Despite the poor start, Mriya did not give up. In the 23rd minute, a successful combination involving Vladyslav Zhavko and Stanislav Rokotyansky ended in a foul on the latter in the Mykolaiv penalty area. Serhii Kozak stepped up to the penalty spot and confidently converted, reducing the deficit to a minimum – 1-2.
In the 35th minute, one of the most productive players in the amateur championship, Nazar Tsyupka, once again demonstrated his talent. He broke through Mriya’s defence in his usual fashion and sent the ball into the net – 1-3.

Mykolaiv started the second half with no less determination. In the 49th minute, Mriya broke the rules on the outskirts of their own goal, and Hryhorii Koval handled the free kick flawlessly, increasing the score to 1-4.
When it seemed that the intrigue was dying, in the 80th minute, Oleksandr Voloshyn, being in the right place after a rebound, reduced the deficit to 2-4. However, Mykolaiv quickly regained its lead: in the 85th minute, the same Tsyupka received a pass and scored a double, putting an end to the match – 2:5.

Despite the unsuccessful result, Mriya demonstrated that they can create scoring chances and use quick counterattacks. At the same time, it seems that our team still lacks cohesion and composure in defence against such skilful players as Koval or Tsyupka.
The team thanks all the fans who supported Mriya in this difficult match. We continue to work on our mistakes in order to show a result worthy of our strength and ambitions in the next rounds.
We can’t stop our dreams!

Mriya’s squad:
Mykolaiv squad: