Today, the trainees of the ‘Ruh’ Academy defeated ‘Shakhtar Donetsk’ in the final match! The match was simply insane. Trailing after the first half with a score of 0:2, the ‘Ruh’ players managed to turn the game around and equalize the score! Shtokal made the double! And in the series of post-match penalties, fortune smiled upon our boys!

The ‘Ruh’ players started the game well and created several dangerous moments. However, the match turned into a clash of opposing forces. In one of the attacks, the ball reached ‘Shakhtar’s’ Naumenko, who shot from inside of the penalty area into the far corner from the goalkeeper Bakus- 1:0.

Subsequently, ‘Shakhtar’s’ midfielder Sheleket crossed the ball into the Lviv team’s penalty area, and Bezkleinyi headed it into the net – 2:0.

However, even such a turn of events did not break the ‘Ruh’ players, who demonstrated the true Lviv character, completely turned the game around after the break. From the first minutes of the second half, the ‘yellow-black’ pushed forward, and their perseverance paid off. Kvas delivered a pass from the right, and Shtokal skillfully handled the ball inside the penalty area – 2:1.

And then the ‘Ruh’ players showed an unbreakable will to win: once again, Taras Shtokal, who was later recognised as the best player of the match, equalized the score with a billiard shot into the corner of the goal – 2:2.

In the end, it came down to post-match penalties, where Volodymyr Bezubyak’s team held firm and did not make a single mistake. This secured the victory for Lviv.

Thus, the ‘yellow-black’ team once again proved that they are trendsetters at all levels of youth football in Ukraine.

Hryhoriy Kozlovskyy: I am proud! Ahead of many players who became winners today is a new challenge – to defend the colours of the champion’s team ‘Ruh’ U-19!

‘Shakhtar’ (Donetsk) U-17 – ‘Ruh’ (Lviv) U-17 – 2:2 (penalty – 4:5).

Goals: Naumenko, 13; Bezkleinyi, 32 – Shtokal, 50, 76.

Penalty series: Bezkleinyi (S) – 1:0, Kvas (R) – 1:1, Golovachev (S) – 1:1 (save by Bakus), Pylypenko (R) – 1:2, Prokopenko (S) – 2: 2, Shaida (R) – 2:3, Danyliuk (S) – 3:3, Shtokal (R) – 3:4, Davydenko (S) – 4:4, Grabovetskyi (R) – 4:5.

‘Ruh’ (starting line-up): Bakus (captain), Hryhorashchuk, Kusiy, Turkalo, Lapko, Khmelovskyi, Shtokal, Korol, Kvas, Koval, Shayda.