[Ruslan25]

I think getting past the third round will be more difficult than earning three points -overall- in CL group stage.
More realistic goal is to get past the group stage of UEFA Cup. Team needs coefficients to go back to CL next season.

 

[Ruslan25]

Two jokes.

Ukrainian TV which bought rights but couldn't get the picture until 38th minute.

Dynamo defense.

 

[Ruslan25]

I'm not disappointed because Dynamo didn't win by 5-1.

This forward looks good in view of the next round. But the back four (CBs, RB, GK)... will definitely send the team packing. No real doubt.

 

[Ruslan25]

So Dynamo will be celebrating CL draw tomorrow (12:00 CET). They'll be unseeded for the first time in club history, as they say. The possible opponents:

Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Schalke, Juventus, Rangers (or FBK Kaunas), O.Marseille, Steaua, Panathinaikos (D.Tbilisi), Basel (Göteborg), Olympiakos, Fenerbahçe (MTK), Anderlecht (BATE), Fiorentina, and Spartak M.

Another news. Correa is in rehab at Sao Paulo FC. He started to jog and is expected to return to Kiev in mid-September. As such, we can't estimate his (pitch-)return date.

 

[Ruslan25]

Surkis was more forthright, saying: "We could have faced the likes of Juventus, [FC] Barcelona or Liverpool [FC] – all of whom are stronger than Spartak these days. The away game will be played on artificial turf which could be a problem for us."

Will Luzhniki be converted to artificial again??

 

[Ruslan25]

Horrendous judge by the Turkish ref. on the penalty.

 

[Ruslan25]

Complete meltdown by Lutsenko. Thank you, you won't play AGAIN.

Drogheda very unlucky not to qualify. FT: 2-2.

 

[Ruslan25]

If have the chance, watch through 42nd (2-2) to 45th minutes of the second half.

Moments to cherish for Dynamo fans and the last we saw a goalie named Lutsenko.

 

[Ruslan25]

Anyone got the highlights of it? I know we'd rather soon forget, but I'm just curious to see how lucky they got

Edited out from Dynamo official's highlight. You can watch clips from Shurik's.
Min.87. 2:2, Гартленд
Min.89. Голевой момент, Хьюз
Min.90. Голевой момент, Робинсон (штанга)

 

[Ruslan25]

It's good to know what to expect in the next round.

BTW, Dynamo released the CL squad list. fcdynamo
Cernat and Verpak are back in. roud: V.Fedoriv has been released to Amkar (loan).

 

[Ruslan25]

Spartak 1-1 Khimki
Luzhniki still with the natural turf!
Stranzl didn't play (not suspended) and Filipenko started. For the rest, as usual. Goal was conceded from Fathi's poor defending.
Certainly, not CL-class performance. But the other side being Dynamo '08, they could stamp one odd goal after another...

 

[Ruslan25]

I've some critical words to Dynamo; but no words to Spartaco.

 

[Ruslan25]

They say the turf is synthesis, so I looked on the video on the Dynamo official (pre-match training session on Aug.12). I remember the surface at Luzhniki was very plastic-looking last winter. This is a different kind - I dunno.

Spartak players were wearing black armbands for the match. I heard it was in mourning the S.Ossetia victims. Dynamo players almost did the same, but UEFA didn't allow it. Nor did they accept a minute of silence. (Proper. But too delicate to comment.)

 

[Ruslan25]

It turned out to be a dream card.

Now, now, Semin has to figure out ways to squeeze points from Pot 4.
Porto/Sporting from Pot 2, Zenit/Basel from Pot 3?

Two more transfers, possibly?

 

[Ruslan25]

Shakhtar's got the better luck. If their defense holds, they could finish second.

For Dynamo to do better than 4th, the squad really needs to be on top, free of injuries and suspensions, over 6 legs. And they'll need lucky goals and 12th player on the pitch. Still, I don't count on a single point in away matches. :neutral:

 

[Ruslan25]

The game is for one point. Cannot do any further.
It looks third-place is realistic.
A battle for the second place.

 

[Ruslan25]

 

[Ruslan25]

Fener-Arsenal was full of defensive holes. In comparison, Dynamo did extremely well.

Porto...they simply couldn't finish. Try to revenge in two weeks. (Though they usually suck on the road.)

Milevsky didn't do anything. Just old tricks. I won't count on Correa nor Gusev, but Yussuf's return will be precious.

 

[Ruslan25]

I expected a much tougher encounter. But Fenerbahce didn't look physically on top.

Eremenko scored and Cernat lasted one half. :thmbup: Unbelievable.
Kravets, he may better go to the hospital again. Get well quick.

Draw on December 19. Will meet one of UEFA Cup group runners-up (but not Metalist).

 

[Ruslan25]

Semin had named Shatskikh among the injured the day before, along with El Kad, Gusev, and Yussuf.

Ukrainian supporters wearing Galatasaray shirts in the stands. :howler: They threw snowballs on Alex's corner, causing some mess. (Did they have just one?)

Semin says Cernat had suffered some food poisoning. The one-goal edge enabled the switch to a defensive midfielder in the second half.

(Surprisingly, kleber didn't hit out on Milevsky this time. What happened??)

The First Channel Cup will be a good practice for the UEFA Cup - and I'm glad Dynamo's group is made of Russian/Ukrainian teams.
---
Ukrainian TV did it again. No cameras to have caught Maldonado's reciprocal kick on Vukojevic's face! (But the referee saw.)