Lately, the performances of the "Obolon" football players have reminded people of a roller coaster ride. It feels like the Kyiv team has lost confidence in their strength, which immediately affected their stability. In the latest round of Group B, the "brewers" unexpectedly succumbed to a first-division newcomer — "Sokorka." The nominal hosts, as the match was held in Uman, had an advantage over the guests in terms of wanting to tip the scales in their favor. On the 63rd minute, utility player Stanislav-Nuri Mališ scored a goal that turned out to be decisive — 1:0.

After this defeat, the wards of Oleksandr Stepanov still have a chance to break into the top quartet that will continue fighting for promotion. For now, however, the closest contenders for making it to the top eight are "Polesia," "Karpaty," "Epicon," "LNZ," and "Obolon."

Among today's matches, we highlight the showdowns in Zhytomyr and Poltava. The footballers of "Niva" are challenging opponents for "Polesia"; suffice it to say that the only point loss in the first round by Yurii Kalitvynets' wards occurred precisely in Ternopil. However, this time the outcome was decided even before halftime when Vasyl Hrytsuk converted a penalty, and Dmytro Shastal increased the hosts' lead — 2:0. Nevertheless, the guests put up fierce resistance, and thanks to Oleg Sokolov's accurate shot they managed to reduce their deficit in the score to a minimum. 2:1.

And in Poltava, "city dwellers," who noticeably improved, hosted "LNZ." The Chernihivans would have led the table in Group B with a victory, as it was already known that the leader — "Obolon" — had suffered a setback. On the 34th minute, the guest's forward Yaroslav Halkenko put his team ahead. And although points were also crucial for the hosts, they were forced to concede. 0:1.

Results of matches and tables of the first league