Often, one can hear that in cup tournaments there are their own rules: teams from lower divisions frequently force more prestigious opponents to exit prematurely. Here an unwritten rule applies: order beats class, as favorites do not always celebrate victory in elimination matches.

This was the case in the 1/32 finals of the Vbet Cup, where there were no shortage of surprises. Notably, the second division mid-table team, "Locomotive," pleasantly surprised its fans by defeating the elite "Kolos." The guests led as early as the first half — 2:0, and only at the end of the match did Kovalivtsi manage to equalize through Yuriy Klimchuk's efforts — 2:2. However, the joy of the visitors was short-lived: in the penalty shootout, the railwaymen emerged victorious.

Another sensation occurred in Tishkivtsi, located in Kirovohrad Oblast, where the Cup champion among amateurs, "Agrotech," hosted a representative from the UPL — "Epizentro." It seems that Podolyany underestimated their opponent. Although guests included Dynamo loanee Vladyslav Supryha and Shakhtar graduate Andriy Boriachuk, even the appearance of these attacking stars did not tip the scales in favor of the UPL team. The leader of the hosts Oleksiy Chychikov, who won the Cup with Vorzel in 2009, opened the scoring midway through the second half. "Epizentro" quickly restored parity — 1:1, but this did not shake "Agrotech." In the penalty shootout, amateurs were more accurate and advanced further. "Agrotech" continues to write Cup history.

In contrast, another UPL representative, "Kudryvka," was shockingly poor in the penalty shootout against "Left Bank." The teams signed a peace treaty — 0:0, although Kiyivans created more goal-scoring opportunities. In the football lottery, hosts converted their penalties while guests missed theirs. Result — 3:0 for "Left Bank."

The match between "Denhoff" and "Prykarpattia-Byla" was dramatic as well. Hosts salvaged a draw in stoppage time, equalizing the score — 2:2. It seemed that amateurs had no chance against an old-timer of the first league, but fate intervened. In a lengthy penalty shootout, luck smiled on "Denhoff"— 11:10!

Only two representatives of the elite were drawn at this stage — "Metalist 1925" and "Obolon." Kharkivians scored in crucial moments — already at the start of the game and near the end when foreigners Itodo and Mba scored — 2:0. Thereafter, "brewers" are forced to focus exclusively on league performances.

Today's final matches of the 1/32 finals saw guests dominate. Credit should be given to second division debutant FC "Lysne," which routed "Chayka"—4:0, and amateurs from "Polissya" (Stavky), who confidently overcame PFL representative "Rebela"—3:0.

From the next round, four of last season's strongest teams enter the competition for the prestigious trophy: "Dynamo," "Oleksandria," "Shakhtar," and Zhytomyr "Polissya."

1/32 finals. Official data