Alexandr Kucher's charges secured a second-place finish in the Group E Conference League, thus advancing to the spring stage of the tournament for their debut season in European competitions. In the knockout round, the black-and-yellow team was drawn against a familiar opponent for Ukrainian fans—AEK. The same Cypriot club had eliminated Dnipro-1 in the Europa League qualifiers and later faced Kyiv's Dynamo in the group stage of the competition.

For the Dnipropetrovskians, this was their first official match of 2023. The coach immediately threw Brazilian newcomers—Hainer and Peglow—into the fray. These factors affected the visitors as AEK dominated at the start of the Cypriot encounter. Trychkovs'kyi delivered several dangerous shots, while Lopes, after a foul in the penalty area, barely missed the crossbar. On the 22nd minute, Dnipropetrovskians responded with a blocked shot by Dobik following Amash's cross. The game continued without notable moments near either goal until halftime.

Photo scdnipro1.com.ua

In the second half, both teams played evenly. Valef parried Fajar's shot into the "nine," and Dobik checked Pirich after a corner kick. On the 58th minute, Fajar scored from an excellent position, followed by Gutsulyak hitting the crossbar. Later, Cypriot players missed several chances—Yakolish, Garcia, and Nikolic, while in Dnipro-1, Pikhalonok failed to capitalize on a Dobik pass; Pirich saved it.

And finally, at the 84th minute, AEK scored—their goal was sealed by Garcia from Gustavo's set piece. Moreover, shortly after, Valef had to save another shot from Nikolic. In summary, Dnipro-1 conceded on Cyprus—0:1. The return match will take place in Kosice, Slovakia, at the "Kosice Football Arena" on February 23.

Photo scdnipro1.com.ua

In the match, players who were called up for the most recent national team training camp participated in Dnipro-1's squad: Sarapiiy, Pikhalonok (substituted at 89th minute), Dobik (substituted at 89th minute).

Conference League. Knockout Round. First Leg

AEK (Cyprus) — Dnipro-1 (Ukraine) — 1:0 (0:0)

Goal: Garcia (84).

AEK: Pirich, Rosales, Milichevich, Tomovic, Garcia, Pons, Gustavo (substituted by Gonzalez, 90+2), Fajar (substituted by Englezou, 90+2), Trychkovs'kyi (captain) (substituted by Nikolic, 65), Yakolish (substituted by Casas, 88), Lopes (substituted by Oje, 88).

Substitutes: Tumbas, Stilianidis, Kipros, Naum, Andreu, Mamis.

Coach: Jose Luis Oltra.

Dnipro-1: Valef, Hainer, Svatos (captain), Sarapiiy, Amash (substituted by Gorobunov, 46), Babenko, Rubchynskyi (substituted by Tanchyk, 58), Gutsulyak, Pikhalonok (substituted by Kogut, 89), Peglow (substituted by Blanco, 46), Dobik (substituted by Nazarenko, 89).

Substitutes: Ribak, Kinarekin, Kononenko, Adamyuk.

Coach: Oleksandr Kucher.

Referee: Jacob Kejlet (Denmark).

Yellow Cards: Garcia (40) — Amash (20), Tanchyk (59), Kucher (90+4, off the field).

February 16. Larnaca. AEK Arena.