After the sensational upset in the previous round against the favorite of the "champion" group — Polissya, it seemed that Metalurh players had caught a second wind and would force another opponent — Karpaty — to capitulate, which could have allowed Volodymyr Mykytyn's wards to solidify their position in the top quartet.

However, fans who had the chance to watch the match in Morskoie were disappointed with the play. The opponents often made elementary mistakes and there was no talk of any combination plays. It is not surprising that the goal that decided the outcome was a curiosity. In the 37th minute, the goalkeeper of the nominal hosts Nazar Baida failed to handle the ball on his way out, and it hit visiting player Oleksiy Sydorov who had run onto the penalty spot during Lviv's corner kick, ricocheting into the net. 0:1.

There was still plenty of time until the final whistle, but the score did not change. Although in stoppage time, goalkeeper Oleksandr Ilyuchenkov of Karpaty made a rough mistake, but he was covered by Ivan Kogut. The hard-fought victory allowed Andriy Tlumak's wards to move up to fourth place, which gives them a chance at promotion matches.

However, Karpaty still have chances of securing a direct spot in the UPL, as one of the leaders — Obolon — lost points again. As in the previous match against Epocentru, Kyivans failed to convert their penalty kick once more. Although Ruslan Chernenko was the first to miss, he did manage to score and equalize — 1:1. It was Maxim Mehaniev's excellent play that prevented Obolon from securing a comfortable victory.

Obolon's misfortune benefited not only Karpaty but also another contender for promotion — LNZ. The fate of the match against Epocentru (2:0) was decided in the middle of the first half when Ivan Tischenko scored a brace. Guests became active only at the end of the game, Ruslan Buryak could have marked a goal but goalkeeper of LNZ Kirill Samoylenko was on top form. By the way, this is already his tenth clean sheet in the current season.

Today Polissya became the sole leader after recovering from their loss to Metalurh (2:0) and overtaking Obolon who dropped points.

As for the "relegation group", Bukovyna stands out, having taken the lead over Chernihivskiy FC with a 3:1 victory and now leading the table.

Table standings and  schedule of the first league