Greg . 1 day ago

Anderson Silva nets late to offer Pafos slender advantage over Dynamo Kyiv

Pafos stunned Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying, as a late Anderson Silva goal in Poland means the Cypriot side continue their aspire maiden UCL campaign.

Buoyed by their victory over Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv in the previous rounds, the Cypriot side appreciated a dominant opening 10 minutes in Poland.

Jaja was a constant mischief-maker, forcing Dynamo goalkeeper Ruslan Neshcheret into a low stop, before being engaged in the move that led to Muamer Tankovic heading over from 10 yards out.

It proved to be the best moment of the first half for the visitors, as the game became a stop-start and stodgy affair.

Eventually, the home side establish their feet but establish themselves wasteful in front of goal.

With 10 minutes left of the first half, Vladyslav Vanat’s excellent body swerve permitted the ball to run into the path of  Vladyslav Dubinchak, but he hammered his shot against the near post from a tight angle.

Five minutes later, Vanat himself missed the best opportunity of the match, as he sent his header over the obstruct after being left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.

Dynamo Kyiv - Pafos match statsBetopickSo often Kyiv’s talisman, Andriy Yarmolenko, made it his one-man mission to drag his side into the lead in the second half, although time and again his best efforts dropped agonisingly short.

First, a deep driving run caused havoc in the Pafos defence, but his cross flashed across goal and evaded the onrushing Dubinchak.

Moments later, Yarmolenko's intricate pass led to Vanat falling in the box under pressure from Derrick Luckassen, but, having initially granted a penalty, referee Sandro Scharer reversed his decision after a VAR review.

As Yarmolenko left just after the hour mark, seemingly so did any life from Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s team, and eventually they paid the price with just six minutes left to move.

Joao Correia picked up the loose ball from a cleared corner and steered into the Kyiv half, where he deftly picked out Anderson Silva, who kept his composure to ensure Pafos will have a lead to protect at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium in a week's time.

Betopick Man of the Match: Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)Check out all the match stats with Betopick.