Shakhtar Donetsk came out on top in the Ukrainian Clasico, earning a crucial win over arch-rivals Dynamo Kyiv to extend their lead at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League. The victory also served as revenge for their recent cup defeat — and handed Dynamo their first league loss in two seasons.

The match at the Arena Lviv began with a bang. Just three minutes in, Shakhtar won a corner on the right flank, and Eguinaldo rose above Denys Popov to head the ball home — 1–0. The rest of the first half saw Arda Turan’s men control possession and frequently test Ruslan Neshcheret’s goal, though without many clear-cut chances.

Pedrinho went close midway through the half, firing over from the left side of the box. On 32 minutes, Neshcheret misjudged a corner, but Yukhym Konoplia failed to hit the far post. Just before the break, the Dynamo keeper redeemed himself with a fine save from Marlon Santos’s powerful effort.

Dynamo struggled to create much before half-time — only two shots, none on target. Their best chance came in stoppage time, when Andriy Yarmolenko couldn’t connect with a low cross from the left. Supporters hoped for another second-half turnaround, like the one in the Cup encounter earlier this week.

This time, however, the script played out differently. Shakhtar struck again early in the second half. In the 54th minute, Newerton collected the ball on the edge of the box, cut inside, and curled a brilliant strike into the top corner — 2–0.

Dynamo responded just two minutes later: Oleksandr Karavayev whipped in a low cross, and Vitaliy Buyalskyi slotted home under Dmytro Riznyk to make it 2–1. The comeback looked possible, but this time Shakhtar refused to sit deep. Manager Arda Turan made defensive changes on 67 minutes — introducing six natural defenders — but the team remained compact and disciplined, giving Shovkovskyi’s men few chances to threaten.

In stoppage time, Dynamo’s all-out attack backfired. A failed cross led to a counterattack, with Pedro Henrique launching the ball forward to release Isaque and Meireles. Isaque drove forward, only for Oleksandr Kabayev — tracking back — to deflect the ball into his own net under the crossbar. 3–1 Shakhtar.

The result leaves Shakhtar Donetsk four points clear at the top, while Dynamo Kyiv are left to regroup before a crucial pair of fixtures in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

2025-26, Ukraine - Premier League

Shakhtar - Dynamo 3:1 (1:0)
Goals: Eguinaldo, 3 (1:0); Newerton, 54 (2:0); Buyalskiy, 56 (2:1); Kabayev, 94 (own goal) (3:1)

Shakhtar: Riznyk D.; Pedrinho A.; Matviyenko; Marlon; Konoplya; Pedrinho (Isaque, 75); Bondarenko A-m (Bondar V., 67); Ocheretko; Eguinaldo (Luca Meirelles, 75); Newerton (Vinicius Т., 67); Marlon Gomes
Substitution: Bondar V. (from 67); Vinicius Т. (from 67); Isaque (from 75); Luca Meirelles (from 75)
Bench: Fesiun; Ghram; Azarov I.; Nazaryna; Lucas Ferreira; Hlushchenko; Shved M.; Kauã Elias
Yellow Cards: Marlon Gomes 13; Newerton 55

Dynamo: Neshcheret; Thiare; Vivcharenko (Tymchyk, 75); Popov D.; Karavayev (Mykhavko, 75); Yarmolenko; Brazhko; Pikhalonok (Shaparenko, 85); Buyalskiy; Shola O. (Guerrero E., 61); Kabayev
Substitution: Guerrero E. (from 61); Mykhavko (from 75); Tymchyk (from 75); Shaparenko (from 85)
Bench: Morhun; Burtnyk; Dubinchak; Rubchynskyi; Yatsyk; Mykhailenko M.; Blănuță; Torres A.
Yellow Cards: Thiare 40