FC Dynamo Kyiv Europa League quarterfinals first leg against ACF Fiorentina took place at the NSC Olimpiyskyi.
All tickets were sold several days before the game.
Serhiy Rebrov chose quite predictable squad and 1-4-1-4-1 formation. Lukasz Teodorczyk, who scored in four previous games, was among first eleven. Vitaliy Buialskyi played as attacking midfielder.
Fiorentina were Dynamo strongest rival this year. Vincenzo Montella’s men acted very orderly. Serhiy Rebrov’s team attacked carefully and created few chances. As it turned out the first shot on the Lilies target became a success. Jeremain Lens obtained the ball on the left flank, moved to the center and unleashed a volley from 20-meter distance. After rebound the ball hit the net!
After that visitors controlled the game till the final whistle. Late in the first half Aleksandar Dragovic was booked, so he’ll miss the return match.
After the break Fiorentina increased the pressure. Their efforts resulted in goal in a stoppage time. Babacar hit the bottom corner from inside the penalty area.
The second leg will take place on April 23 inFlorence.
Europa League. Quarterfinals first leg
16.04.2015. Kyiv, NSC Olimpiyskyi. 65535 spectators
FC Dynamo Kyiv – ACF Fiorentina – 1:1 (1:0)
Dynamo: Shovkovskyi (c), Antunes (Vida, 24), Khacheridi, Dragovic, Danilo Silva, Rybalka, Sydorchuk (Belhanda, 68), Buialskyi (Chumak, 80), Yarmolenko, Lens, Teodorczyk.
Fiorentina: Neto, Rodriguez (c), Savic, Alonso, Tomovic, Badelj, Matias Fernandez, Joaquin (Vargas, 68), Borja Valero (Aquilani, 83), Gomez (Babacar, 77), Salah.
Goals: Lens (36) – Babacar (90+3).
Booked: Dragovic (44), Sydorchuk (65), Khacheridi (69), Lens (71) – Gomez (45), Alonso (66), Tomovic (90+2).
On April 16 at 22:05 FC Dynamo Kyiv will face ACF Fiorentina in the Europa League quarterfinals first leg at the NSC Olimpiyskyi.
FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
UEFA rankings – 27th place
Five last Europa League matches: 3 wins, 2 defeats, goal difference – 11:7
Five last home matches: 5 wins, goal difference – 15:4
Most stable first team regulars: Artem Kravets – 10 appearances, Aleksandar Dragovic, Miguel, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Serhiy Rybalka, Andriy Yarmolenko – 9 appearances each.
Goalkeeper #1: Olexandr Shovkovskyi – 7 matches played (7 goals conceded, 32 saves)
Best assistant: Andriy Yarmolenko – 6 assists
Best strikers: Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleh Husiev – 4 goals each
Leader according to goal + assist system: Andriy Yarmolenko – 10 (4 + 6)
Injured players: Yevhen Makarenko
Suspended: –
One step from suspension: Domagoj Vida, Artem Kravets, Aleksandar Dragovic, Serhiy Rybalka
Most experienced in the Europa League: Jeremain Lens – 54 matches
Best Europa League striker: Oleh Husiev – 13 goals
Most experienced in euro cups: Olexandr Shovkovskyi – 133 matches
Best euro cups striker: Oleh Husiev – 21 goals
ACF Fiorentina (Florence, Italy)
UEFA rankings – 43rd place
Five last Europa League matches: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat, goal difference – 8:4
Five last away matches: 4 wins, 1 draw, goal difference – 10:2
Most stable first team regulars: Jose Maria Basanta, Milan Badelj – 9 appearances each, Nenad Tomovic – 8, Ciprian Tătărușanu, Juan Manuel Vargas, David Pizarro, Borja Valero – 7 each
Goalkeeper #1: Ciprian Tătărușanu – 7 matches played (5 goals conceded, 24 saves)
Best assistant: Josip Ilicic – 2 assists
Best strikers: Jose Maria Basanta, Juan Manuel Vargas, Josip Ilicic, Marko Marin, Federico Bernardeschi – 2 goals each
Leader according to goal + assist system: Josip Ilicic – 4 (2 + 2)
Injured players: Giuseppe Rossi
Suspended: Jose Maria Basanta
One step from suspension: Stefan Savic, Milan Badelj, Jasmin Kurtic
Most experienced in the Europa League: Gonzalo Rodriguez – 42 matches
Best Europa League striker: Giuseppe Rossi – 14 goals
Most experienced in euro cups: Gonzalo Rodriguez – 76 matches
Best euro cups striker: Mario Gomez – 39 goals
Face-to-face matches
Champions Cup, 2nd round
12.11.1969. Dynamo – Fiorentina – 1:2
26.11.1969. Fiorentina – Dynamo – 0:0
UEFA Cup. 3rd round
22.11.1989. Fiorentina – Dynamo – 1:0
06.12.1989. Dynamo – Fiorentina – 0:0
Interesting facts
• Dynamo have won just twice in 18 encounters with Italian clubs, with both of those wins coming against AS Roma in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League. The game in Rome was a 3-0 forfeit success as the match was abandoned after referee Anders Frisk was hit by an object thrown from the crowd.
• Fiorentina are yet to lose in eight games against Ukrainian sides: W5 D3.
• Dynamo have won all five of their European home games this season by margins of two goals or more.
• Fiorentina are unbeaten in 11 European away games (W8 D3).
• Dynamo won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1974/75 and 1985/86, and last reached the quarter-finals of this competition in 2010/11.
• Winners of the inaugural European Cup Winners' Cup in 1961, Fiorentina were losers in the 1956/57 European Cup and 1989/90 UEFA Cup finals.
• Fiorentina have never lost a quarter-final in this competition. A pair of 1-0 wins gave Bruno Giorgi's side victory against AJ Auxerre in 1990. There were also two goals in it in 2008 as, after a 1-1 first-leg draw at home, Adrian Mutu's double earned a 2-0 success at PSV Eindhoven. They were beaten by Rangers FC on penalties in the semi-finals.
• This season's UEFA Europa League records:
Dynamo – W7 D0 L3 F22 A11
Fiorentina – W6 D3 L1 F18 A6
• Dynamo are the only side who started in the group stage and have come this far without drawing a single match.
Trivia and links
• The top-scoring side left in the competition are Dynamo, who have scored 22 goals in their ten games: an average of 2.2 per match.
• Dynamo's Miguel Veloso played in Italy with Genoa CFC from 2010–12, where his team-mates included Fiorentina's Nenad Tomović. Miguel Veloso and Fiorentina's Matías Fernández had previously played together with Sporting Clube de Portugal (2009–10).
• Dynamo's Jeremain Lens and Fiorentina's Mounir El Hamdaoui – who is not registered to play in the UEFA Europa League – won the 2008/09 Dutch title together during their time at AZ Alkmaar.
• Fiorentina's only Ukrainian player, Oleksandr Yakovenko, is out on loan at ADO Den Haag. The winger previously played alongside Dynamo's Dieumerci Mbokani at RSC Anderlecht from 2011–13.
• With 39 strikes to date, Fiorentina's Mario Gomez needs one more goal to move above Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and become the fourth higest-scoring German player in UEFA club competition. Gerd Müller (62), Jupp Heynckes (45) and Ulf Kirsten (43) occupy the top slots.
• Dynamo's Andriy Yarmolenko has laid on six goals in this season's UEFA Europa League – more than any other player in the quarter-finals. He has also scored four. Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne (five goals, five assists) and Club Brugge's Lior Refaelov (six goals, four assists) have also had a hand in ten goals.
• Dynamo defender Betão could make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance in the Fiorentina game.
• Dynamo goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy has made the most UEFA club competition appearances of any of the players left in this season's UEFA Europa League: 133. Only 18 players have played more European games.
• Dynamo's Łukasz Teodorczyk is one of three Polish players who still have a chance of playing in this year's UEFA Europa League final in Warsaw, along with Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla FC) and Oskar Zawada (VfL Wolfsburg).
