Ukraine’s soccer vice-champion Dynamo Kyiv defeated Hungarian champion Ferencvaros 1:0 at the Olympiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on Dec. 8.
The win allowed Dynamo Kyiv to earn third place in a group of four teams and even though the Ukrainian team exits the prestigious UEFA Champions League tournament, it has qualified for the second-tier UEFA Europa League’s playoffs set to begin in February.
Before the game, it was clear that Dynamo Kyiv had little chance to advance to the UEFA Champions League playoffs.
After successfully passing the qualification for the UEFA Champions League group stage, Dynamo Kyiv was drawn into a group with Spanish vice-champion Barcelona and Italian champion Juventus. Both teams were seen as clear favorites for the two playoff berths and successfully confirmed expectations by beating Dynamo Kyiv on all four occasions.
Dynamo Kyiv was left to compete for third place with Hungarian Ferencvaros.
The two games between Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros drew major attention in Ukraine, since the Hungarian team was coached by Dynamo Kyiv’s legend Serhiy Rebrov, who used to play for the team and later coached it.
The games between the two teams was also a rematch of the 1975 UEFA Cup Winners Cup final which saw Dynamo Kyiv beat Ferencvaros 3:0 and earning its first of its three European titles.
The first 2020 game between the two sides, played in Budapest, ended in a 2:2 draw, after the Hungarian side scored a last-minute equalizer. In Kyiv, Dynamo Kyiv was able to hold on to a win after Ukrainian defender Denys Popov scored in the 60th minute of the game.
The win saw Dynamo Kyiv finish the group in third place and continue their European path in the second-tier European tournament.
The draw for the 2020-2021 UEFA Europa League round of 32 will be held on Dec. 14, while the games will be played on Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, none of them in Kyiv.
