Former Dynamo striker and Ukrainian national team player Roman Yaremchuk starred against his former club as Benefica humbled the already-eliminated Dynamo 2-0 in their final group stage game.
Dynamo closed out a forgettable Champions League campaign with a 2-nil loss away at Benefica.
While the visitors could fairly argue that a better result was warranted, inefficient finishing and lack of killer instinct end up costing the blue-and-white as they collected their fifth straight loss in the competition.
“I am content with the team’s display in the toughest group with top opponents” said head coach Mircea Lucescu after the match, “but I can never be pleased with such results as we could have gained many more points.”
It was former Dynamo striker and current Ukrainian national Roman Yaremchuk that put the home side on the board first with a nice finish in the 16th minute. A defensive blunder by Verbic in the 22nd minute gave the Portuguese side all the cushion they’d need.
“It’s always good to score, especially in the Champions League“
said Yaremchuk about his goal. “But the best thing is the result and going to the next stage. I respect Dynamo. I wish them luck. But the important thing was the three points and advancing to the last 16.”
It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Ukrainian champions, as they were also grouped with European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Still, the team was hoping for a better showing than a single scoreless draw in six encounters. Dynamo scored just one goal in the competition, a 70th minute consolation strike by midfielder Denys Harmash when they hosted Bayern Munich in snowy Kyiv last month.
With European competitions wrapped up for the season, Dynamo can now concentrate on defending their Ukrainian Premiere League title – and earning the automatic path to the Champions League that comes with it.
The team is currently tied with Shakhtar Donetsk for first place with a 14-2-1 record.
Dynamo hosts 4th-place Zorya Luhansk on December 12 at 17:00 at Olympic Stadium in the final game before the winter break.
