Ukraine round-up: Shakhtar cut Dynamo lead

FC Shakhtar Donetsk moved within two points of Ukrainian Premier League leaders FC Dynamo Kyiv with a 2-0 home victory over FC Metalurh Mariupil on Sunday.

Dynamo held
Hennadiy Zubov gave the hosts the lead with a penalty on the half-hour mark, before Mariusz Lewandowski made sure of the points after 58 minutes. Shakhtar's victory saw them close the gap on Dynamo, who could only manage a goalless draw against ninth-placed FC Tavriya Simferopol.

Stubborn resistance
Dynamo dominated proceedings at the Olimpiyskyi stadium, but leaders failed to break down their opponents' stubborn resistance, and struggled to take their goalscoring chances. Tiberiu Ghioane, Lucky Idahor and Goran Gavrancic were all denied, as Tavriya worked hard to keep a clean sheet.

Dnipro in charge
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk recorded the biggest win of the day, and their 6-2 triumph over ten-man FC Polihraftechnica Olexandria means the home side are still in relegation trouble. Dnipro were 2-0 up by the time Ihor Plotko was sent off for a professional foul, thanks to two goals from Valentyn Poltavets inside the first 21 minutes. Volodymyr Mazyar extended the half-time advantage, and effectively killed off the game, six minutes before the break.

Slabyshev double
Roman Maksymiuk made it four 12 minutes after the restart, before Vitaliy Sakhno pulled a goal back for the hosts with 20 minutes remaining. Yuriy Slabyshev scored the first of his two goals a minute later, before sealing a comprehensive victory in the last minute. Oleh Zhylin scored Polihraftechnica's other consolation after 80 minutes.

Musolytyn penalty
At the bottom, a late Volodymyr Musolytyn penalty condemned bottom club FC Arsenal Kyiv to a 1-0 defeat at mid-table FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. Musolytyn scored from the spot on 78 minutes, but with away side's rivals all losing they remain just one point adrift from safety.

Defeat for Zakarpattya
FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod fell into the drop zone on goal difference after a 1-0 home loss against FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhya. Irakli Modebadze scored the only goal of the game a minute into first-half stoppage-time. That defeat meant FC Vorskla Poltava's 1-1 draw against FC Metalist Kharkiv moved them out of the bottom two. Vitaliy Pushkutsa put Metalist in the lead three minutes after half time, but Serhiy Balanchuk scored what may prove a crucial equaliser for the hosts after 70 minutes.

Donetsk boost hopes
In the day's other game, third-placed FC Metalurh Donetsk boosted their UEFA Cup hopes with a narrow 1-0 win over FC Karpaty Lviv. Serhiy Shyschenko's 29th-minute goal proved enough to secure three crucial points.