Ukraine round-up: Leading pair warm up with wins

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and FC Shakhtar Donetsk warmed up for their top of the table meeting next week with victories in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Defensive run continues
Dnipro beat FC Metalurh Zaporizhya 2-0 to remain three points clear of Shakhtar, as Serhiy Matiukhin and Ruslan Kostyshyn scored. Unbeaten Dnipro last conceded a league goal on 4 August.

Pressure kept up
Shakhtar kept the pressure on Dnipro, overcoming outsiders FC Chornomorets Odesa 2-0. Chornomorets proved to be tough opposition for the defending champions, but Andriy Vorobei finally unlocked their defence before the break, and Daniel Florea added another one just before the final whistle. Shakhtar are to travel to Dnipropetrovsk to face Dnipro next Sunday.

Late goals for Dynamo
Third-placed FC Dynamo Kyiv overcame torrential rain to claim a 2-0 victory against FC Metalurh Mariupil. With Mariupil down to ten men with Oleh Krasnoperov sent off, Dynamo substitute Maksim Shatskikh broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, scoring again at the end to take his season's tally to nine.

Ospiov on target
Olexiy Osipov and Olexandr Haidash scored as FC Tavriya Simferopol beat FC Metalist Kharkivki 2-0, while FC Arsenal Kyiv drew 0-0 with FC Karpaty Lviv in a heated encounter, as the referee showed one red and eleven yellow cards.

Drawn games
FC Volyn Lutsk held FC Metalurh Donetsk 1-1, FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih and FC Polihraftechnica Olexandriya drawing by the same result, and FC Vorskla Poltava's match against FC Obolon Kyiv finishing scoreless.