The European competition day for Ukrainian teams began with a cold shower: all three clubs were trailing 0:1 at the start of their games. While not all matches continued in the same direction, there were few pleasant moments on this day. The champion attempted to summarize the impressions.

August 21

• Maccabi (Tel Aviv) – Dynamo 3:1
• Shakhtar – Servette 1:1
• Polissya - Fiorentina 0:3

Dynamo: A Rainy Match with Tragicomedy

The match in Tel Aviv was played in heavy rain and was delayed due to lightning. The field quickly facilitated the ball's movement, with attacks flowing one after another. At the start, the Kyiv team looked helpless, and only thanks to Neshcheret did the score not become disastrous. Voloshyn equalized the score, but after Vyvcharenko's red card, everything fell apart – Maccabi calmly finished them off. Ahead is a return match where they need to overcome a two-goal deficit. The problem is that Dynamo does not currently resemble a competitive team.

Shakhtar: Dominance Without Victory

The "Miners" once again dropped points due to poor conversion. Despite having seven times more chances than Servette (23 shots – 1 goal), they could not win. Injuries to key players and the lack of a true striker are taking their toll on the team. The only goal came from a corner, while the wingers created little impact. It will be tougher in Geneva, and elimination against such an opponent would be a serious blow.

Polissya: Facing Reality

Debuting in Europe turned into a lesson. Fiorentina immediately showed the class difference: Kyn opened the scoring, and the Italians even in the minority finished off the hosts 0:3. Had it not been for the red card to the visitors, the score could have been historically humiliating. Polissya has traveled from lower leagues to the UPL and Europe, but facing a top opponent revealed the gap between Ukrainian mid-tier teams and serious football.