Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

    Olympiakos 2-2 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

    Dnipro booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 2-2 draw at 10-man Olympiacos. Dnipro had the cushion of a 2-0 home win heading into the match at Karaiskakis Stadium and twice came from behind to ensure parity in the return leg. First-half goals from Kostas Mitroglou and Artem Fedetskiy cancelled each other out and, after Luka Milivojevic's 51st-minute red card, both sides scored again at the death. Olympiacos were busier in the opening stages and might have been in front inside 10 minutes had Mitroglou done better from six yards. The striker did not have long to wait before finding the net, clinically converting Milivojevic's pass just moments after his previous miss. Dnipro took just nine minutes to restore parity, Fedetskiy denied at the first attempt by the alert Roberto only to fire home the loose ball as the defence failed to clear. Felipe Santana and Evgeni Cheberyachko had chances at either end to put their sides ahead before the interval but goalkeepers Denys Boyko and Roberto were both able to pull off close-range saves. Boyko kept Jimmy Durmaz's effort out early in the second period as Olympiacos pressed but their charge was halted when Milivojevic was sent off for taking his protests too far after conceding a free-kick. The tide turned towards the 11 men of Dnipro, Nikola Kalinic and Yevhen Konoplyanka both testing Roberto without success. After prompting and probing for a winner, the visitors conspired to concede the lead for a second time. Bruno Gama was the guilty party, penalised and booked for fouling Alejandro Dominguez in the box. Dominguez rose to deposit the penalty in the bottom corner and record what looked to be a surprise, if irrelevant, win. But they were denied even that as Kalinic arrived in the right place 90 seconds into added time to apply a close-range finish and even up the scores.
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    • PA Sport

      Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2-0 Olympiakos

      Two goals in the space of six minutes put Dnipro in control of their Europa League last-32 against Olympiakos as they won the first leg 2-0. Jaba Kankava opened the scoring five minutes into the second half and just five minutes later Ruslan Rotan's free-kick doubled the hosts' advantage. Olympiakos struggled to create clear chances and left Ukraine without an away goal and with an uphill task facing them in the second leg. The match was slow to get going but Dnipro eventually built up a head of steam and had a flurry of chances, only for Yevhen Konoplyanka and Jaba Kankava to miss the target before Roberto Jimenez comfortably held Egidio's shot. It took until the half-hour mark for Olympiakos to have a meaningful sight of goal, but Alejandro Dominguez's effort was blocked. Douglas Silva and Matheus Nascimento then fired wide for Dnipro as the number of missed chances mounted. However, they proved significantly more clinical in the second half. Kankava broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when he fired home from the edge of the area after being set up by Roman Zozulya and five minutes later Rotan rifled home a free-kick after Egidio was fouled 25 yards out. Olympiakos sought a swift response, but Dimitrios Siovas' bullet header went wide and Ibrahim Afellay failed to find the target from the edge of the area. Konoplyanka missed the target with another chance for the hosts with 15 minutes to go, but they then largely shut up shop, content with a two-goal cushion and the knowledge that Olympiakos had failed to score a valuable away goal in the tie. ends
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      • PA Sport

        Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1-0 St Etienne

        Artem Fedetskiy's second-half goal proved crucial as Dnipro booked their place in the Europa League's round of 32 with victory over St Etienne.The Ukrainian side started the day bottom of Group F but their 1-0 success saw them jump into second place ahead of their opponents and FK Qarabag.They were worthy winners on the night, but the excellence of Les Verts goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier had threatened to deny them until Ruslan Rotan rattled the woodwork in the 66th minute, leaving Fedetskiy to convert from close range.St Etienne's Max Gradel had an early chance to try his luck with an inviting free-kick but his attempt was blocked by Dnipro defender Douglas.The finishing scarcely improved as the half progressed, Rotan lifting gently over the St Etienne crossbar before Yohan Mollo fluffed two chances in as many minutes at the other end.Fedetskiy managed to get a header on target when he won the aerial battle for Rotan's 19th-minute free-kick but Ruffier was on hand to save.Ruffier followed up with a fine double save soon after, palming Serhiy Kravchenko's drive round the post then stopping Roman Zozulya's near-post header from the resulting corner.Dnipro continued to apply pressure but failed to make the breakthrough before half-time.The visitors might have snuck in front early in the second period had Kevin Theophile-Catherine not nodded Gradel's corner wide from a good position, but instead Dnipro were finally able to get the goal their pressure deserved.Rotan's wonderful free-kick did the hard work, leaving Ruffier static as it clipped the post, with Fedetskiy blasting home after Loic Perrin's fluffed clearance.Dnipro had chances to add a second in the closing moments, Ruffier adding blocks from Yevhen Konoplyanka and Matheus to his earlier efforts, while Nikola Kalinic hit the crossbar from 12 yards. ends
        • 9Y
        • PA Sport
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