"Shakhtar" won both awards in the 24th round of the Ukrainian Premier League

Donetsk’s Shakhtar claimed the titles of best player and best coach following the latest round of the national championship. Defender Valeriy Bondar was named the top player after his goal secured a narrow victory for the team over Zhytomyr’s Polissya. 

This was reported by the UPL’s official website. The Miners’ success, combined with a loss by Cherkasy’s LNZ, allowed Arda Turan’s squad to return to first place in the standings with a three-point lead.

Donetsk coach Arda Turan topped the round’s coaching rankings, ahead of Ruslan Kostyshyn of “Kolos” and Oleg Shandruk of “Veres.” In the race for the title of best player, Bondar edged out Malian winger Ibrahim Kane, receiving more first-place votes. The top five players also included representatives from Veres, Metalist 1925, and Kyiv’s Dynamo. The victory allowed Donetsk to solidify their lead, while still having one match in hand.

Players from seven different clubs in the league made the symbolic team of the round, formed in a 4-3-3 formation. Kolos and Dynamo had the most representatives, each sending three players to the team of the best. In addition to Bondar, the list includes defenders Yurchets and Kozik, midfielders Kharatin and Brazhko, and forward Ponomarenko. In total, experts reviewed the candidacies of over sixty players to determine the final lineup of the top eleven.

Donetsk’s “Shakhtar” secured a spot in the Conference League semifinals with a 2-2 draw in the quarterfinal second leg against the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. Thanks to a convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg, the Ukrainian team advanced on aggregate with a 5-2 score.

In the 24th round of the Ukrainian Premier League, Kolos from Kovalevka pulled off a sensational 1-0 victory over LNZ from Cherkasy.