Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-2 Dynamo Kyiv: Yarmolenko on target as visiting side picks …
Sergiy Rebrov’s side picked up its first win of the Champions League group stages and now sits joint level with Porto at the top of Group G with four points from two games.
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Junior Moraes secured Dynamo Kyiv a comfortable 2-0 win at Maccabi Tel-Aviv as the Ukrainian club maintained its strong start in Group G.
Sergiy Rebrov’s men headed to the Sammy Ofer Stadium buoyed by an impressive 2-2 home draw against Porto and were rarely troubled as they chalked up their first group stage away win in seven attempts.
Maccabi, meanwhile, was looking to mark its first home group stage game since 2004 in style, but instead found itself unable to cope with the visiting club’s pace on the break.
Although Eden Ben Basat and danger man Eran Zahavi did go close on several occasions for the hosts, who improved in the second half, the result was never in doubt once Moraes grabbed Kyiv’s second goal just after the break.
Having lost its opening game 4-0 to Chelsea, it appears that the Israelis’ return to the group stages will prove to be a fruitless one.
The home fans were in full voice prior to kickoff, but were stunned into near silence after just four minutes when the visiting side took the lead with its first attack of the game.
A fine through ball from Paraguayan midfielder Derlis Gonzalez split the Maccabi defense and, having timed his run to perfection, Yarmolenko calmly stroked the ball past Predrag Rajkovic from just inside the box.
The home team thought it had levelled things up moments later with a similar move, only to have skipper Zahavi’s effort ruled out for offside.
Although Maccabi was enjoying plenty of possession, the Ukrainian side continued to look dangerous on the break, and another sweeping counterattack played in Antunes, only for the defender to fire narrowly over.
Rajkovic’s reflexes were tested by Danilo Silva’s low effort and a Miguel Veloso snap-shot after another surging run down the right from the lively Yarmolenko.
Maccabi did finally start to ask some questions of the visitors’ defense as halftime approached, but Ben Basat squandered the team’s best chance when he got on the end of Eli Dasa’s fine cross from the right only to glance his header wastefully wide.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s men were left to rue that miss when Kyiv stylishly doubled their advantage five minutes after the break.
Gonzalez was again the provider, getting away down the left before picking out Moraes who swiveled to get the ball onto his right foot before bending a shot into the top corner of Rajkovic’s net.
Zahavi went close with a 20-yard free kick for Maccabi just short of the hour-mark, but that was about as good as it got for the side as an early elimination looms with a double-header against Porto to come. The Portuguese side sits joint top of the group after Tuesday’s impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea.
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