Dynamo Kyiv was clearly worse than Pafos FC in the third qualifying round match played at the Lublin Arena

It's worth noting, however, that although the stands were empty, the atmosphere was quite lively. The lack of organized support was certainly noticeable on the nominal home team's side. This meant that at times, a group of several dozen Cypriot fans was louder than the Ukrainians occupying most of the seats at the Arena Lublin. It's also worth mentioning the pleasant touch displayed on the advertising banners. They displayed the flags of Ukraine and Poland joined together, with the inscription "FC Dynamo Kyiv thanks Poland and the city of Lublin for their hospitality."

Dynamo fans had few opportunities to get up from their seats in the opening minutes. If anyone thought Kyiv was in for a walk at the Arena Lublin before the match, they quickly changed their minds. The visitors surprised the Ukrainians with high-pressing play and frequently appeared in front of Ruslan Nescheret's goal. The 23-year-old goalkeeper had to make an effort to save Jaja's shot after just four minutes. Kyiv responded in the 14th minute, but the ball from Volodymyr Brazhko sailed high into the stands. However, the best scoring opportunity of the first half belonged to Vladislav Dubinchak, who capitalized on a mistake by a Pafos defender in the 35th minute and raced towards Neofytos Michael's goal, accompanied by two of his teammates. However, at the decisive moment, he was very selfish and didn't play the ball back. The 27-year-old opted for force, hitting the joint between the post and crossbar.

The Cypriots once again started the second half better. Just a few minutes later, Jaja tried to surprise the Ukrainians with a bicycle kick, which Nescheret barely parried. The hosts were lacking in substance for a while, as was the case with Yarmolenko, who ran halfway across the pitch in the 56th minute but mishandled the ball at a crucial moment. Dynamo Pafos had their first shot on target... in the 72nd minute, when Michaela tried to beat Brazhko. However, the Cypriot goalkeeper managed to clear it without any major problems.

As the match progressed, the hosts increasingly tried to shift the pressure of play to their opponents' half. The Cypriot champions were eager for this opportunity, launching dangerous counterattacks time and again. Joao Correira, the best player on the pitch, particularly excelled in these. The Cape Verdean played a superb pass to Anderson in the 84th minute. The Brazilian dribbled past a Dynamo defender and fired a corner wide to give Pafos a well-deserved lead. This goal puts the Cypriot side in a very favorable position ahead of the second leg scheduled for August 12th. The winner of this match will face the winner of the Champions League tie against Lech Poznań vs. Crevena Zvezda Belgrade in the decisive battle for the Champions League spot. The loser will play the winner of the Europa League tie against Hamrun Spartans vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israelis won the first leg, played at Malta, 2-1.

Dynamo Kyiv – Pafos FC 0:1 (0:0)

Goal: Anderson (84)

Dynamo: Nescheret – Tymchyk, Popov, Mykhavko, Dubinchak, Mykhailenko (65 Kabaiev), Brazhko, Shaparenko, Yarmolenko (65 Voloshyn), Pikhalonok (78 Buyalskyi), Vanat.

Paphos: Michael – Goldar, Sunjić, Luckassen, Pileas (87 Langa), Pepe, Tanković (66 Anderson), Dragomir (81 Sema), Correira, Orsić (81 Quina), Jaja (66 Bruno).

Yellow cards: Mykhailenko - Sunjić. Referee: Scharer (Switzerland). Attendance: 2020. The return match will take place on August 12 in Kolossi.