The second day of the final away round of the Ukrainian Championship had a tangible marine taste for Phoenix. Already in the morning, the Kharkiv team managed to overcome the resistance of the Odessa Krystal, in the second half, having put the squeeze on rivals and gained a major victory, and in the evening the hosts were to meet with essential rivals from Chorne More. Both teams appeared in the field in quite a good mood, not least due to the fact that another contender for medals - the team of the Kyiv No 25 Youth Sports School had just lost points in the match against Sokil. The all-time of the teams going side-by-side at the top of the standings was to determine which of the teams would take a more advantageous position before the two final rounds.

Being well acquainted with the playing styles of each other - just recall Phoenix and Chorne More have met three times over the past two seasons - the coaching staff of the Odessa team managed to surprise the Kharkiv team. From the very first minutes, the marines played the attacking style with the fifth field player, whose functions were performed by Danylo Andriienko. The Odessans took over the territorial advantage, showing durable ball control, playing extremely wide and from time to time 'exploding' with penetrating attacks. The violets, though, did not hesitate to show resilience, meeting rivals in their half of the field and not succumbing to the temptation to intercept the ball and shoot through the empty goal. Despite the fact that Phoenix rarely plays the defending style, in this match the Kharkiv team confidently watched the opponent rolling the ball, waiting for their chance to arrive. Last but not least, the fans who actively supported their favorites from the stands of the Lokomotiv sports complex added confidence to the team.

During the first few minutes Chorne More managed to complete a number of good attacks. Andriienko ran into the central zone dangerously, confusing Phoenix' defense; Morozyuk, who broke through on the left flank of the attack and shot the ball at tight angle, threatening the goal of Volodymyr Lazeba. Nevertheless, by the middle of the half, Phoenix finally got used to the site and began to snap back dangerously. In the ninth minute, individual skills were embodied in a scored goal: Danylo Boldyzhev, who beat his counterpart, moved along the left flank and instead of passing delivered an insidious shot from ten meters out, which ended up exactly in the top corner of Ivan Belimov's goal. A few minutes later, just before the end of the first half, the spectators saw a similar slalom performed by Demyd Yevsyukov, who deprived his opponent of the ball, beat two more players and kicked the ball accurately into the far top corner. For those who like to analyze players' performance, please, note, Phoenix players scored both goals with their weak left foot.

The second half did not bring any fundamental changes in the playing style of both clubs. Chorne More did not give up its attempts to break through the echeloned defense of the Kharkivites with five outfield players, but increased the pace, realizing that time was working against them. The number of mistakes and chances at the goal of both teams has increased significantly compared to the first half. In one of the counterattacks, Volodymyr Lazeba rescued his team twice, but a minute later he was forced to capitulate: after a deflection during a corner kick, the tireless Andriienko turned out to be the most agile player in the penalty area of the opposition, pushing the ball past the goalkeeper. Phoenix' comfortable handicap was replaced by a shakier score, and any mistake could lead to the loss of points that were so badly needed. The coaches of the two teams tried to make adjustments to the game using tactical time-outs. Artem Shevchenko's kick from the home half of the field came centimeters from the empty goal, and in the counterattack, Taras Holubets almost forced Volodymyr Lazeba to play with his hand outside the penalty area. In the last seconds, Shevchenko's kick lacked accuracy again, but the Kharkiv team, which showed miracles of patience in this extremely important match, was fully satisfied with the tally of 2:1.

Today's victories made it possible for Phoenix to get as close as possible to the leader of the standings, the reigning champion No 25 Youth Sports School from Kiev. Teams are only one point away, while the closest pursuers are four points or more behind. All the more important is tomorrow's confrontation between the Kyiv and Kharkiv teams, the winner of which will become the main title contender.