Dynamo down and out after Maccabi draw

FC Dynamo Kyiv were eliminated from UEFA Europa League after surrendering a two-goal lead and being reduced to nine men against Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC.

Dynamo needed a sizeable victory and a Stoke City FC win at Beşiktaş JK to have a hope of reaching the last 32. For a while it was on the cards as they raced into a 2-0 lead courtesy of Seran Yeini's own goal and Oleh Gusev, while Stoke forged ahead in Istanbul. Yet two red cards either side of Omer Vered's strike, and Elran Atar and Munas Dabbur had seemingly earned Maccabi a first Group E triumph when Gusev equalised late on. Beşiktaş's 3-1 victory over Stoke made it all academic, however.

Dynamo started on the front foot and forged ahead on 12 minutes. Olexandr Aliyev's free-kick was met by Leandro Almeida whose header was diverted into the bottom left-hand corner by Maccabi captain Yeini. The hosts doubled the lead five minutes later, as Betão found space down the left and picked out the lurking Gusev. Dynamo came close to a third before the break but Ideye Brown failed to convert Andriy Yarmolenko's low cross.

Dynamo's qualification hopes were dashed within minutes of the restart. Almeida was sent off for bringing down Elran Atar, who was through on goal, and Gal Alberman's resulting free-kick fell kindly for Vered to rifle into the roof of the net. Moments later Yuri Semin's were reduced to nine when Yevhen Khacheridi received his marching orders for an off-the-ball altercation.

Atar struck Maccabi's equaliser just past the hour before Dabbur capitalised on a Denys Garmash mistake to complete the comeback and eliminate the hosts. Gusev denied Nir Levin's charges their first Group E win late on, although there was time for both sides to spurn further glorious chances.