Ukraine round-up: Volyn horror for Shakhtar

FC Volyn Lutsk have opened up the title race again with a 3-1 win at FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Incredible result
Having pulled off the shock result of the season to beat title challengers FC Dynamo Kyiv in the last round, Volyn pulled off an even more incredible result in Donetsk to end league leaders Shakhtar's unbeaten run at home. The last visiting team to win at the Shakhtar stadium in the Ukrainian Premier League was FC Chornomorets Odesa, who overcame their hosts 1-0 on 2 November 1999.

Scant consolation
Azerbaijani international wing-back Samir Aliyev proved to be the hero for Volyn, scoring twice to unhinge their hosts before Vasyl Sachko added a third goal. Olexiy Bielyk's goal was to prove scant consolation for the home side as their chances of holding on to their Ukrainian title from 2001/02 became slimmer.

Two-point gap
Second-placed Dynamo are now within two points of the leaders after a 2-0 win at home against FC Karpaty Lviv. A goal in each half, the first from Aleksandr Khatskevich and the second from Florin Cernat, were enough to boost the home side's confidence ahead of Wednesday's huge game against Shakhtar at the Lobanovskiy stadium in Kyiv which could decide the destiny of the title.

UEFA Cup race
Further down the table, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk took a major step towards next season's UEFA Cup with a 4-1 win against third-placed FC Metalurh Donetsk. Dnipro coach Yevhen Kucherevskyi unexpectedly fielded striker Oleh Venglinskiy, who had previously been thought to be out for the remainder of the season, and was rewarded for his decision as the striker scored a hat-trick.

Arsenal win
Dnipro are now just two points away from fourth place in the table and a place in the UEFA Cup. They have 47 points while the teams above them, Dnipro and FC Arsenal Kyiv, are level on 49 points after Arsenal secured a 2-0 win at home against local rivals FC Obolon Kyiv.

Other games
In the weekend's other games, an Olexandr Kosyrin hat-trick helped FC Chornomorets Odesa to a 3-2 win against FC Illychivets Mariupol, while FC Tavriya Simferepol won against FC Vorskla Poltava by the same margin.

Relegation battle
In the relegation battle, FC Metalurh Zaporizhya's 2-1 win against FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih has done their survival hopes no harm, moving them to within a point of Obolon and safety. Rock-bottom FC Metalist Kharkhiv remain in deep trouble after a 1-0 defeat against FC Olexandriya.