Tenacious Thun deny Dynamo

By Igor Linnyk at Valery Lobanovskiy stadium

Eldin Jakupovic was in sublime form as FC Thun twice came from behind to deny FC Dynamo Kyiv and take a slender advantage from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League second round tie.

Crucial own goal
Goalkeeper Jakupovic was quickly called into action to deny Ruslan Rotan but once Oleh Gusev broke the deadlock on 19 minutes, the writing looked on the wall for the visitors. But a Rodolfo own goal gifted them a way back into the game 20 minutes later, and although Maksim Shatskikh soon restored the lead, Silvan Aegerter made it 2-2 midway through the second half before Jakupovic returned to the fore as Dynamo pressed for a winner.

Stunning save
Despite Dynamo's dominance, however, it was Thun that worked the first opening of the game, Italian striker Mauro Lustrinelli steering an effort just wide of the post. But the home side soon sidled into the driving seat, with former FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk playmaker Rotan's diving header forcing Jakupovic into a stunning finger-tip save.

Gusev goal
The chance opened the floodgates for Dynamo, with Gusev, Serhiy Rebrov and Andriy Nesmachniy all forcing Jakupovic into further stops in a frenetic opening spell. Eventually the pressure had to tell and on 19 minutes Gusev wriggled into the area from the right flank and fired the Ukrainian outfit into the lead.

Lustrinelli pressure
Shatskikh could have made it 2-0 soon after but lost control, a sign of things to come for Leonid Buryak's side. Indeed, for all their dominance, it was Thun who scored next, Lustrinelli leading a counterattack that ended with Rodolfo steering the ball past goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy.

Thun resurgence
There was still time for Shatskikh to restore the lead before the interval, holding off a defender before prodding the ball in. Dynamo could not maintain the same intensity after the break, as Thun began to take the initiative. Lustrinelli looked particularly dangerous and it was he who crafted the equaliser, combining with Andreas Gerber to create an opening for Aegerter.

Jakupovic heroics
The home side responded well, Jakupovic twice denying Ayila Yussuf from point-blank range. Rotan could still have snatched a last-gasp win with a volley from five metres but the Bosnia-Hervegovina goalkeeper was again on hand to deny Dynamo and give Thun a slight advantage ahead of next Wednesday's second leg in Switzerland.