From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Nov 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zorya have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Ihor Horbach gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 Nov 2027
Zorya draw a blank against Veres The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Veres defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market8 Nov 2027
Florin Maxim hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Astra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.49 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match6 Nov 2027
Three points for Astra , 3-1 the final word against Voluntari in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad8 Nov 2027
No place for Nicusor Nita on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Astra pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Cosmin Moldovan asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Stefan Iancu wants a proper job in this sideShifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Stefan Iancu has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Astra know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match3 Nov 2027
Zorya out of the cupPrykarpattia ended it 1-2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Market8 Nov 2027
Žan Trontelj hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match7 Nov 2027
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Match6 Nov 2027
Karpaty made Zorya work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Boardroom8 Nov 2027
Inquest at Zorya
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Artem Slesar named player of the monthThe award goes to Artem Slesar , and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Squad8 Nov 2027
No place for Roman Vantukh on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zorya pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Market8 Nov 2027
The name of Artem Slesar keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Oct 2027
Astra sink to position 816 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market25 Oct 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Bebeto keeps Astra in it on his ownSome afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match23 Oct 2027
4 matches without a win for Astra
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Astra are no longer polite ones.
Match23 Oct 2027
A bad afternoon for Astra against Petrolul
1-2 to Petrolul , and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Oct 2027
No end in sight to Zorya 's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zorya has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match16 Oct 2027
Zorya and LNZ take a point apieceIt finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zorya , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market18 Oct 2027
Petar Mićin linked with a move awayThe name of Petar Mićin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad18 Oct 2027
At 30 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Zorya are won quietly and lost loudly.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match3 Oct 2027
6 matches without a win for Zorya
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zorya are no longer polite ones.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market4 Oct 2027
“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Zorya hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pylyp Budkivskyi commits to Zorya for another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch4 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Astra to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zorya and fight for my place.” 11 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.
Match3 Oct 2027
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Match2 Oct 2027
Honours even between Zorya and Obolon
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad4 Oct 2027
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Roman Vantukh will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Sep 2027
A one-man rearguard from Bebeto
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market20 Sep 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Astra can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces20 Sep 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Bebeto A one-man rearguard from Bebeto
Match18 Sep 2027
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad20 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Lautaro Taboada
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch20 Sep 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Astra , and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match19 Sep 2027
Zorya come up short against Lugano Lugano left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Artem Tretiak , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Juninho Juninho asks to leave Zorya
Squad20 Sep 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Oleksandr Saputin knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Juninho left out for the big oneA player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Juninho will call it something else in private.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 52 days on the sidelines for Mihnea Toader , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match28 Aug 2027
Universitatea Craiova made Astra work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Stefan Tanase
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch30 Aug 2027
“I did not go to FCSB to sit and watch. I want to come back to Astra and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.
Market30 Aug 2027
Astra have made Daniel Mitrita available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match25 Aug 2027
Cup progress for Zorya
A 1-0 win over Chernihiv , a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Aug 2027
43 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match28 Aug 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market30 Aug 2027
The name of Dejan Popara keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
Loan watch30 Aug 2027
6 appearances away from home and 1 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Oleksandr Filippov commits to Zorya for another 1 years.
Market23 Aug 2027
Kryvbas pay $170.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad23 Aug 2027
53 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match21 Aug 2027
Epicentr left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad23 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Artur Riabov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom23 Aug 2027
Nobody left the Zorya dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Žan Trontelj asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market23 Aug 2027
Petar Mićin linked with a move awayThe name of Petar Mićin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match14 Aug 2027
Chastening afternoon for Astra
A 0-3 beating by CFR Cluj was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Match14 Aug 2027
8 matches without a win for Astra
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Astra are no longer polite ones.
Market16 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market16 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Astra have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market16 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Daniel Graovac is back at Astra , and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market16 Aug 2027
The paperwork is done: Alexandru Ratiu joins from Petrolul in a deal worth $250.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Tudor Băluţă
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom16 Aug 2027
Inquest at Astra
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Nicusor Mihaila asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Jul 2027
6 matches without a win for Astra
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Astra are no longer polite ones.
The terraces2 Aug 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad2 Aug 2027
41 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market2 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Astra have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market2 Aug 2027
Petrolul pay $91.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Match31 Jul 2027
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Bebeto lets one through his handsA defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Loan watch2 Aug 2027
“I did not go to FCSB to sit and watch. I want to come back to Astra and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 2027
Voluntari come back empty-handedThe bid was some way short and Astra did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match24 Jul 2027
5 matches without a win for Astra
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Astra are no longer polite ones.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch26 Jul 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Astra , and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Match24 Jul 2027
Honours even between Astra and FCSB
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Florin Maxim and Astra agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Petar Mićin commits to Zorya for another 4 years.
Squad26 Jul 2027
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Andrii Poniedielnik , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Ihor Horbach gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Juninho asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Jul 2027
Petar Mićin linked with a move awayThe name of Petar Mićin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Jul 2027
The medical room confirms 140 days on the sidelines for Oleksandr Filippov , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market19 Jul 2027
A conversation is coming this week. Zorya will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Juninho knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zorya , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Jul 2027
The name of Artem Slesar keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jul 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market5 Jul 2027
Ihor Horbach hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zorya can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Jul 2027
105 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Oleksandr Saputin commits to Zorya for another 5 years.
Market5 Jul 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Lucas Siqueira has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zorya .
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch24 May 2027
“I did not go to Charlotte Football Club to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zorya and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad24 May 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market24 May 2027
The Petar Mićin talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market26 Apr 2027
The Petar Mićin talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad26 Apr 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Roman Vantukh plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Apr 2027
Juninho knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zorya , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Apr 2027
The Jordan talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
28 appearances at Probiy and the goals keep coming. Zorya are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Juninho Juninho knocks on the manager's door
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market12 Apr 2027
The bid was some way short and Zorya did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Juninho says Zorya went back on their word“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Jordan Jordan asks to leave Zorya
Squad12 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zorya , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market12 Apr 2027
The Artem Slesar talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 65 days on the sidelines for Bohdan Kushnirenko , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market5 Apr 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch29 Mar 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zorya , and 3 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad29 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Andrija Janjić
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market29 Mar 2027
Petar Mićin linked with a move awayThe name of Petar Mićin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Mar 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Loan watch1 Mar 2027
“I did not go to Dinamo Minsk to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zorya and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.
Jordan Zorya turn down Obolon for Jordan
Squad1 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Andrija Janjić
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market1 Mar 2027
Petar Mićin linked with a move awayThe name of Petar Mićin keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zorya say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Somebody is after Petar Mićin ’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Petar Mićin suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zorya have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Feb 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match30 Jan 2027
7 matches without a win for Zorya
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zorya are no longer polite ones.
Loan watch1 Feb 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zorya , and 3 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
Jordan Zorya turn down Epicentr for Jordan
Market1 Feb 2027
Ahrobiznes are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Zorya will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Jordan asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Petar Mićin has to sit this one outA booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Zorya lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Artem Slesar is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.20 with 2 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match30 Jan 2027
Zorya and Rukh cancel each other outNil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Rukh came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market1 Feb 2027
The Artem Slesar talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Jan 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zorya
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zorya , and 3 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Juninho left out for the big oneA player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Juninho will call it something else in private.
Match2 Jan 2027
Honours even between Zorya and Poltava
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Artem Slesar is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.20 with 2 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Dec 2026
9 matches without a win for Zorya
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Zorya are no longer polite ones.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zorya , and 3 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Christopher Nwaeze and Zorya agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zorya have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Neuton
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Jordan asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Nov 2026
Zorya out of the cupNyva ended it 0-1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Match7 Nov 2026
5 matches without a win for Zorya
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zorya are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A season average of 7.14 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zorya know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom9 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Zorya dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zorya , and 3 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Match7 Nov 2026
Zorya and Karpaty take a point apieceIt finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Jordan has to sit this one outA booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Zorya lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Artem Slesar finally opens his accountHe wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zorya have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Sep 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match26 Sep 2026
Veres made Zorya work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Jordan Jordan asks to leave Zorya
Market28 Sep 2026
The Dejan Popara talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zorya know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Ihor Ustynov asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Loan watch28 Sep 2026
3 appearances away from home and 1 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Sep 2026
There were 10 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
215% of the income goes out in wages at Zorya
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market7 Sep 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zorya have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The captaincy has been taken off Dejan Popara . Zorya will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Match5 Sep 2026
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Oleksandriya defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.