Pavlo Polehenko

Right Back - Obolon
8 Jun 2027
Tuesday
Process

Marked for Pavlo Polehenko

44 Edition

The Obolon Courier

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ezequiel Navarro Montoya

“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.

Squad

Roman Volokhatyi knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Roman Volokhatyi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

Back issues
43 Edition

The Obolon Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Marco Espíndola 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 Obolon can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Jordan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Andrii Lutsyk wants to come home

“I did not go to Ahrobiznes to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

In brief

39 Edition

The Obolon Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Marco Espíndola puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obolon, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Jordan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Dmytro Semenov signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Dmytro Semenov commits to Obolon for another 4 years.

In brief

35 Edition

The Obolon Courier

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Jordan in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Andrii Lutsyk has seen enough of Ahrobiznes

“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 Obolon, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ezequiel Navarro Montoya trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

31 Edition

The Obolon Courier

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Rodrigo Cabrera asks to leave Obolon

“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.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Obolon know it.

Squad

Jordan in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Maksym Hryso

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maksym Hryso, and the manager let it.

Squad

Vladyslav Pryimak 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.

Market

The Pavlo Polehenko question follows Obolon around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Pavlo Polehenko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

30 Edition

The Obolon Courier

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Roman Volokhatyi puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obolon, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ivan Nesterenko

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Marco Espíndola

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Espíndola, and the manager let it.

Match

Obolon come up short against Kolos

Kolos left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Market

UCSA expected to open talks for Taras Liakh

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Obolon will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Loan watch

Denys Marchenko wants to come home

“I did not go to Slaven Belupo to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Squad

Roman Volokhatyi knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Roman Volokhatyi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Artem Kulakovskyi

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

28 Edition

The Obolon Courier

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Nazarii Fedorivskyi puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obolon, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Artem Kulakovskyi signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Artem Kulakovskyi and Obolon agree another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Jordan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Vadym Stashkiv has seen enough of Feniks

“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 Obolon, and 0 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Pavlo Polehenko

“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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Denys Ustymenko

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.63, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Kolos are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Obolon will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Match

Honours even between Obolon and Veres

2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

“I want to play”: Jordan speaks

“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.

In brief

26 Edition

The Obolon Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Marco Espíndola asks to leave Obolon

“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.

Match

Shakhtar take the points off Obolon

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Santiago Martínez in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yevhenii Shevchenko

“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.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Ezequiel Navarro Montoya will call it something else in private.

Player ratings

Ivan Nesterenko runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Ihor Medynskyi finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Obolon have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Player ratings

Vitalii Haivan never got going

5.58 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.

The terraces

The stands have heard the Pavlo Polehenko talk too

What was a back-page story is now a matter for the terraces, and the terraces do not do nuance. Obolon would like it dealt with before it becomes the only question anybody asks.

In brief

25 Edition

The Obolon Courier

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Denys Tesliuk: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Obolon have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Obolon count the cost of losing Facundo Guichón

29 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Obolon find a way past Oleksandriya

Oleksandriya made Obolon work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Denys Ustymenko

Marked 8.74 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ezequiel Navarro Montoya

“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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Roman Volokhatyi

Marked 8.40 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Loan watch

Kyryl Moroz wants to come home

“I did not go to Probiy to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.

Player ratings

Kostiantyn Bychek runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

24 Edition

The Obolon Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Denys Marchenko attracts admirers

The name of Denys Marchenko has come up in conversations Obolon were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Ihor Medynskyi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Denys Ustymenko the difference as Obolon beat Epicentr

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Denys Ustymenko. 1‑0 against Epicentr, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

One of those days for Denys Ustymenko

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.32, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Maksym Hryso

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maksym Hryso, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Vadym Stashkiv has seen enough of Feniks

“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 Obolon, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ihor Medynskyi

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Dmytro Semenov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Pavlo Polehenko

Defensive actions: 12. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

23 Edition

The Obolon Courier

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Obolon's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Obolon has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Marco Espíndola

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Espíndola, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Maksym Tretiakov

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Loan watch

Oleksii Tovarchi counts the days

“I watch every Obolon game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Dynamo Kyiv runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Match

Obolon and Kudrivka take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

22 Edition

The Obolon Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Obolon's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Obolon has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Kostiantyn Bychek

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Serhii Sukhanov

Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Maksym Tretiakov

“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.

Boardroom

127% of the income goes out in wages at Obolon

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.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Vladyslav Pryimak

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Artem Kulakovskyi stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.60 on the card, and the Obolon support went home talking about one name.

Squad

Roman Volokhatyi 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 Obolon, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

18 Edition

The Obolon Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Chastening afternoon for Obolon

A 1‑4 beating by Zorya was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

165% of the income goes out in wages at Obolon

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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Marco Espíndola

“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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Denys Ustymenko

Marked 8.17 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Obolon

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

In brief

17 Edition

The Obolon Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Roman Volokhatyi asks to leave Obolon

“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.

Squad

Denys Marchenko keeps Obolon in it on his own

Some 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.

Squad

Facundo Guichón out for 87 days

The medical room confirms 87 days on the sidelines for Facundo Guichón, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Player ratings

Kostiantyn Bychek runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Marco Espíndola was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko 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.

In brief

16 Edition

The Obolon Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Nothing got past Artem Kulakovskyi

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Vladyslav Pryimak

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Maksym Tretiakov in the eights

A performance of 9.19 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Roman Volokhatyi in the eights

A performance of 8.66 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya 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.

Match

Maksym Tretiakov sends Obolon past Rukh

It finished 1‑0, and it was Maksym Tretiakov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Obolon.

Loan watch

Vadym Stashkiv wants to come home

“I did not go to Feniks to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Squad

Dmytro Semenov 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.

In brief

15 Edition

The Obolon Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ivan Nesterenko

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Obolon come up short against Kolos

Kolos left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Roman Volokhatyi in the eights

A performance of 8.99 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Denys Ustymenko 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.

Loan watch

Oleksii Tovarchi counts the days

“I watch every Obolon game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Dynamo Kyiv runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

11 Edition

The Obolon Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Denys Marchenko keeps Obolon in it on his own

Some 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.

Squad

Oleksandr Chernov keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Obolon may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Oleksii Tovarchi wants to come home

“I did not go to Dynamo Kyiv to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya 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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Denys Ustymenko

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

9 Edition

The Obolon Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Roman Volokhatyi asks to leave Obolon

“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.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Maksym Tretiakov runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Obolon come up short against Epicentr

Epicentr left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yevhenii Shevchenko

“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.

Player ratings

Denys Ustymenko keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

8 Edition

The Obolon Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Ihor Medynskyi

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Artem Kulakovskyi

Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

No hiding place for Marco Espíndola

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Espíndola, and the manager let it.

Match

Obolon get the job done against Kudrivka

A 1‑0 win over Kudrivka, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

One of those days for Denys Ustymenko

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Vladyslav Pryimak

Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Loan watch

Vadym Stashkiv wants to come home

“I did not go to Feniks to sit and watch. I want to come back to Obolon and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Squad

Roman Volokhatyi 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 Obolon, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

4 Edition

The Obolon Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Maksym Tretiakov

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Obolon turn down Karpaty for Kyryl Moroz

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Nazarii Fedorivskyi 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.

Market

Nazarii Fedorivskyi placed on the list

Obolon have made Nazarii Fedorivskyi available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Match

No goals between Obolon and Karpaty

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Karpaty will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

Ezequiel Navarro Montoya still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Obolon would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Pavlo Polehenko

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 11 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Denys Marchenko has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Obolon will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

In brief

3 Edition

The Obolon Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Kyryl Moroz attracts admirers

The name of Kyryl Moroz has come up in conversations Obolon were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Match

Obolon find a way past Zorya

Zorya made Obolon work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Dmytro Semenov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Pavlo Polehenko

“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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Denys Ustymenko

Marked 8.60 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Obolon count the cost of losing Arsenii Kudelia

29 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Loan watch

Oleksii Tovarchi has seen enough of Dynamo Kyiv

“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 Obolon, and 0 appearances in 1 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

Talks stall between Obolon and Maksym Hryso

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Denys Tesliuk

Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

2 Edition

The Obolon Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obolon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Obolon and Marco Espíndola are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

The clock runs on Denys Ustymenko's contract

48 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Player ratings

Denys Ustymenko takes the honours

Marked 7.68 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Obolon had the best player on the pitch.

Player ratings

Maksym Tretiakov runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Obolon and LNZ take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

No hiding place for Denys Marchenko

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Denys Marchenko, and the manager let it.

Squad

Roman Volokhatyi 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 Obolon, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Denys Ustymenko finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Obolon have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

1 Edition

The Obolon Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Roman Volokhatyi 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 Obolon can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Nazarii Fedorivskyi keeps Obolon in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Pavlo Polehenko signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pavlo Polehenko commits to Obolon for another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Obolon

Pavlo Polehenko was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Maksym Tretiakov

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.62, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Kostiantyn Bychek runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Talks stall between Obolon and Nazarii Fedorivskyi

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

The clock runs on Pavlo Polehenko's contract

36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Match

Obolon share the spoils with Rukh

A 1‑1 draw with Rukh leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief