Ponomarenko bags brace as Dynamo Kyiv outclass Austrian champions LASK

Dynamo Kyiv closed out another pre-season friendly with a polished 2-0 victory over reigning Austrian Bundesliga champions LASK on Thursday, thanks to a Matviy Ponomarenko double. The first half was a tight, tactical affair with both sides keeping possession but struggling to carve out clear chances. Dynamo slowly turned the screw – Redushko fired a dangerous cross through the box, and Oleksandr Pikhalyonok forced a sharp save from the LASK goalkeeper with a powerful strike. The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute: Mykola Shaparenko slipped a clever pass to Ponomarenko, who finished first-time past the keeper. LASK came out with more urgency after the break. Arakate whistled a shot just wide of the post, and Kebere missed a free header from a promising position. But Dynamo’s defense held firm, and as the game wore on, the Kyiv side regained control. In the 80th minute, Nazar Voloshyn drove down the right flank and pulled the ball back for Ponomarenko, who swept home his second of the evening to make it 2-0. It was Dynamo’s fifth friendly of the summer training camp, and the team will now turn their attention to competitive action. On July 9, they face Universitatea Cluj in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.