Gent vs LNZ Cherkasy: Player Ratings as a Debut Dream Ends in Penalty Pain

LNZ Cherkasy's first European adventure is over, and it hurts more than most. Vitaliy Ponomaryov's side did not look like the inferior team across either meeting with Gent, but the penalty shootout was where it all unravelled. Gent's experience and nerve told at the decisive moment. Here are our player ratings from Planet Group Arena, using a 10-point scale. Oleksiy Palamarchuk - 8.0. The goalkeeper was the story of the night for LNZ. Gent managed only four shots on target, and Palamarchuk was equal to every one. The pity is that his match-long penalty-saving form could not carry over to the shootout. Hennadii Pasich and Denys Kuzyk - 7.5. The flanks are the engine of this LNZ team. When the duo pushed forward, Gent's defence could not deal with them, even with double coverage. What was missing was the final act, and one of them also failed from the spot against Roef. Oleh Horin - 6.0, Nazarii Muravskyi - 7.5, Oleksandr Drambaiev - 7.0. The back three kept a clean sheet across this debut European tie. Their covering and mutual protection looked solid, with Horin the only one who never quite found his rhythm. Adam Yakubu, Yevhen Pastukh and Artur Riabov - 7.0. The midfield held the shape well and denied Gent space. The trio could have contributed more in attack, but nobody looked disconnected from the game. Mark Assinor - 6.0. He worked hard for his teammates but offered little direct threat to Roef. Cody David - 6.5. The new signing is an exciting talent, even if he is still learning how to fit into this side. He constantly looked for goal, sometimes when a smarter option was available, yet he still caused Roef more problems than anyone else. Artur Mykytyshyn - 7.0. Ponomaryov's only change in normal time, and it nearly made extra time unnecessary. Mykytyshyn could not get past Roef on a quick break. The late introductions of Danylo Kravchuk, Andrii Kitela, Talles Brener, Yevhenii Pastukh and Yehor Tverdokhlib came after LNZ had clearly run out of steam. They helped force penalties, but it was Tverdokhlib, one of those fresh options, who missed in the shootout.