Ponomarenko hopes Qarabag strike ends his drought

Matviy Ponomarenko has backed himself to kick on after scoring the goal that gave Dynamo Kyiv a 1:0 win over Qarabag in the first leg of their Conference League third qualifying round tie. The Dynamo striker broke the deadlock and, more importantly for him, ended a frustrating personal drought. He admitted the narrow victory was not a perfect performance, pointing to too many mistakes and the need to keep the ball better. Still, he sees the result as a useful cushion and wants to finish the job in Baku. Ponomarenko explained that the goal came from a midfield steal and a quick counter-attack. Justin did well to compete for the ball, it dropped to Ponomarenko, and he pushed it into the net. "Thank God it went in. I hope this opens the floodgates and I start scoring in every game," the forward said. He also revealed that the coach sought him out after the final whistle to congratulate him and thank him for his performance.