Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Dynamo Kiev Descends into Violent Mass Brawl

A crunch clash between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League on Sunday descended into chaos late on, as a 33-man brawl broke out.

As reported by Richard Innes of the Daily Mirror, Dynamo took exception to the celebrations from the Shakhtar players after Eduardo netted their third goal in a 3-0 win. One of the Kiev stars then forcefully kicked an opponent, and anarchy broke out:

After the brawl, the referee opted to send off two players from Shakhtar—Taras Stepanenko and substitute Oleksandr Kucher—while Dynamo’s star man Andriy Yarmolenko, who aimed a flurry of punches in the direction of an opponent, was also dismissed. Two other Kiev players were booked afterwards, too.

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While the fighting was going on on the field, as is evident in the clip, the supporters decided to make their feelings known also, with a flare tossed onto the pitch in the penalty area.

The match was a crucial one in the race for the title, with these two teams occupying the top two spots in the league. Here are the goals from the contest, per football writer Andy Brassell:

Dynamo had a seven-point lead heading to the home of their enemies, but a goal either side of the interval from Eduardo and another from Wellington Nem gave the home side a comfortable victory. 

With key man Yarmolenko set for a spell on the sidelines and a superior goal difference, Donetsk will fancy their chances of reeling in their great rivals. Kiev beat Shakhtar to the title for the first time in six years last season and will be hopeful of recovering from this setback and rebuilding their lead.