Dinamo Kiev beats Universitatea Cluj on penalties in Europa League

Universitatea Cluj were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League after a 0‑0 draw in both legs against Dinamo Kiev. The tie was decided in a penalty shoot‑out, where the Ukrainian side converted all four attempts while Cluj missed two, resulting in a 4‑2 victory for Dinamo Kiev.

The loss marks the third penalty‑shootout defeat for the Romanian club in two months, following setbacks in the Romanian Cup final and Supercup. Players Dan Nistor and Ovidiu Bic scored for Cluj, while Dorin Codrea and Alexandru Chipciu failed to convert. Dinamo Kiev’s goals came from Andrii Iarmolenko, Volodimir Brajko, Matvii Ponomarenko and Justin Lonwijk.

Following the elimination, Universitatea Cluj will continue their European campaign in the UEFA Conference League, where they will face Norwegian side SK Brann Bergen in the second qualifying round. Coach Igor Kostiuk praised his team’s superiority despite the tight contest, and club officials expressed support for the squad’s future efforts.