Veres Rivne vs Polissya II

Veres trailed from the 10th minute and had created chances without finding the net. The introduction of Aladji Wally in the 68th minute changed the dynamic. The striker's movement off the shoulder of the last defender — and his clinical header from a trialist's pass — flipped the scoreline and gave Veres the point their second-half pressure deserved.

• Aladji Wally (Veres Rivne) — Player of the Match: Introduced as a second-half substitute, scored the equaliser with a well-timed header. His positioning and finishing were the difference between a defeat and a draw.
• Fabricio Yan (Veres Rivne): Tested the goalkeeper with a powerful long-range effort in the first half and was a creative outlet in the final third.
• Ivan Sanotsky (Veres Rivne): Hit the crossbar with a header from a set-piece and was a constant aerial threat.

Veres shaded the second-half chances but lacked cutting edge in the final 20 metres until Wally's intervention. Polissya II's early goal came from their only clear first-half opportunity — a well-worked offside trap beat. The visitors' late free-kick off the woodwork underlined that the game could have gone either way in a contest where both defences were breached once but neither side dominated.

Pre-season stats are limited, but the pattern fits Veres' summer: they have drawn 1-1 in three of their five friendlies (Feniks-Mariupol, Polissya II, and later Nyva Ternopil on the same day), showing defensive solidity but a struggle to convert pressure into goals.

Veres (Ukrainian Premier League, 11th in 2025/26) continue their pre-season build-up. This was their first of two friendlies on 18 July — they also faced Nyva Ternopil later that day (also 1-1). Their UPL season starts on 1 August 2026 away to Kharkiv.

Polissya II, the reserve side of UPL club Polissya Zhytomyr, are preparing for their debut season in the Ukrainian First League after winning promotion from Druha Liha (Group A, 2nd place). They begin their league campaign on 25 July 2026 against YUKSA.

Polissya's first team, meanwhile, are preparing for UEFA Conference League second qualifying round matches against FC Copenhagen on 23 and 30 July 2026.

A typical pre-season friendly: early rust, a flurry of substitutions, and a late equaliser that gave the game a fair finish. For Veres, the comeback was a small positive in a training camp designed to build fitness rather than collect results. The side showed resilience but will need more sharpness in front of goal before the UPL opener on 1 August.