Everything remains to play for in Cluj on Thursday evening as Universitatea Cluj welcome Dynamo Kyiv for the decisive second leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie.

Against most expectations, last week’s meeting in Poland ended goalless, leaving the Romanian side just one positive result away from one of the biggest European victories in recent club history. Dynamo Kyiv, however, dominated large spells of the first leg and arrive in Transylvania knowing they remain favourites to progress.

Awaiting the winners in the second qualifying round are Greek giants PAOK, adding further incentive to an already high-stakes encounter.

Cluj’s resilience gives them genuine belief

Cristiano Bergodi’s players left Lublin with a result few would have predicted beforehand. The statistics told the story of a match largely played in and around the Cluj penalty area, with Dynamo Kyiv firing 25 shots towards goal while the Romanian side managed only three attempts of their own.

Yet football has never been decided by statistics alone. Exceptional defensive discipline, committed blocking and an inspired display from goalkeeper Neofytos Michael ensured the Students escaped with a valuable draw and, perhaps more importantly, with belief.

Cluj also benefited from a degree of fortune as Dynamo struck the woodwork during a frustrating evening in front of goal, but surviving difficult moments is often a crucial ingredient in European qualifying campaigns.

The challenge now is different. Defending for another 90 minutes is unlikely to be enough at Cluj Arena, and Bergodi knows his side must offer significantly more attacking ambition if they are to complete the upset.

Fitness concerns remain after Sunday’s Romanian Super Cup defeat to Universitatea Craiova, where both Gabriel Simion and Florent Poulolo were forced off before half-time. Their availability could prove significant given the defensive effort required once again.

The absence of Bosnian striker Jovo Lukic also continues to be felt. Last season’s leading scorer has yet to rejoin the squad following his World Cup commitments, placing greater responsibility on experienced figures such as Dan Nistor and Issouf Macalou to provide attacking inspiration.

Dynamo determined to avoid another European disappointment

From Dynamo Kyiv’s perspective, last week’s result felt more like an opportunity missed than a respectable draw. Igor Kostiuk’s side created more than enough chances to take an advantage back to Romania but lacked the clinical edge required to convert territorial dominance into goals.

Only five of their 25 efforts tested Michael, while a combination of poor finishing and desperate defending repeatedly frustrated the Ukrainian giants. That inefficiency in front of goal is precisely what Kostiuk will hope to address ahead of the return leg.

The encouraging news for Dynamo is that reinforcements could be arriving at exactly the right moment. Veteran winger Andriy Yarmolenko was absent from the first meeting but remains one of the squad’s biggest attacking threats despite entering the latter stages of his career, while Vitaliy Buyalskyi strengthened his case for inclusion by scoring a hat-trick in a friendly victory over Radomiak Radom last week.

The pair would provide valuable experience and creativity to a side already expected to control large periods of possession once again.

Failure to progress would represent a significant setback for Dynamo’s European ambitions, forcing them into the Conference League pathway instead of maintaining hopes of a deeper Europa League run.

Verdict

Universitatea Cluj deserve enormous credit for their first-leg performance. Organisation, commitment and resilience carried them through a difficult evening in Poland and have transformed this tie into a genuine contest rather than the formality many expected.

However, reproducing that defensive effort for another 90 minutes while simultaneously offering greater attacking threat represents a difficult balancing act.

Dynamo created enough chances to win comfortably last week and, with additional attacking options potentially returning to the squad, the Ukrainian side may not be as forgiving in front of goal for a second successive match.

Tip

Dynamo Kyiv to qualify

Cluj have already exceeded expectations by keeping the tie alive heading into the second leg, but Dynamo’s superior depth, experience and attacking quality should eventually tell over the course of the evening.