In the 5th round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Shakhtar Donetsk faced the Dutch champion—PSV. The match became significant not only for the "miners" but also for goalkeeper Dmitriy Reznik: the Ukrainian set a tournament record by making 15 saves in one game. Despite Shakhtar's 2-3 defeat, Reznik became the true hero of the match, entering the history of the Champions League.
His outstanding performance in Brave GK Diamond Purple gloves was a vivid confirmation of how properly selected equipment can help a goalkeeper demonstrate the highest level of mastery.
<Dmytro Reznik's choice—the Brave GK Diamond Purple gloves—is ideal for professional games. Their main features include:
These elements provide the perfect balance between comfort, protection, and efficiency, which is especially important in tense matches like the one against PSV.
The match began with intense attacks from both sides. Early on, Reznik parried a dangerous shot by Bakayoko from inside the penalty area. The Ukrainians responded with the first goal in the 8th minute: Reznik threw the ball far with his hand to Konoplya, who exchanged passes with Zubkov and delivered a convenient cross into the center of the penalty area. Danylo Sikan, battling with a defender, accurately directed the ball into the left corner—0:1.
Soon, the Donetsk team could have doubled their lead, but Kryskiv's shot from the edge of the penalty area went just centimeters past the right post. Midway through the half, Eindhoven intensified, and Reznik had to showcase his mastery: the goalkeeper successively repelled dangerous shots from Lang, Saibari, and Bakayoko.
In the 37th minute, the "miners" launched a swift attack and managed to increase the score. Konoplya took the ball from an opponent on their half and passed to the right corner of the penalty area, where Zubkov outplayed a defender and curled the ball precisely into the far corner—0:2. Shortly before the break, the Ukrainians could have increased the lead further: after a corner, Matviyenko headed the ball from the edge of the goal area, but it went over the crossbar.
The teams went into halftime with Shakhtar leading by two goals.
After Shakhtar's player Pedro Henrique was sent off in the 69th minute, PSV's pressure intensified. The key moment was the 75th minute when Reznik made a fantastic save, pulling the ball out of the "top corner" after Bakayoko's shot. This episode vividly demonstrated his reaction and skill and was included in UEFA's top saves of the round.
In the final minutes, the Dutch mounted a real siege of the Ukrainian goal. Reznik saved dangerous shots from Pepi and Til, but in the 87th minute, the hosts managed to score: Tillman unexpectedly struck from a free-kick into the near corner, and the ball crossed the goal line by mere centimeters.
In the 90th minute, the same Tillman fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area straight into the top corner, leveling the score. Despite the desperate efforts of the "miners" in defense, in added time, Pepi capitalized on the confusion in the penalty area and pushed the third goal into the net. The result—2:3, Shakhtar loses to PSV while playing with ten men.
Despite Shakhtar's defeat, Reznik became a Champions League record holder. No goalkeeper in the history of the Champions League has made as many saves as Ukrainian goalkeeper Dmytro Reznik.
The previous record belonged to Omri Glazer of Red Star Belgrade, who made 13 saves in a match against Manchester City in the 2023/24 season. Dmytro managed to surpass this figure, entering the tournament's history.
Reznik's match statistics
Comparison with previous records emphasizes the uniqueness of Reznik's achievement.
Reznik's save, when he acrobatically pulled the ball out of the "top corner," took third place in UEFA's ranking of the best saves of the round. It's a moment that experts will be discussing for a long time.
Also included in the ranking were:
Thanks to his 15 saves, Reznik rose to second place in the overall ranking of Champions League goalkeepers for the 2024/25 season, sharing it with Dominik Takáč of Slovan. Mike Maignan of AC Milan remains in first place, having made 29 saves.
Top 5 goalkeepers by number of saves in the season:
