Karpaty - Premier League football club from the Ukrainian city of Lviv. The club was founded in 1963. The only club in the history of the USSR Cup, won the trophy, speaking not in the top league (1969). Two-time finalist of the Ukrainian Cup: 1993 and 1999. Bronze medalist Ukraine 1997/98.

Championships independent Ukraine 1992-1999

After independence, the Ukrainian "Karpaty" were in the top league of Ukraine, starting from the first season (1992). In the season 1997/98 "Karpaty" took third place, which is by far the best result for the club's history. Also club twice reached the finals of the Cup of Ukraine: in seasons 1992/93 and 1998/99. Those results "Karpaty" shows under the guidance of head coach Miron Markevich, who led the club in 1992 and worked there until 1999.

"Karpaty" confirmed the historic reputation cup team: in 1992/93 season were finalists in the Cup of Ukraine, received the following season the right to play in the Cup Winners' Cup, and in 1993/94 season were close to having to repeat this success. In the semifinals competed with Lvov Odessa "Chornomorets". The game ended in a draw in Lviv (0:0), and in Odessa from a long time was 1:1 (leads guests to the finals at the expense of the ball, scored away) and only at the last minute "Chernomorets" scored the winning goal.

In competitions 1992/93 and 1993/94 club held high places: 6 th and 5 th respectively. The next championship "Karpaty" finished slightly lower - at 8 th place. Also during the season, was replaced by club president, who became Roman Hirnyk. Head coach Miron Markevich not get on with the new president on several issues and at the end of the 1994/95 championship left the "Karpaty".

Mentor became assistant Markevich Vladimir Zhuravchak. But the quality of games the team has not improved and in the 1995/96 season recorded so far, the greatest defeat of Lviv club championships in Ukraine: "Kremin" (Kremenchug) - "Karpaty" - 6:1. Before you start a new championship to the team managed to return Miron Markevich, who brought "green-white" on fifth place 1997, and the following year received the "Karpaty" bronze league championship in Ukraine. This third place was the biggest success of the club before and after. Gates defended the team then experienced Bogdan Strontsitsky, the defense played Yuri Benio, Alexander Chizhevsky and Vladimir Yezersky, in the middle of the field - Yevgeny Nazarov, Sergei Kovalets and Sergei Mizin, a top scorer was Alexander Palyanitsa. Also "Karpaty" in the 1998/99 season once again reached the final Cup of Ukraine, where there were no chance against Dynamo Kyiv, which was headed by Valery Lobanovsky - 0:3. But this achievement has allowed Lviv third time, and yet the last time to play in European competition.

1999-2005

Summer 1999 was marked by a partial reconstruction of the home arena - instead of wooden benches in a stadium "Ukraine" have been installed plastic seat. Lviv was preparing to take the game "Karpaty" in the UEFA Cup. So the first few home games of the club in the Championship of Ukraine 1999/2000 was held at the stadium SKA, where Karpaty not take rivals since 1960. The temporary return proved to be successful: 1 August 1999 was recorded the biggest victory of the "Karpaty" in the top league championship, when Odessa "Chernomorets" lost in Lviv with a score of 0:5. Therefore, historical success is not gained at the stadium "Ukraine", where "green-white" spent 99% of all home games championship of Ukraine, but the stadium SKA.

Achieving the "lions" in 1990 (two out in the Ukrainian Cup finals, bronze medal championship) does not require a large budget and material costs, which in Ukrainian football began to rise dramatically in the early 2000's. As a consequence, increased turnover, because good players were able to get into teams of very high fees. Karpaty tried to invite foreign players, in some cases overstated with this. In the championship 2001/02 in colors of the club acted as much as 37 players (among them 9 foreigners) - the most in team history. The team has become a middle peasant league, and coaches have changed that a few months. In an unprecedented case began with Miron Markevich - in 2001 he led the "Karpaty" for the third time in his career, and in 2003, even four, but could not rescue the team.

In spring 2004 team won the penultimate, 15 th place in the championship and relegated to the second league, where she performed for two seasons. After downgrading the team left a number of strong and ambitious players (Sergei Mizin, Sergei Danilov, Taras Kabanov, Sergei Kovalchuk and others).

2005 - to the present day

In 2005/06 the team achieved a unique, both for the club from the first league success in the Ukrainian Cup, reaching the semifinals and beat on the way of three major league teams. All 3 goals in home wins over "Chernomorets" (1:0), "Shakhtar" (1:0) and "Vorskla" (1:0) won the Brazilian striker William Rocha Batista - one of the best foreign players club. Particularly sensational was the result of the game with "Shakhtar", who was then the champion of Ukraine. The hosts withstood the barrage of attacks guests and scored the decisive goal in the second half. And after the game manual Donetsk club was so impressed solid game Lviv goalkeeper Bohdan Shust, soon bought the player as soon as possible in the first transfer window - after 3 months. As a result of the season "Karpaty" took 2nd place in the first league and won the right to speak again in the top flight.

2006/07 Championship club spent heavily, taking 8th place. The best scorer was Batista, who scored 10 goals. In subsequent years, "Karpaty" suffered from the so-called "Syndrome of the second season" - after returning to the "tower" and a good performance in the first season in the next championships often comes down. In the 2007/08 championship Lvov continue the list of significant human losses - from Lviv team after the big leagues went to a number of senior, experienced players, the leaders of the group (Raspopov, Tymchishin, Tlumak, Suchkov, Batista), which replaced the local youth - students of the western Ukrainian football. Rejuvenated part of the game showed unstable, as evidenced, for example, the defeat in Kiev in summer 2007: "Dinamo" - "Karpaty" - 3:7 or defeat in October the same year in Odessa from "Chernomorets" with a score of 0:4. The result - 10th place in the championship.

In 2008, after the premier-league soccer club "Lviv" favored by exclusively Ukrainian football players, fans were divided sympathies Lviv - criticized the selection of the "Karpaty", the appointment of an inexperienced foreign coach and the failure of inviting high profile players.

Finally, Oleg Kononov was able to find performers that make up the field a team. In the winter season 2008/09 left the club earlier major players (Vladimir Fyodorov, Samson Godwin, Maxim Feshchuk), but the team started playing better and more brilliant start of the spring championships: home 3:0 win over "Chornomorets" and exit rout "Illichivets" 5: 1, which was the biggest away victory "Carpathians" in the history of performances in the top league of Ukraine.

Cups

"Karpaty" three times started in the European club tournaments: in 1970, after gaining the USSR Cup in 1993 and 1999, after the final of the Cup of Ukraine. Each time a team dropped out after the first stage of the competition.

Achievements

• USSR Cup winner: 1969
• Winner of the First League of the USSR: 1979
• Ukrainian Cup Finalist: 1993, 1999
• Bronze medalist of Ukraine 1998

Official FC Karpaty website