FC Poltava sets new negative defensive record in Ukrainian football
In the 2025/26 season, the club conceded 74 goals, marking the worst defensive record for a 16-team league in 28 years.
FC Poltava ended the 2025/26 season with the poorest defensive record in the league, conceding 74 goals across 30 matches. This averages out to 2.47 goals allowed per game.
This performance sets a new negative record for Ukrainian championships featuring 16 clubs. The squad, managed by Pavlo Matviichenko, has surpassed the previous unwanted benchmark held by Torpedo Zaporizhzhia for 28 years by 5 goals.
Historically, only a few teams have conceded more in a single season, though those figures depend on the league format. For instance, Zorya Luhansk conceded 80 goals in the 1995/96 season, but that occurred over 34 matches, while Niva Ternopil held a slightly higher average of 2.50 goals per game during the 2000/01 campaign (65 goals in 26 matches).