Celtic-owned Maryan Shved was sent off in the match between Karpaty Lviv and Arsenal Kyiv today.
It was a miserable day for the Hoops man. Shved picked up two yellow cards to see himself ordered off before the break. It put Lviv up against it, with Karpaty already 1-0 down at the time. Another for Arsenal Kyiv in the second half saw the game end 2-1 after a consolation from Shved’s side late on.
It’s the first real blow Shved has had since signing for Celtic. Every week it has seemed like he had just been adding positive after positive to his glittering CV. Becoming the joint-second top goalscorer in Ukraine combined with winning the Player of the Month award for March were impressive feats.
But now it’s down to the nitty-gritty in Ukraine with regards to the relegation situation. Just a point against Arsenal Kyiv would’ve kept them four clear in the race to avoid the relegation playoffs.
The defeat means Kyiv are now just one point behind Karpaty with five games remaining. In a further blow, Chornomorets Odesa won 4-2 at Desna to move them to within four points of Shved’s side too.
Celtic’s Ukrainian hopeful will now be suspended for next Sunday’s trip to eighth-placed Vorskla. The race to avoid relegation in Shved’s home country just continues to heat up on a weekly basis.
His first blow can’t be pivotal
It’s a set-back for Shved, who had been performing so well in recent weeks. He has to keep a composed mind, as he’ll likely feel he owes Karpaty Lviv after helping him get his big break to Celtic.
It’ll hopefully only make the Ukrainian winger even more determined to make amends upon his return against Desna in two weeks’ time. Until that time arrives, however, it’ll be a low-point for Shved.
When he returns to Parkhead this summer, hopefully, it’s after keeping Karpaty in the Ukrainian Premier League. It should see him come to Glasgow with confidence, with James Forrest desperately needing some competition down the right.
But for now, it’s a dark day for Shved, and a crucial learning curve for him after picking up his first red card of the season.
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