Dynamo Kiev's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu resigned the day after a home defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0), the Ukrainian club announced on Saturday.
After a message of thanks addressed to the 78-year-old technician, at the helm of the team since 2020, Dynamo indicated that Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, goalkeeping coach and former club player, would succeed him.
Lucescu's departure comes as 16-time Ukrainian champions Dynamo are having a very disappointing start to the season. The club only occupies 7th place in the championship and was eliminated in the Europa Conference League play-offs and in the round of 16 of the Ukrainian Cup.
Under the Lucescu era, the club won the Cup-Championship double in 2021, but the Romanian coach was never unanimous among the supporters, who criticized him for his long stint with the great rival, Shakhtar, of 2004 to 2016.
Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, 48, trained at the club and former Dynamo goalkeeper from 1993 to 2017 (638 matches), had already replaced Mircea Lucescu as head coach last season when he underwent leg surgery.