Maycon’s shot
Friday, October 19, 2018
|
Shakhtar received Desna Chernihiv in the Premier League round 12
With the captain's armband on, the goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov, for whom this appearance is the 400th with Shakhtar, has led the team onto the pitch. Paulo Fonseca allowed some internationals to have rest and made minor changes in the starting line-up. For example, Alan Patrick and Maycon appeared in central midfield, with Wellington Nem playing offensively and with Olarenwaju Kayode having the central attacking halfback role.
Battle of chances
The opponents quickly picked their usual roles and did not depart from them throughout the match. From the off, Shakhtar dominated possession and developed positional attacks: in the early stages, Nem had a chance (his attempt from outside the penalty area went high), plus the visiting defender had a handball, but the referee was silent. Desna relied on their counterattacks, which at times looked really threatening, with Filippov sending the ball just wide from close range in one of them. The Chernihiv side’s tight defence forced the Miners to resort to frequent long-range strikes: Patrick was close to hitting the right-hand corner from open play, then hitting the wall with a free kick. Ismaily as usual created chances for his teammates, but neither Kayode nor Nem managed to get on the end of the Brazilian’s crosses. The visitors once again responded with a counterattack, with Yakymiv sending the ball over the goal from a shooting range. As a result, the first half was goalless.
Maycon decides it
Nothing has changed after the break, with it seeing all the same pressure from Shakhtar and the visitors’ thick defence. Even the wide Shakhtar defenders supported the attacks: Ismaily’s effort went just inches wide of the far post, with Butko's cross from about a 7-metre range whizzing over the crossbar. The referee unexpectedly became the main character midway through the second half. In the 60th minute, Boyko showed a second yellow card to Koberidze for the latter’s foul on Kryvtsov and sent him off, but then he reversed his decision and booked Bratkov. A couple of minutes later, the ref showed a straight red card to Kayode. But even being short-handed, it was Shakhtar who continued to fully control the game and still spend almost all the time in the opposing half. Free kicks by Maycon (goalkeeper's save) and Marlos (slightly up) were dangerous. Paulo Fonseca reinforced the game by fielding the fresh Fernando, Stepanenko and Kovalenko. The visitors defended well and launched a couple of threatening counterattacks: Khlebas was close to scoring a goal in one of them, but Kryvtsov rushed to intercept his attempt and diverted the threat. And yet, the Orange-and-Blacks managed to finish off the opponents. In the 88th minute, Moraes earned a free kick nearly opposite the middle of the goal, and Maicon bent it around the wall to send the ball right into the top corner!
1-0 - Shakhtar clinched a win at Desna in a nervous encounter, still topping the UPL table.
On October 23, the Miners will entertain the Champions of England Manchester City on the UEFA Champions League matchday three (kicking off at 22:00, the tickets are still available) in Kharkiv, and on October 27 they will play Arsenal-Kyiv away in the Ukrainian League.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 (0-0) Desna Chernihiv
Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, att: 4,119
Goal: 1-0 Maycon (88)
Shakhtar: Pyatov (c), Butko, Kryvtsov, Khocholava (Stepanenko, 77), Ismaily, Maycon, Alan Patrick (Kovalenko, 79), Marlos, Kayode, Nem (Fernando, 69), Moraes
Find more information in the match centre.
Battle of chances
The opponents quickly picked their usual roles and did not depart from them throughout the match. From the off, Shakhtar dominated possession and developed positional attacks: in the early stages, Nem had a chance (his attempt from outside the penalty area went high), plus the visiting defender had a handball, but the referee was silent. Desna relied on their counterattacks, which at times looked really threatening, with Filippov sending the ball just wide from close range in one of them. The Chernihiv side’s tight defence forced the Miners to resort to frequent long-range strikes: Patrick was close to hitting the right-hand corner from open play, then hitting the wall with a free kick. Ismaily as usual created chances for his teammates, but neither Kayode nor Nem managed to get on the end of the Brazilian’s crosses. The visitors once again responded with a counterattack, with Yakymiv sending the ball over the goal from a shooting range. As a result, the first half was goalless.
Maycon decides it
Nothing has changed after the break, with it seeing all the same pressure from Shakhtar and the visitors’ thick defence. Even the wide Shakhtar defenders supported the attacks: Ismaily’s effort went just inches wide of the far post, with Butko's cross from about a 7-metre range whizzing over the crossbar. The referee unexpectedly became the main character midway through the second half. In the 60th minute, Boyko showed a second yellow card to Koberidze for the latter’s foul on Kryvtsov and sent him off, but then he reversed his decision and booked Bratkov. A couple of minutes later, the ref showed a straight red card to Kayode. But even being short-handed, it was Shakhtar who continued to fully control the game and still spend almost all the time in the opposing half. Free kicks by Maycon (goalkeeper's save) and Marlos (slightly up) were dangerous. Paulo Fonseca reinforced the game by fielding the fresh Fernando, Stepanenko and Kovalenko. The visitors defended well and launched a couple of threatening counterattacks: Khlebas was close to scoring a goal in one of them, but Kryvtsov rushed to intercept his attempt and diverted the threat. And yet, the Orange-and-Blacks managed to finish off the opponents. In the 88th minute, Moraes earned a free kick nearly opposite the middle of the goal, and Maicon bent it around the wall to send the ball right into the top corner!
1-0 - Shakhtar clinched a win at Desna in a nervous encounter, still topping the UPL table.
On October 23, the Miners will entertain the Champions of England Manchester City on the UEFA Champions League matchday three (kicking off at 22:00, the tickets are still available) in Kharkiv, and on October 27 they will play Arsenal-Kyiv away in the Ukrainian League.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 (0-0) Desna Chernihiv
Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, att: 4,119
Goal: 1-0 Maycon (88)
Shakhtar: Pyatov (c), Butko, Kryvtsov, Khocholava (Stepanenko, 77), Ismaily, Maycon, Alan Patrick (Kovalenko, 79), Marlos, Kayode, Nem (Fernando, 69), Moraes
Find more information in the match centre.