Match report
Thursday, February 21, 2019
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Frankfurt hosted the UEFA Europa League round of 32 return leg Eintracht vs Shakhtar
The outcome of the first leg (2-2) left both teams a chance to reach the next round, with the Miners having to settle in Germany for a win or a bigger draw than in Kharkiv. Solving the staffing problems due to the suspension of Sergii Kryvtsov and Taras Stepanenko, Shakhtar manager Paulo Fonseca forcedly went experimenting with the line-up: Mykola Matviienko got the central defender role and Viktor Kovalenko played in the holding area. At the same time, Taison operated just behind the striker, passing his left winger role on to the newcomer Manor Solomon.
Under pressure
The early stages proved largely even, with the visitors enjoying a slight possession edge early in the game. Junior Moraes was close to finding himself one on one after being found out by Alan Patrick, but Hinteregger intercepted the ball at the very last moment. Gradually, the Frankfurt side levelled the situation and started raising the pressure on the goal of Andriy Pyatov, which resulted in two goals midway through the first half. In the 23rd minute, the hosts succeeded in orchestrating a four-touch attack with crossing the ball into the centre of the box, where Jovic drilled a volley into the roof of the net. Junior Moraes could have immediately responded to the Eagles’ challenge but for Trapp saving his long-ranger. And in the 27th minute, Eintracht doubled the advantage: Rode’s effort hit Matviienko’s arm, with the ref pointing to the spot, with Haller converting the spot kick. Closer to the break, the Orange-and-Blacks managed to seize the initiative and create a couple of scoring opportunities (Ismaily’s free-kick was stopped by Gacinovic, and Butko’s attempt was saved by the keeper), still failing to score in the first 45 minutes.
The Miners attacking
In the second half, Paulo Fonseca fielded Maycon instead of Solomon, with Shakhtar charging forward in the opening minutes. Kovalenko missed the opportunity to volley Marlos’ pass on to the target, but the former player still fought for the ball to the bitter end, breaking the rules according to the referee. Moraes was ready to send Butko’s cross goalwards through a bicycle kick, but his attempt ended up being denied by the host defenders. Immediately after that, Junior nearly beat Trapp, fouling on the keeper though. However, the persistence of the scorer and the whole team bore fruit: in the 63rd minute, Marlos found Ismaily with a magnificent pass, with the latter crossing it into the penalty area, and with Junior Moraes striking it home with one touch - the goalkeeper pulled the ball only to see it cross the goal line. 2-1 - the Miners are back in play. Just shortly, another clinical move was about to help Maycon score, just lacking the finishing touch. And right after that, Marlos' signature left-footer shattered the crossbar! With each passing minute, Shakhtar’s attacks got increasingly more fierce, with Taison picking up Bolbat's excellent delivery from the right flank and heading the ball right into the top corner, with the crossbar getting just in the way. But the Germans, who didn’t create anything after the break, used their very first chance: ten minutes away from time, Haller finished off a blistering counterattack with an accurate strike. Later on, Ante Rebic just sealed the win. 4-1 - Eintracht advance further, Shakhtar end up their European club cup campaign.
At 19:00 on February 25, Paulo Fonseca will resume their Ukrainian League season with a home encounter with Oleksandriia. Tickets are available at the OSK Metalist ticket office and online.
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 (2-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Frankfurt, Frankfurt Stadion, att: 48,558
Goals: 1-0 Jovic (23’), 2-0 Haller (27’, pen.), 2-1 Moraes (63’), 3-1 Haller (80’), 4-1 Rebic (88’)
Shakhtar: Pyatov, Ismaily, Matviienko, Khocholava, Butko (Bolbat, 66’), Alan Patrick, Kovalenko (Kayode, 80’), Solomon (Maycon, 46’), Taison (c), Marlos, Moraes
Find more details in the match centre.
Under pressure
The early stages proved largely even, with the visitors enjoying a slight possession edge early in the game. Junior Moraes was close to finding himself one on one after being found out by Alan Patrick, but Hinteregger intercepted the ball at the very last moment. Gradually, the Frankfurt side levelled the situation and started raising the pressure on the goal of Andriy Pyatov, which resulted in two goals midway through the first half. In the 23rd minute, the hosts succeeded in orchestrating a four-touch attack with crossing the ball into the centre of the box, where Jovic drilled a volley into the roof of the net. Junior Moraes could have immediately responded to the Eagles’ challenge but for Trapp saving his long-ranger. And in the 27th minute, Eintracht doubled the advantage: Rode’s effort hit Matviienko’s arm, with the ref pointing to the spot, with Haller converting the spot kick. Closer to the break, the Orange-and-Blacks managed to seize the initiative and create a couple of scoring opportunities (Ismaily’s free-kick was stopped by Gacinovic, and Butko’s attempt was saved by the keeper), still failing to score in the first 45 minutes.
The Miners attacking
In the second half, Paulo Fonseca fielded Maycon instead of Solomon, with Shakhtar charging forward in the opening minutes. Kovalenko missed the opportunity to volley Marlos’ pass on to the target, but the former player still fought for the ball to the bitter end, breaking the rules according to the referee. Moraes was ready to send Butko’s cross goalwards through a bicycle kick, but his attempt ended up being denied by the host defenders. Immediately after that, Junior nearly beat Trapp, fouling on the keeper though. However, the persistence of the scorer and the whole team bore fruit: in the 63rd minute, Marlos found Ismaily with a magnificent pass, with the latter crossing it into the penalty area, and with Junior Moraes striking it home with one touch - the goalkeeper pulled the ball only to see it cross the goal line. 2-1 - the Miners are back in play. Just shortly, another clinical move was about to help Maycon score, just lacking the finishing touch. And right after that, Marlos' signature left-footer shattered the crossbar! With each passing minute, Shakhtar’s attacks got increasingly more fierce, with Taison picking up Bolbat's excellent delivery from the right flank and heading the ball right into the top corner, with the crossbar getting just in the way. But the Germans, who didn’t create anything after the break, used their very first chance: ten minutes away from time, Haller finished off a blistering counterattack with an accurate strike. Later on, Ante Rebic just sealed the win. 4-1 - Eintracht advance further, Shakhtar end up their European club cup campaign.
At 19:00 on February 25, Paulo Fonseca will resume their Ukrainian League season with a home encounter with Oleksandriia. Tickets are available at the OSK Metalist ticket office and online.
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 (2-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Frankfurt, Frankfurt Stadion, att: 48,558
Goals: 1-0 Jovic (23’), 2-0 Haller (27’, pen.), 2-1 Moraes (63’), 3-1 Haller (80’), 4-1 Rebic (88’)
Shakhtar: Pyatov, Ismaily, Matviienko, Khocholava, Butko (Bolbat, 66’), Alan Patrick, Kovalenko (Kayode, 80’), Solomon (Maycon, 46’), Taison (c), Marlos, Moraes
Find more details in the match centre.