European campaign goes on!

Before the final round, the group situation was absolutely confusing: all four teams could well qualify for a knockout berth, with three of them not even securing any continuation in European competitions in the spring. Compared to the victory over Real Madrid, Luis Castro made only one change in the starting lineup, and even that only one was forced: the injured Moraes was absent, with Maycon coming on to replace him. At the same time, the Shakhtar coach prepared a tactical surprise for his Italian counterpart, changing the actual formation to 5-3-2. The captain Taras Stepanenko dropped back as the fifth defender between Valerii Bondar and Vitao, with Kovalenko, Marlos and Maycon operating in midfield, and with Tete and Taison acting as false nines.

Caution in every aspect

Open football was not to be expected this night, given too high a price of each and every mistake. From the off, both teams acted very carefully, probing the opponents’ formations and not taking any risks throughout it. Well, the hosts actually created their best chance already in the opening satges: Lautaro shattered the crossbar with a powerful strike from about 9 metres! Shakhtar players tried not to be second best in terms of possession, responding midway through the first half with their own chance that saw Kovalenko's long-range attempt just go wide. Just a couple of minutes on, the Donetsk side were rescued by Bondar who had denied de Vrij's shot, with Skriniar missing the target from the edge of the penalty area. In the 29th minute, the opponents exchanged yellow cards: Vitao was booked for tackling from behind, with Gagliardini being shown one for talking too much to the ref. Most likely, it was in this episode that the Brazilian centreback got injured, due to which he soon left his place on the field for David Khocholava to come on for him. Shortly before the break, the teams exchanged dangerous attempts: Handanovic coped with Dodo's attempt, with Khocholava blocking Lukaku's effort.

Battle for European spring

The Milanese appeared for the second half with the thought that they had nothing to lose now: either winning or crashing out of the European competitions. Therefore, it was not surprising that from the start they began putting maximum pressure on the Miners’ goal. This time, Trubin pulls out from under the crossbar a toughest header by Lukaku, with Martinez missing the top corner from the penalty area, and Khocholava denying Hakimi’s attempt. In response, the Miners orchestrated a blistering four-on-three attack with Tete's finishing touch - Handanovic's spectacular save rescued Inter. Next, Manor Solomon hit the defender after actively joining the action, with Taison's rebound ending up right in the goalkeeper’s gloves. However, the dying minutes saw some red hot action. The Nerazzurri’s siege led to Alexis Sanchez's two major threats. On both occasions, the Chilean headed it from the middle of the penalty area: first, the ball whizzed over the crossbar, and in the second situation the Miners were rescued by ... Lukaku who was offside and got the ball bouncing off his head. In the third injury-time minute, Anatolii Trubin earned the Man of the Match title by tipping over the crossbar Eriksen's powerful shot from a semicircle.

0-0 - Shakhtar ended up unbeaten by Inter in both legs, leaving the Milanese bottom of Group B. The Miners scored 8 points and finished third, securing a Europa League berth.

Now Luis Castro's team will play in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32, they will know their opponents at the draw on Monday, 14 December.

Inter Milan 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Milan, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, behind closed doors

Shakhtar: Trubin, Dodo, Bondar, Vitao (Khocholava 36’), Matviienko, Stepanenko (c), Maycon, Kovalenko, Marlos (Patrick 64’), Taison (Dentinho 86’), Tete (Solomon 65’)