Shakhtar 0-0 Inter

After defeating Real Madrid away (3-2), the Miners topped Group B, while the Milanese had the third position after the opening tie (2-2). Luis Castro again fielded the starting line-up with only three players over 22 (Khocholava, Marlos and Dentinho). Antonio Conte had all of his key performers on the pitch.

For the first time in six months, Shakhtar have had a home match in the presence of spectators. A crowd of more than 10 thousand fans gathered at the NSC Olimpiyskiy this evening.

Trubin the hero

Just like in Madrid, the Orange-and-Blacks got off to a bold start and tried not to be inferior to their opponents, especially in ball control, and to win midfield. A quarter of an hour saw cautious play from both sides without any particular scoring opportunities, with Dentinho getting injured though and being replaced by Taison on 15 minutes. Immediately after that, the visitors created the first scoring chance: Lukaku got one on one, but Trubin parried away the Belgian's effort before Barella’s rebound shot hit the crossbar. Then, the Shakhtar goalkeeper once again rescued his team by kicking off a pointblank attempt of the same Barella. Then Shakhtar young defenders came to the rescue: Korniienko blocked Hakimi's attempt, and Bondar cleared the ball away from goal after Lautaro's kick. Having withstood the immense onslaught of the opponents, Luis Castro's men pushed the game away from their goal midway through the first half and carried out a couple of attacks. In one of them, Marcos Antonio checked Handanovic’s reflexes from a distance, but the experienced keeper coped with it. A minute away from the half-time whistle, Inter earned a free-kick that turned posed a real threat, with Trubin playing brilliantly again by tipping Lukaku's powerful effort off the top corner and into the crossbar.

No winners

Right after the break, the Shakhtar keeper parried away another difficult shot by Brozovic, with Martinez’s rebound missing the unguarded goal. However, the hosts got more watchful after that and started operating more compactly defensively, not allowing the Italians to overcome their defensive third so easily. The action surged in the dying 15 minutes. Korniienko fell down in the Milan side’s box after De Vrij hit his thigh with studs, but the referee did not dare to point to the spot. Within a couple of minutes, Lukaku demanded a spot-kick - the officials did not interpret Bondar’s act as a foul, with Trubin cleanly knocking the ball away by a sliding tackle. In the end, Tete watched for the defender’s unsuccessful back pass to Handanovic, deciding to feed Marlos instead of shooting from a tight angle, with the latter being immediately stopped. The final whistle signalled for a goalless draw - Shakhtar and Inter have revealed no winners.

In the next Champions League round, the Miners will host Borussia Monchengladbach in Kyiv on November 3rd. The match at the NSC Olimpiyskiy will kick off at 19:55 in the presence of spectators. Tickets are on sale now.

This Friday, October 30, the team of Luis Castro will face the UPL side Mariupol.

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Inter Milan

Kyiv, NSC Olimpiyskiy, att: 10,178

Shakhtar: Trubin, Dodo, Bondar, Khocholava (Matviienko 62’), Korniienko, Maycon, Marcos, Tete, Marlos (c) (Patrick 88’), Solomon, Dentinho (Taison 15’)