Winning mood

Nearly the full Shakhtar squad were preparing for the game: Matviienko, Tete, Ismaily, Korniienko and Khocholava resumed training in the general group. However, even before the match, Luis Castro pointed out that not all players were ready to take the field, with some of them needing more time to recover. Compared to the previous match, the Miners’ head coach made only one change in the starting line-up: Tete played instead of Marlos.

They saved goals for the end

Shakhtar expectedly seized the initiative from the off and provided the Mariupol goalkeeper with some work to do in the opening stages: first, Halchuk parried away Maycon's attempt and then turned Solomon’s effort for a corner. Midway through the first half, Alan Patrick could score one, but the ball went just inches off the post. In response, Melichenko attempted a long-ranger - also just wide. The Miners managed to open the scoring in the 35th minute: Dodo fed Junior Moraes who dealt with two opponents and spectacularly sent the ball right inside the top corner, making it 0-1. And two minutes later, the Donetsk team doubled the lead - Manor Solomon left the keeper no chance by directing his bent shot from outside the penalty area right home. In that episode, it was Dodo who provided an assist again.

Another double by Moraes

In the second half, Luis Castro fielded the young midfielders Heorhii Sudakov and Marcos Antonio (instead of Stepanenko and Maycon). Play wise, nearly nothing really changed: the same control of the ball and space allowed the Miners to combine for a long time in the opposing half of the field and create chances. First, Halchuk palmed Tete's effort away from the bottom corner, and then Chobotenko overtook the Brazilian at the last moment and did not allow the latter to finish off the cross by Moraes. Tete persistently looked for a scoring chance, but the Mariupol side were rescued by a goalpost after both the goalkeeper and the defenders had already been beaten. The last goal in the match happened in the 78th minute: after the collision between Dodo and Halchuk, the referee awarded a spot-kick which was successfully converted by Junior Moraes.

3-0 - Shakhtar beat Mariupol through Moraes's double and Solomon's goal. We also want to mention Dodo who was involved in scoring all those goals.

The season’s major game awaits us in the next round. On April 17, Shakhtar will host Dynamo at the NSC Olimpiyskiy. The game kicks off at 19:30.

Mariupol 0-3 (0-2) Shakhtar Donetsk

Kyiv, NSC Olimpiyskiy, behind closed doors

Goals: 0-1 Moraes (35’), 0-2 Solomon (37’), 0-3 Moraes (78’ - pen)

Shakhtar: Trubin, Dodo, Kryvtsov, Bondar, Cipriano, Stepanenko (c) (Sudakov - 46’), Maycon (Marcos - 46’), Patrick (Dentinho - 76’), Tete (Fernando - 76’), Solomon (Mudryk - 70’), Moraes