One more step
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
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Shakhtar played AS Monaco away in the Champions League play-off round first leg
Roberto De Zerbi picked the same starting lineup that had beaten Genk a week earlier: Vitao and Marlon appeared at centre-back, Matviienko played at left-back; Marcos Antonio and Maycon operated in midfield; while Solomon, Tete, Pedrinho and Traore were responsible for attacking.
Unstoppable
From the off, the Miners tried to fully dispossess the hosts of the ball and space, at the same time playing very confidently. In the opening stages, Majecki rescued the Monegasques after Matviienko sent his effort towards the near corner, later coping with Solomon's attempt as well. However, in the 19th minute, neither the defenders nor the goalkeeper could stop Pedrinho: the Brazilian played one-two with Solomon on the outskirts of the penalty area, dribbled past three opponents and sent it past Majecki from point-blank range – 0-1! The AS Monaco players tried to respond quickly only to see Badiashile’s header whizz inches off the post, with Trubin parrying away Ben Yedder's attempt from about 10 metres, and with Volland slightly missing the corner while trying to finish off his teammate’s delivery. The second half of the meeting saw a more even competition, but almost without chances. Only a minute away from half-time break, Tchouameni decided to unleash a long-range shot, with Anatolii Trubin showing his great reflexes this time as well.
Under pressure
After the break, the first-half hero Pedrinho was replaced by Alan Patrick, with the second half starting with another save by Trubin: the Donetsk goalkeeper palmed the ball off for a corner after Golovin's long-range attempt. But the highlights from the 20-year-old goalkeeper did not end there – this time he kneed away Ben Yedder’s shot. A number of breaks and substitutions followed midway through the second half (Konoplyanka and Stepanenko came on for Shakhtar), slowing down the pace a bit, but in the end the hosts found strength for the final assault. First, Trubin and the post rescued the Orange-and-Blacks from Boadu’s shot from the edge of the box, then Stepanenko blocked Tchouameni's attempt, plus his teammates did not allow Volland to finish it off.
1-0 – Shakhtar beat Monaco away. The future of the Champions League group stage berth will be decided in the return match at the OSC Metalist in Kharkiv on August 25. It kicks off at 22:00. Tickets for the game are on sale now.
Monaco 0-1 (0-1) Shakhtar Donetsk
Monaco, Stade Louis II, att: 5,700
Goal: 0-1 Pedrinho (19’)
Shakhtar: Trubin, Dodo, Vitao, Marlon, Matviienko (c), Maycon (Stepanenko, 74’), Marcos, Tete (Marlos, 89’), Pedrinho (Patrick, 46’), Solomon (Konoplyanka, 66’), Traore (Sikan , 90’)
Further details are available in the match centre.
Unstoppable
From the off, the Miners tried to fully dispossess the hosts of the ball and space, at the same time playing very confidently. In the opening stages, Majecki rescued the Monegasques after Matviienko sent his effort towards the near corner, later coping with Solomon's attempt as well. However, in the 19th minute, neither the defenders nor the goalkeeper could stop Pedrinho: the Brazilian played one-two with Solomon on the outskirts of the penalty area, dribbled past three opponents and sent it past Majecki from point-blank range – 0-1! The AS Monaco players tried to respond quickly only to see Badiashile’s header whizz inches off the post, with Trubin parrying away Ben Yedder's attempt from about 10 metres, and with Volland slightly missing the corner while trying to finish off his teammate’s delivery. The second half of the meeting saw a more even competition, but almost without chances. Only a minute away from half-time break, Tchouameni decided to unleash a long-range shot, with Anatolii Trubin showing his great reflexes this time as well.
Under pressure
After the break, the first-half hero Pedrinho was replaced by Alan Patrick, with the second half starting with another save by Trubin: the Donetsk goalkeeper palmed the ball off for a corner after Golovin's long-range attempt. But the highlights from the 20-year-old goalkeeper did not end there – this time he kneed away Ben Yedder’s shot. A number of breaks and substitutions followed midway through the second half (Konoplyanka and Stepanenko came on for Shakhtar), slowing down the pace a bit, but in the end the hosts found strength for the final assault. First, Trubin and the post rescued the Orange-and-Blacks from Boadu’s shot from the edge of the box, then Stepanenko blocked Tchouameni's attempt, plus his teammates did not allow Volland to finish it off.
1-0 – Shakhtar beat Monaco away. The future of the Champions League group stage berth will be decided in the return match at the OSC Metalist in Kharkiv on August 25. It kicks off at 22:00. Tickets for the game are on sale now.
Monaco 0-1 (0-1) Shakhtar Donetsk
Monaco, Stade Louis II, att: 5,700
Goal: 0-1 Pedrinho (19’)
Shakhtar: Trubin, Dodo, Vitao, Marlon, Matviienko (c), Maycon (Stepanenko, 74’), Marcos, Tete (Marlos, 89’), Pedrinho (Patrick, 46’), Solomon (Konoplyanka, 66’), Traore (Sikan , 90’)
Further details are available in the match centre.