Comeback victory
Monday, April 22, 2024
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Shakhtar hosted Zorya in Lviv in the match of the 25th round of the UPL
Head coach of the Miners Marino Pusic made some adjustments in the starting line-up after the previous meeting of the teams, which took place last Thursday: Giorgi Gocholeishvili played on the right defensive wing, Newertton acted in the left winger position from the first minutes, and Lassina Traore had a central forward position.
Yana Stepanenko took the first symbolic kick. The girl lost both her legs as a result of a Russian missile attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk in April 2022. Oleksandr Kobzarev went on the field together with her, he defended our country in the Kharkiv-bound direction in the 125th Territorial Defence Brigade since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and now he is the head of the UNBROKEN fund
Yana Stepanenko took the first symbolic kick. The girl lost both her legs as a result of a Russian missile attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk in April 2022. Oleksandr Kobzarev went on the field together with her, he defended our country in the Kharkiv-bound direction in the 125th Territorial Defence Brigade since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and now he is the head of the UNBROKEN fund, which facilitates the treatment, prosthetics and rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Recently, Yana ran 5 kilometres on prostheses as part of the Boston Marathon with the support of Oleksandr and once again proved to the whole world that Ukrainians are perseverant!
Shakhtar’s strong pressure, but without goals before the break
The Orange-and-Blacks had full control of the initiative from the starting whistle and had several dangerous opportunities already in the beginning of the meeting. Bondarenko handled a throw-in from the left wing and shot in centimetres from the post, Sudakov first made a curved shot into the far corner – close to the goal, and then he hit the goalkeeper after a combination move of the teammates from advantageous position. Traore had a great opportunity to score: the Burkinian hit the crossbar powerfully after Gocholeishvili’s cross and Shved’s heel pass – another save by Saputin. In the middle of the half, Shakhtar took a break in their attacking actions, and shortly before the break, they arranged a real attack on the goal of the visiting team, creating 4 goal-scoring chances in a row. Azarov shot just above the goal from the left edge of the penalty area, Newertton tried to turn Gocholeishvili’s cross right home with his head, but he also missed the target, Shved shot from outside the penalty area – the ball deflected off the defender and went near the post, and Bondarenko shot past the post after Sudakov’s cross.
We were the first to concede, but the substitutions worked
At the beginning of the second half, Luhansk team unexpectedly took the lead: in the 51st minute, Antiukh headed the ball from the centre of the penalty area – the ball flew into the net. The Miners put all their strength to fight back, and Matviienko had a chance to respond quickly, and his powerful shot almost from the penalty area line went over the crossbar. The coaching staff of the host team reacted with substitutions, releasing Kevin and Sikan first, and Marlon Gomes, Eguinaldo and Pedrinho in the middle of the half. And Marino Pusic’s substitutions turned the game around completely. Marlon Gomes kicked the ball slightly above the goal after Bondarenko’s pass, and then he headed in centimetres from the crossbar after Azarov’s cross. In the end, in the 72nd minute, the score became equal: Kevin made a cross from the left wing to the far corner, and Eguinaldo made a well-placed header – 1-1. In the final stretch of the game, the Orange-and-Blacks had to overcome maximally saturated defensive redoubts of the opponent, but they still managed to win. In the 88th minute, Kevin once again made a great cross from his position, and this time Danylo Sikan sent the ball into the net from the goalmouth. At the end of the game, the visiting team remained in the minority: goalkeeper Saputin was sent off for a rough tackle against Sikan outside the penalty area, but it did not affect the result of the match.
2-1 – Shakhtar defeated Zorya for the second time in a week and continue to lead the UPL title race with 58 points.
Marino Pusic’s team will play away against LNZ in the next round. The game will take place on April 27 in Cherkasy and will kick off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 (0-0) Zorya Luhansk
Lviv, Arena Lviv, 500 spectators
Goals: 0-1 Antiukh (51′), 1-1 Eguinaldo (72′), 2-1 Sikan (88′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Gocholeishvili, Bondar, Matviienko (c), Azarov (Pedrinho, 71′), Kryskiv, Bondarenko, Sudakov (Marlon Gomes, 64′), Shved (Sikan, 57′), Newertton (Kevin, 57′), Traore (Eguinaldo, 64′)
Sent off: Saputin (89′, straight red card)
Shakhtar’s strong pressure, but without goals before the break
The Orange-and-Blacks had full control of the initiative from the starting whistle and had several dangerous opportunities already in the beginning of the meeting. Bondarenko handled a throw-in from the left wing and shot in centimetres from the post, Sudakov first made a curved shot into the far corner – close to the goal, and then he hit the goalkeeper after a combination move of the teammates from advantageous position. Traore had a great opportunity to score: the Burkinian hit the crossbar powerfully after Gocholeishvili’s cross and Shved’s heel pass – another save by Saputin. In the middle of the half, Shakhtar took a break in their attacking actions, and shortly before the break, they arranged a real attack on the goal of the visiting team, creating 4 goal-scoring chances in a row. Azarov shot just above the goal from the left edge of the penalty area, Newertton tried to turn Gocholeishvili’s cross right home with his head, but he also missed the target, Shved shot from outside the penalty area – the ball deflected off the defender and went near the post, and Bondarenko shot past the post after Sudakov’s cross.
We were the first to concede, but the substitutions worked
At the beginning of the second half, Luhansk team unexpectedly took the lead: in the 51st minute, Antiukh headed the ball from the centre of the penalty area – the ball flew into the net. The Miners put all their strength to fight back, and Matviienko had a chance to respond quickly, and his powerful shot almost from the penalty area line went over the crossbar. The coaching staff of the host team reacted with substitutions, releasing Kevin and Sikan first, and Marlon Gomes, Eguinaldo and Pedrinho in the middle of the half. And Marino Pusic’s substitutions turned the game around completely. Marlon Gomes kicked the ball slightly above the goal after Bondarenko’s pass, and then he headed in centimetres from the crossbar after Azarov’s cross. In the end, in the 72nd minute, the score became equal: Kevin made a cross from the left wing to the far corner, and Eguinaldo made a well-placed header – 1-1. In the final stretch of the game, the Orange-and-Blacks had to overcome maximally saturated defensive redoubts of the opponent, but they still managed to win. In the 88th minute, Kevin once again made a great cross from his position, and this time Danylo Sikan sent the ball into the net from the goalmouth. At the end of the game, the visiting team remained in the minority: goalkeeper Saputin was sent off for a rough tackle against Sikan outside the penalty area, but it did not affect the result of the match.
2-1 – Shakhtar defeated Zorya for the second time in a week and continue to lead the UPL title race with 58 points.
Marino Pusic’s team will play away against LNZ in the next round. The game will take place on April 27 in Cherkasy and will kick off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 (0-0) Zorya Luhansk
Lviv, Arena Lviv, 500 spectators
Goals: 0-1 Antiukh (51′), 1-1 Eguinaldo (72′), 2-1 Sikan (88′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Gocholeishvili, Bondar, Matviienko (c), Azarov (Pedrinho, 71′), Kryskiv, Bondarenko, Sudakov (Marlon Gomes, 64′), Shved (Sikan, 57′), Newertton (Kevin, 57′), Traore (Eguinaldo, 64′)
Sent off: Saputin (89′, straight red card)
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