Victory in Kraków!
Thursday, July 31, 2025
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Shakhtar hosted Beşiktaş in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round in Kraków
Head coach of the Orange-and-Blacks Arda Turan made several changes to the starting line-up compared to the first encounter, which ended in a victory for the Pitmen (4-2). Riznyk was once again in goal, Vinicius Tobias and Pedro Henrique were the full-backs, Matviienko and Bondar operated in central defence, Pedrinho joined Marlon Gomes and Ocheretko in midfield this time, Kevin and Alisson featured on the wings again, with Kaua Elias playing as the centre-forward.
A dominant half with goals from Kevin and Kaua Elias
The Miners made a very confident start to the match, immediately taking control of possession and the game itself, creating the first dangerous chance when Vinicius Tobias’s shot was blocked by Uduokhai. And in the 12th minute, Shakhtar opened the scoring: Kevin won the ball on the left flank, exchanged passes with Kaua Elias, drove into the box while holding off his marker and produced an accurate shot into the far top corner, making it 1-0. The visitors tried to respond straight away by seizing the initiative, but the Ukrainians defended reliably and allowed the opposition hardly any chances. At the same time, the Pitmen had opportunities to double their lead on the counter: first, Alisson went one-on-one but failed to chip the goalkeeper, and shortly after, four of Shakhtar Brazilians found themselves inside the penalty area but couldn’t get a shot on target. The Istanbul side also produced a dangerous attack – Tiknaz fired powerfully from the edge of the box, the ball struck a defender and went just wide. Then in first-half stoppage time, Arda Turan’s men scored again: the attack started deep and shifted to the right, Alisson beautifully played the ball to Vinicius Tobias with a backheel, who broke into the box and drilled in a cross from near the byline to the far post, where Kaua Elias finished it off – 2-0.
Complete control of the game and chances for a crushing win
The second half started at a calmer pace: the Orange-and-Blacks ceded the ball to the opponents but fully controlled the actions of the Istanbul side in midfield and did not allow them to approach Riznyk’s goal. At the same time, the hosts looked sharper again on the counterattack: Alisson nearly curled the ball into the left top corner from the edge of the penalty area. In the 57th minute, Shakhtar’s coaching staff made their first substitutions, bringing on Bondarenko and Newertton, with Sudakov and Traore also appearing shortly after. The Burkinabe forward quickly had a chance to score, but his shot from the edge of the box went just wide of the post. The visitors threatened from a free kick – Riznyk reacted well and saved Yilmaz’s powerful strike. The Miners kept pushing forward, and Svensson nearly sliced the ball into his own net after a cross from Vinicius Tobias, while Alisson skilfully beat the defender inside the box, but his shot was blocked. The last substitution for the Pitmen saw Gocholeishvili come on. The Ukrainian team did not ease off and continued attacking until the final whistle, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
2-0 – Shakhtar defeated Beşiktaş for the second time and advance to the next stage on aggregate (6-2).
Arda Turan’s team will face the Greek side Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. The matches at this stage will take place on August 7 (in Athens) and August 14 (in Kraków). Information regarding tickets for the away and home fixtures will be published in the coming days.
The Miners will kick off the new UPL season with an away game against Epicentr this Sunday, August 3. The game in Ternopil kicks off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 (2-0) Beşiktaş Istanbul
Kraków, Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana, att.: 12,828
Goals: 1-0 Kevin (12′), 2-0 Kaua Elias (45+2′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias (Gocholeishvili, 81′), Bondar, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Marlon Gomes (Bondarenko, 57′), Pedrinho (Sudakov, 65′), Ocheretko, Alisson, Kevin (Newertton, 57′), Kaua Elias (Traore, 64′)
A dominant half with goals from Kevin and Kaua Elias
The Miners made a very confident start to the match, immediately taking control of possession and the game itself, creating the first dangerous chance when Vinicius Tobias’s shot was blocked by Uduokhai. And in the 12th minute, Shakhtar opened the scoring: Kevin won the ball on the left flank, exchanged passes with Kaua Elias, drove into the box while holding off his marker and produced an accurate shot into the far top corner, making it 1-0. The visitors tried to respond straight away by seizing the initiative, but the Ukrainians defended reliably and allowed the opposition hardly any chances. At the same time, the Pitmen had opportunities to double their lead on the counter: first, Alisson went one-on-one but failed to chip the goalkeeper, and shortly after, four of Shakhtar Brazilians found themselves inside the penalty area but couldn’t get a shot on target. The Istanbul side also produced a dangerous attack – Tiknaz fired powerfully from the edge of the box, the ball struck a defender and went just wide. Then in first-half stoppage time, Arda Turan’s men scored again: the attack started deep and shifted to the right, Alisson beautifully played the ball to Vinicius Tobias with a backheel, who broke into the box and drilled in a cross from near the byline to the far post, where Kaua Elias finished it off – 2-0.
Complete control of the game and chances for a crushing win
The second half started at a calmer pace: the Orange-and-Blacks ceded the ball to the opponents but fully controlled the actions of the Istanbul side in midfield and did not allow them to approach Riznyk’s goal. At the same time, the hosts looked sharper again on the counterattack: Alisson nearly curled the ball into the left top corner from the edge of the penalty area. In the 57th minute, Shakhtar’s coaching staff made their first substitutions, bringing on Bondarenko and Newertton, with Sudakov and Traore also appearing shortly after. The Burkinabe forward quickly had a chance to score, but his shot from the edge of the box went just wide of the post. The visitors threatened from a free kick – Riznyk reacted well and saved Yilmaz’s powerful strike. The Miners kept pushing forward, and Svensson nearly sliced the ball into his own net after a cross from Vinicius Tobias, while Alisson skilfully beat the defender inside the box, but his shot was blocked. The last substitution for the Pitmen saw Gocholeishvili come on. The Ukrainian team did not ease off and continued attacking until the final whistle, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
2-0 – Shakhtar defeated Beşiktaş for the second time and advance to the next stage on aggregate (6-2).
Arda Turan’s team will face the Greek side Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. The matches at this stage will take place on August 7 (in Athens) and August 14 (in Kraków). Information regarding tickets for the away and home fixtures will be published in the coming days.
The Miners will kick off the new UPL season with an away game against Epicentr this Sunday, August 3. The game in Ternopil kicks off at 15:30.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 (2-0) Beşiktaş Istanbul
Kraków, Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana, att.: 12,828
Goals: 1-0 Kevin (12′), 2-0 Kaua Elias (45+2′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias (Gocholeishvili, 81′), Bondar, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Marlon Gomes (Bondarenko, 57′), Pedrinho (Sudakov, 65′), Ocheretko, Alisson, Kevin (Newertton, 57′), Kaua Elias (Traore, 64′)
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