Hard-fought victory
Sunday, August 16, 2026
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Shakhtar played away against Kharkiv in the UPL round 3
Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan once again made minor changes to the starting line-up compared with the previous game: Riznyk started in goal as usual, Matviienko and Bondar operated in central defence, Vinicius Tobias and Pedro Henrique played on the flanks, Nazaryna, Ocheretko and Isaque formed the midfield, Newertton and Alisson appeared as wingers, while Kaua Elias was the centre-forward.
Newertton’s lightning-fast goal and a hard-fought first half
The teams had barely kicked off when the Miners opened the scoring after just 31 seconds: Isaque intercepted the ball on the left flank, Newertton picked it up, entered the penalty area and fired a low shot from behind the defender into the near corner – 0-1. The game then developed into end-to-end action, with the hosts creating several dangerous attacks, but Riznyk dealt with efforts from Martyniuk and Smoliakov, while Hadzhiiev’s long-range effort flew well over the bar. Midway through the half, the tempo was slowed somewhat by a series of stoppages, after which the Orange-and-Blacks regained the initiative and created chances of their own. Alisson cut in nicely from the right flank and struck towards the left corner from outside the box, but Yermakov made a fine save. The Brazilian then won a free-kick in front of goal, but Nazaryna’s effort went wide of the post.
Chances at both ends and a narrow score
The second half began with chances at both ends: Kaua Elias’s long-range effort went just wide of the right post, while Itodo even found the net after a cross from a teammate, but the goal was ruled out for offside. As before the break, there were plenty of challenges and positional battles on the pitch, while clear-cut chances were less frequent. In the 65th minute, Arda Turan made his first substitution, bringing on Gleiker Mendoza. The Venezuelan winger immediately had a chance, but his long-ranger was saved by the home goalkeeper. Bondarenko and Meirelles then also came on, followed later by Lucas and Azarov. Meanwhile, Kharkiv had a chance to equalise, but Bondar bravely blocked Hadzhiiev’s powerful effort from inside the box with his chest, before Itodo sent his shot over the crossbar. The Miners could have extended their lead from a set piece, but Bondar’s header went just wide of the far corner. In the closing stages, the hosts could have rescued the game: first, Zabergja fired wide of the far post from the right side of the six-yard box, then Kohut rounded Riznyk but, while falling, hit the outside of the net. Finally, Meirelles raced through one-on-one with the goalkeeper on a counter-attack, but failed to beat him.
1-0 – Shakhtar defeat Kharkiv in a hard-fought encounter and continue to share top spot in the league with a maximum points tally.
Arda Turan’s side will play their next match on August 29. In the central fixture of the fourth round of the UPL, Shakhtar will host Polissia at the Arena Lviv at 18:00. Season tickets for the Miners’ home matches in the 2026/27 season can be purchased at shakhtar.com.
Kharkiv 0-1 (0-1) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kyiv, Livyi Bereh, att.: 1,970
Goal: 0-1 Newertton (1′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias, Ghram, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique (Azarov, 81′), Nazaryna, Ocheretko, Isaque (Mendoza, 65′), Alisson (Bondarenko, 71′), Newertton (Lucas, 81′), Kaua Elias (Meirelles, 71′)
Newertton’s lightning-fast goal and a hard-fought first half
The teams had barely kicked off when the Miners opened the scoring after just 31 seconds: Isaque intercepted the ball on the left flank, Newertton picked it up, entered the penalty area and fired a low shot from behind the defender into the near corner – 0-1. The game then developed into end-to-end action, with the hosts creating several dangerous attacks, but Riznyk dealt with efforts from Martyniuk and Smoliakov, while Hadzhiiev’s long-range effort flew well over the bar. Midway through the half, the tempo was slowed somewhat by a series of stoppages, after which the Orange-and-Blacks regained the initiative and created chances of their own. Alisson cut in nicely from the right flank and struck towards the left corner from outside the box, but Yermakov made a fine save. The Brazilian then won a free-kick in front of goal, but Nazaryna’s effort went wide of the post.
Chances at both ends and a narrow score
The second half began with chances at both ends: Kaua Elias’s long-range effort went just wide of the right post, while Itodo even found the net after a cross from a teammate, but the goal was ruled out for offside. As before the break, there were plenty of challenges and positional battles on the pitch, while clear-cut chances were less frequent. In the 65th minute, Arda Turan made his first substitution, bringing on Gleiker Mendoza. The Venezuelan winger immediately had a chance, but his long-ranger was saved by the home goalkeeper. Bondarenko and Meirelles then also came on, followed later by Lucas and Azarov. Meanwhile, Kharkiv had a chance to equalise, but Bondar bravely blocked Hadzhiiev’s powerful effort from inside the box with his chest, before Itodo sent his shot over the crossbar. The Miners could have extended their lead from a set piece, but Bondar’s header went just wide of the far corner. In the closing stages, the hosts could have rescued the game: first, Zabergja fired wide of the far post from the right side of the six-yard box, then Kohut rounded Riznyk but, while falling, hit the outside of the net. Finally, Meirelles raced through one-on-one with the goalkeeper on a counter-attack, but failed to beat him.
1-0 – Shakhtar defeat Kharkiv in a hard-fought encounter and continue to share top spot in the league with a maximum points tally.
Arda Turan’s side will play their next match on August 29. In the central fixture of the fourth round of the UPL, Shakhtar will host Polissia at the Arena Lviv at 18:00. Season tickets for the Miners’ home matches in the 2026/27 season can be purchased at shakhtar.com.
Kharkiv 0-1 (0-1) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kyiv, Livyi Bereh, att.: 1,970
Goal: 0-1 Newertton (1′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias, Ghram, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique (Azarov, 81′), Nazaryna, Ocheretko, Isaque (Mendoza, 65′), Alisson (Bondarenko, 71′), Newertton (Lucas, 81′), Kaua Elias (Meirelles, 71′)
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