Away win
Sunday, August 9, 2026
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Shakhtar faced Epicentr in the 2026/27 UPL round 2
Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan made several changes to the starting XI compared with the opening match of the season: Riznyk was in goal again, Matviienko and Ghram formed the centre-back pairing this time, Vinicius Tobias and Pedro Henrique operated on the flanks, Ocheretko, Bondarenko and Pedrinho started in midfield, Mendoza and Alisson were the wingers, with Traore playing up front.
Low tempo and few chances before the break
The Miners, as usual, took the initiative from the start, but Alisson’s early effort from the centre of the penalty area, which was blocked by the home defenders, remained the only dangerous chance for a long time. It should be noted that the Pitmen were forced into a substitution as early as the 12th minute: Pedrinho picked up a muscle injury and was replaced by Nazaryna. The visitors continued to look for a way through to Fedotov’s goal, but the home side had a chance of their own: Sydun struck from close range, but Riznyk reacted quickly and saved the shot. From the middle of the half, it was Arda Turan’s side who began creating the danger. Traore initially failed to get on the end of Bondarenko’s cross, before narrowly missing Alisson’s delivery. Ghram had two headers following free-kicks from Nazaryna, but the first was saved by the goalkeeper, while the Tunisian failed to make proper contact with the second. Fedotov also caught the ball in the bottom corner after Alisson tried his luck from distance.
Goals from Ocheretko and Nazaryna secured the win
Shakhtar opened the scoring almost immediately after the break. In the 49th minute, Mendoza delivered a cross from the left, and Oleh Ocheretko darted in behind the defenders and, while falling, turned the ball into the net with his foot – 0-1. The Miners continued to attack. Mendoza’s effort from the left side of the penalty area towards the far corner went just wide of the post, Ocheretko headed straight at the goalkeeper from a corner, while Nazaryna sent a free-kick over the crossbar. As the half progressed, a series of stoppages noticeably slowed the tempo of the game, so the Pitmen’s coaching staff decided to add some fresh legs with substitutions: Isaque and Newertton came on, followed shortly afterwards by Lucas and Kaua Elias. The Epicentr players also began pushing forward more actively in an attempt to get back into the game. Yevpak had a chance to score, but Riznyk saved his header in the top-right corner. The Orange-and-Blacks, however, managed to double their lead and effectively put the result beyond doubt: in the 77th minute, Yehor Nazaryna picked up a rebound off an opponent, entered the penalty area and calmly placed the ball inside the right post, making it 0-2. Vinicius Tobias then had a great chance, bursting into the penalty area from the right and firing a powerful shot, but Fedotov parried it. At the other end, Riznyk made a mistake with his pass, but made up for it himself, sliding in to take the ball off Sydun’s feet. In the closing minutes, Vinicius Tobias had another chance, but his effort went just wide of the crossbar.
2-0 – Shakhtar beat Epicentr. This was the Donetsk side’s 500th clean sheet in the Ukrainian Premier League.
On August 16, the Miners will face Kharkiv away at the Arena Livyi Bereh in Kyiv. Kickoff is at 15:30.
Epicentr Kamianets-Podilskyi 0-2 (0-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kamianets-Podilskyi, H. Tonkocheiev Stadium, att.: 3,272
Goals: 0-1 Ocheretko (49′), 0-2 Nazaryna (77′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias, Ghram, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Ocheretko, Bondarenko (Isaque, 67′), Pedrinho (Nazaryna, 12′), Alisson (Lucas, 80′), Mendoza (Newertton, 67′), Traore (Kaua Elias, 80′)
Low tempo and few chances before the break
The Miners, as usual, took the initiative from the start, but Alisson’s early effort from the centre of the penalty area, which was blocked by the home defenders, remained the only dangerous chance for a long time. It should be noted that the Pitmen were forced into a substitution as early as the 12th minute: Pedrinho picked up a muscle injury and was replaced by Nazaryna. The visitors continued to look for a way through to Fedotov’s goal, but the home side had a chance of their own: Sydun struck from close range, but Riznyk reacted quickly and saved the shot. From the middle of the half, it was Arda Turan’s side who began creating the danger. Traore initially failed to get on the end of Bondarenko’s cross, before narrowly missing Alisson’s delivery. Ghram had two headers following free-kicks from Nazaryna, but the first was saved by the goalkeeper, while the Tunisian failed to make proper contact with the second. Fedotov also caught the ball in the bottom corner after Alisson tried his luck from distance.
Goals from Ocheretko and Nazaryna secured the win
Shakhtar opened the scoring almost immediately after the break. In the 49th minute, Mendoza delivered a cross from the left, and Oleh Ocheretko darted in behind the defenders and, while falling, turned the ball into the net with his foot – 0-1. The Miners continued to attack. Mendoza’s effort from the left side of the penalty area towards the far corner went just wide of the post, Ocheretko headed straight at the goalkeeper from a corner, while Nazaryna sent a free-kick over the crossbar. As the half progressed, a series of stoppages noticeably slowed the tempo of the game, so the Pitmen’s coaching staff decided to add some fresh legs with substitutions: Isaque and Newertton came on, followed shortly afterwards by Lucas and Kaua Elias. The Epicentr players also began pushing forward more actively in an attempt to get back into the game. Yevpak had a chance to score, but Riznyk saved his header in the top-right corner. The Orange-and-Blacks, however, managed to double their lead and effectively put the result beyond doubt: in the 77th minute, Yehor Nazaryna picked up a rebound off an opponent, entered the penalty area and calmly placed the ball inside the right post, making it 0-2. Vinicius Tobias then had a great chance, bursting into the penalty area from the right and firing a powerful shot, but Fedotov parried it. At the other end, Riznyk made a mistake with his pass, but made up for it himself, sliding in to take the ball off Sydun’s feet. In the closing minutes, Vinicius Tobias had another chance, but his effort went just wide of the crossbar.
2-0 – Shakhtar beat Epicentr. This was the Donetsk side’s 500th clean sheet in the Ukrainian Premier League.
On August 16, the Miners will face Kharkiv away at the Arena Livyi Bereh in Kyiv. Kickoff is at 15:30.
Epicentr Kamianets-Podilskyi 0-2 (0-0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Kamianets-Podilskyi, H. Tonkocheiev Stadium, att.: 3,272
Goals: 0-1 Ocheretko (49′), 0-2 Nazaryna (77′)
Shakhtar: Riznyk, Vinicius Tobias, Ghram, Matviienko (c), Pedro Henrique, Ocheretko, Bondarenko (Isaque, 67′), Pedrinho (Nazaryna, 12′), Alisson (Lucas, 80′), Mendoza (Newertton, 67′), Traore (Kaua Elias, 80′)
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