Shakhtar Donetsk saved their slim Champions League knock-out hopes alive as they secured a significant 2-0 house win over Brest on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian champions wanted a victory to retain any ambition of constructing the highest 24 within the league part going into the ultimate matchday subsequent week.
And though an enormous aim swing should be required, targets from Kevin and Georgiy Sudakov ensured they proceed to carry some curiosity within the competitors.
Kevin pounced on a pricey slip from Brest captain Brendan Chardonnet to race away and rating, with goalkeeper Marco Bizot then making a collection of spectacular saves earlier than conceding a penalty that Sudakov chipped into the web.
S U P E R S T A R M V P
@sudakov_11 @ChampionsLeague #Shakhtar #UCL #ШахтарБрест pic.twitter.com/F1KH9X3o0u
— FC SHAKHTAR DONETSK (@FCShakhtar) January 22, 2025
Shakhtar dug in for the second half and had been in a position to preserve Brest at bay, with the Ligue 1 outfit letting an enormous alternative to climb into the highest eight slip by way of their grasp.
Brest should now get a consequence at house to Actual Madrid if they’re to improbably keep away from the play-off spherical that Shakhtar are so determined to achieve.
Information debrief: A sport of two halves… once more
Shakhtar have now scored seven targets within the Champions League this season, and all seven have come within the first half of matches. Actually, they’ve now scored twice earlier than half-time in three of their previous 4 matches within the competitors.
Capitalising on these sturdy early showings had not been fairly so easy. In opposition to PSV, Shakhtar led 2-0 till the 87th minute and nonetheless misplaced. Additionally they misplaced to Bayern Munich regardless of scoring first.
This time, although, Shakhtar successfully modified their sport after the break, and Brest had no reply. After having eight makes an attempt and 63% of the possession within the first 45, the Ukrainian aspect went on the defensive following the restart, trying just one additional shot and having 30% of the ball however preserving their clear sheet.