Shakhtar Donetsk gave their hopes of a first Champions League (UCL) knockout stage appearance since 2018 a boost with a 2-0 win over Brest at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, ending a run of three straight wins for the visitors.
Despite playing their first competitive match in over a month, Shakhtar showed little sign of rustiness and came close to opening the scoring after eight minutes, but Marlon Gomes’ backheel from Eguinaldo’s low cross trickled narrowly wide.
However, Hirnyky would only have to wait 10 more minutes to break the deadlock. A heavy touch from Brendan Chardonnet allowed Kevin to steal possession and have a free run at goal from the halfway line, in which he duly kept his composure and rolled the ball past Marco Bizot.
The Brest back line were under pressure again after half an hour, when Eguinaldo got in behind to meet a long ball over the top from Irakli Azarovi – the striker beat Bizot, but his delicate effort drifted inches wide.
But once again, Shakhar pressure would be rewarded minutes later when Azarovi was brought down inside the box by Bizot, and Swiss referee Sandro Schärer pointed to the penalty spot. A panenka from Heorhiy Sudakov, expertly taken, doubled the advantage eight minutes before half-time.
Marino Pucic’s men continued their dominance after the break, and would have extended their lead had Bizot not made a smart stop from Sudakov.
-Their own advantage seldom looked threatened, as Brest failed to hit the target in the second half until 12 minutes to go, when a thunderous Mathias Pereira Lage free-kick had to be turned away by Dmytro Riznyk.
A disallowed goal in added time from Oleksandr Zubkov ultimately made little difference as the Ukrainian side secured a second league phase win. A first UCL success over French opposition takes them to seven points and with a chance of finishing in the top 24, if they take something from a trip to Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Brest’s hopes of a top eight finish remain alive, but they will likely need at least a point against Real Madrid on the final matchday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kevin (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Check out the match summary with Flashscore.
