Shakhtar Donetsk kept their hopes of progressing in the Champions League alive with a crucial 2-0 victory over Brest at home. The Ukrainian champions needed a win to have any chance of making it to the top 24 in the league phase going into the final matchday next week.
Although a significant goal swing is still required, goals from Kevin and Georgiy Sudakov ensured that Shakhtar still have some interest in the competition. Kevin took advantage of a slip from Brest captain Brendan Chardonnet to score, while goalkeeper Marco Bizot made some impressive saves before conceding a penalty that Sudakov chipped into the net.
In the second half, Shakhtar dug in and managed to keep Brest at bay, denying them the opportunity to climb into the top eight. Now, Brest must secure a result at home against Real Madrid if they want to avoid the play-off round that Shakhtar are desperate to reach.
Data analysis shows that Shakhtar have scored all seven of their Champions League goals this season in the first half of matches. They have also scored twice before half-time in three of their last four matches in the competition. However, capitalizing on these strong starts has not always been easy for them. They lost to PSV despite leading 2-0 until the 87th minute and also suffered a defeat against Bayern Munich after scoring first.
In this match, Shakhtar effectively changed their approach in the second half, adopting a defensive strategy that Brest couldn’t break through. After having eight attempts and 63% possession in the first half, the Ukrainian side only attempted one more shot and had 30% possession in the second half, but managed to preserve their clean sheet.
Overall, Shakhtar’s victory keeps their slim hopes alive and sets up an exciting final matchday in the Champions League.
