Europa League. Shakhtar in the presence of Andriy Shevchenko started playing in the playoffs of the victory over Benfica

20.02.2020 23:49

Photo by shakhtar.com

The first Ukrainian club to play an official match in 2020 was the national champion. In Kharkiv, Shakhtar defeated Portuguese Benfica in the first match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League.

Luis Castro's wards, unlike their rivals, had the opportunity to purposefully prepare for the European Cup confrontation, but the control matches at the training camp in Turkey, of course, can not be compared with official meetings. Benfica is in the midst of the national championship, the team is in good spirits. However, at the beginning of the match at USC Metalist, the game was generally equal. There may have been less marriage in the guests' actions, but the orange and blacks were more likely to threaten the opponent's goal.

And in the middle of the first half, the hosts even managed to send the ball into the net - Marlos successfully played on the finish after a shot by Moraes. But chief referee Bobby Madden, with the help of the VAR system, which was used for the first time in the Europa League today, determined the Shakhtar midfielder's position "out of the game".

The Orange-Blacks started the second 45-minute well. Tyson gave a great pass to Moraes, but Vlahodimos parried the striker's shot. Ismaili soon completed his pass with a shot into the post, and then Marlos forced the goalkeeper to show skill. The Pitmen's pressure eventually showed, and Alan Patrick distinguished himself by hitting the bottom corner from outside the penalty area.

Benfica responded fairly quickly. Tomasz Tavares passed Matvienko, beat Servi and hit Pyatov with a close-range shot. Again, the help of VAR was needed, and the referee did not score a goal due to offside, but awarded a penalty for Kryvtsov's foul on Serv. Pizza completed the 11-meter successfully. 1: 1. But Shakhtar also found the strength for a decent answer. Tyson and Moraes assisted Kovalenko, and Victor completed a quick attack. 2: 1.  

It should be noted that the head coach of the national team of Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko was present at the match. As part of Shakhtar, his wards took part in the game: Pyatov, Bolbat, Kryvtsov, Matvienko, Stepanenko, Marlos (goal pass), Kovalenko (goal), Moraes (goal pass), Konoplyanka (came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute) .

Photo by shakhtar.com

Europa League. 1/16 finals. The first match

Shakhtar (Ukraine) - Benfica (Portugal) - 2: 1 (0: 0)

Goals: Alan Patrick (56), Kovalenko (72) - Pizza (67, from the penalty spot).

Shakhtar: Pyatov (K), Bolbat, Krivtsov, Matvienko, Ismail, Stepanenko, Alan Patrick (Marcos Antonio, 80), Marlos (Konoplyanka, 83), Kovalenko, Tyson (Tete, 90 + 4), Moraes.

Substitutions: Shevchenko, Bondar, Maicon, Sikan.

Trainer: Louis Castro.

Benfica: Vlachimos, T. Tavares, Ruben Dias, Ferru, Grimaldo, Florentine, Taarabt, Pizzi (k) (Samaris, 90 + 2), Shikinho (Rafa Silva, 79), Servi, Seferovich (Vinisius, 69).

Substitutions: Zlobin, N. Tavares, Zota, Diego Sousa.

Trainer: Bruno Lage.

Referee: Bobby Madden (Scotland).

Booked: Florentine (90 + 5).

February 20. Kharkiv. USC "Metalist".

The match will take place in Lisbon on 27 February.