The Donetsk club suffered its first defeat in 2026 but continued its journey in European competitions.
After a confident away victory (3:1) in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League Round of 16, Donetsk’s “Shakhtar” hosted Polish “Lech” in a nominally home match in Krakow. Having secured an acceptable result, the “miners” move forward in European competitions.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the match result.
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UEFA Conference League, Round of 16, second leg
“Shakhtar” – “Lech” – 1:2 (first leg – 3:1)
Goals: Joao Moutinho, 67 (own goal) – Ishak, 13, 45+7 (penalty)
Red card: Gram (“Shakhtar”), after the match
A Catastrophe in the First Half
“Shakhtar,” feeling confident, started the match calmly and solidly. The “miners” controlled the ball, stifling the opponents’ actions in the center with active pressing. This development did not bode well for the Ukrainian club. However…
Already in the 13th minute, the Ukrainians conceded. The goal came out of nowhere. Another pass to the right flank from “Lech” ended with a cross from Ismakhil into the penalty area to Ishak’s head: the top scorer of the Polish champions emerged from behind Gram and directed the ball into the net. Thus, at the very beginning, “Shakhtar’s” advantage on aggregate was reduced to a minimum.
After the illogical goal, “Shakhtar” continued to control the situation. In the middle of the half, Arda Turan’s team had good opportunities to score, but Elias and Ocheretko failed to capitalize on them.
However, the final surge from “Lech” in the half brought results. First, Tordarson dangerously shot under the crossbar – Riznyk deflected the ball for a corner. After the corner kick, the ball hit Elias’s outstretched arm. The referee, after reviewing the incident on VAR, awarded a penalty. Ishak converted from the spot to complete his double.
0:2 – at halftime, during which “Shakhtar” did not register a single shot on target.
A Salvaging Own Goal
The second half began with both teams starting from a clean slate: the overall score of the confrontation was equal – 3:3.
And right at the beginning of the second half, a very unpleasant situation arose at the “miners'” goal. “Lech” took four shots on “Shakhtar’s” goal during one attack – Riznyk and the defenders barely managed to fend them off, but the third goal was very close.
It did happen when the ball ended up in the “orange-and-black’s” net in the 58th minute, but the referee disallowed the goal for offside.
In the intervals between these episodes, “Shakhtar” controlled the game but could not break through “Lech’s” tight defense. Luck intervened: in the 67th minute, after a cross from Neverton, the ball touched two defenders and the “Lech” goalkeeper and finally found its way into the net – 1:2. Thanks to this fortunate own goal, the Ukrainian club regained the lead on aggregate.
What followed was a tense game, with both teams having chances. In the 84th minute, Neverton should have sealed the deal. The Brazilian shot from close range into the near corner but missed the target. In stoppage time, after another attack from Ishak, “Shakhtar” got very lucky.
After the final whistle, a mass brawl broke out, resulting in Gram receiving a red card.
What’s Next
“Shakhtar” advanced to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League, where their next opponent will be “AZ Alkmaar.” The Dutch club confidently defeated Prague’s “Sparta” – 2:1 and 4:0. The matches will take place on April 9 and 16.
Also, find out how “Dynamo” with goals from Yarmolenko and Ponomarenko destroyed “Alexandria” in the UPL.
