Donetsk defeats FC Barcelona in Hamburg
In their temporary European Cup home of Hamburg, Shakhtar Donetsk gave FC Barcelona and German internationals Ilkay Gündogan and Marc-André ter Stegen a huge upset. On their second visit to the Volksparkstadion, the Ukrainian soccer club prevented the Spanish champions from advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League with a deserved 1:0 (1:0).
In front of almost 50,000 spectators, ex-Rostock professional Danylo Sikan (40th minute) scored the winner for the home side, who prevented the Catalans from securing their fourth win in the fourth game of the group stage with this surprising success. Shakhtar thus kept their own chances of progressing alive. Barcelona, on the other hand, looked sluggish defensively and lacked clear goalscoring opportunities up front.
HSV professionals on site
Under the interested gaze of some players from second division side Hamburger SV, the brave Ukrainians got into the game better and better in their temporary European Cup home. The home side operated with many long balls. Sikan scored with his head to make it 1:0.
Overall, the Barca defense looked anything but stable. After 60 minutes, coach Xavi reacted and brought on four new players. But Portuguese star Joao Felix, who came on as a substitute, also missed the equalizer.
Due to the Russian war of aggression, Shakhtar's home games will no longer be played in Ukraine. Second division club Hamburger SV will take over the complete organization of the match days for the club. In their first match in September, the Ukrainians lost 3-1 to Portuguese club FC Porto, and in the first leg they lost 2-1 in Barcelona. The third and final group match will take place in Hamburg against Belgian club Royal Antwerp on November 28. Shakhtar will then have to face Porto on the road.
In the shocking turn of events, Shakhtar Donetsk managed to defeat FC Barcelona in the Champions League, with Danylo Sikan scoring the decisive goal in Hamburg. This victory prevented Barcelona from advancing to the last 16 of the competition, as Shakhtar continued their strong performance in the tournament.
Barcelona failed to capitalize on their opportunities, with their defense looking shaky throughout the match, while Shakhtar, playing in their temporary European Cup home, showed resilience and determination, relying on long balls to carve open the Spanish giants' defense.
Source: www.dpa.com
