Donetsk "Shakhtar" nearly turned its start in the European cup season into a failure already after the first game, when the return match remains only a formality. Moreover, it was French "Lille" that could well have headed to Donetsk in the capacity of a round-of-16 participant. However, the French were unlucky, while Lucescu's charges got lucky. Trailing 3:0 during the game, the Miners scored two goals in two minutes, taking advantage of the French team's victorious spirit, and finished the match with a minimal defeat 3:2, which gives the champions of Ukraine decent chances to advance to the next round of the tournament. In Donetsk, even a 1:0 victory will suit "Shakhtar".
However, it is clearly not worth fixating on the result with a team like "Lille". It seems that Mircea Lucescu also hoped to get away from the French with little bloodshed. Playing with one forward and six players oriented toward defense nearly led his team to fiasco.
Only in the opening 15 minutes did "Shakhtar" act on equal terms with "Lille". In the third minute, Elano even managed an accurate shot from a free kick, but the opponent's goalkeeper played reliably. Subsequently, the "Lille" footballers were more convincing in play on all lines of the field. Moreover, by the 70th minute "Shakhtar" had not created a single chance that could be equated with a goalscoring one.
"Lille," meanwhile, methodically rocked "Shakhtar's" already unreliable defense and already in the 19th minute took the lead. First, Fauvergue from several meters fired a header at the goal of young Shust, but he saved the Frenchman's first shot, yet the ball bounced again to Fauvergue, who from the corner of the goalkeeper's area struck into the far corner of "Shakhtar's" goal – 1:0. In the first half the French shot dangerously several more times, but Shust saved.
In the second 45 minutes, "Shakhtar," trailing by one goal, did not particularly rush into attack and played football that is more suited to a training game, when the result is not so important...
In the 58th minute "Shakhtar" paid for its sloppy play in defense a second time. After a long pass from the center circle, Dernis broke through one-on-one with Shust, having gotten past Hubschman and Chyhrynskyi, and Shust had to run out to intercept, but the Frenchman dribbled past the goalkeeper too, slipping the ball past Bohdan. That made it 2:0. Such a result was too dangerous for the Donetsk team, but that was not all.
In the 70th minute "Shakhtar" for the first time in this game after the opening minutes created something near "Lille's" goal. Fernandinho managed a powerful shot from about 18 meters, but the French goalkeeper parried the ball in front of himself, and Brandao's follow-up shot from several meters hit the goalkeeper.
Five minutes later, after a deflection from Rats's shot, the ball bounced to Matuzalem, who from several meters struck with a header, but could not beat the goalkeeper.
In the 78th minute, Tymoshchuk, who came on as a substitute and had missed most of the last training camp due to injury, lost a sprint race on the right flank to Keita, and he crossed into the goalkeeper's area, where the quickest in the struggle with Hubschman turned out to be Odemwingie, who stuck out his leg and sent the ball past Shust for the third time...
3:0 – it was already a complete rout for "Shakhtar" and, probably, that is how this game would have ended. Only the French forgot that the match lasts 90 minutes, and the Donetsk team still remembered that a little.
In the 88th minute Brandao, in a struggle with a defender, shot awkwardly, but the ball, deflecting off either the defender or Marica, hit the post, and from it went back to the Brazilian, and this time the "Shakhtar" forward did not miss – 3:1. A minute later, taking advantage of "Lille's" "victory sleep," the Ukrainian club scored a second goal. Jadson with one touch redirected the ball to Marica, who, bursting into the penalty area, with an accurate shot into the corner of the goal made the score 3:2.
In the remaining minutes the Miners tried several more times to attack sharply, but fortune no longer smiled on them. However, with such a game even a 3:2 defeat is not a tragedy, but rather happiness, especially since in a week the return match will take place in Donetsk.
"Lille" (France) – "Shakhtar" (Donetsk, Ukraine) – 3:2
Goals: Fauvergue 19, Dernis 58, Odemwingie 78, Brandao 88, Marica 89 "Shakhtar" lineup: Shust, Srna, Chyhrynskyi, Rats, Duljaj (Marica 69), Lewandowski (Tymoshchuk 56), Matuzalem, Fernandinho, Elano (Jadson 75), Brandao, Hubschman. "Lille" lineup: Malicki (Pichon 51), Debuchy, Tavlaridis, Schmitz, Dernis (Keita 72), Bodmer, Fauvergue (Cabaye 78), Odemwingie, Makoun, Vitakic, Lichtsteiner.