Shakhtar thrashed AZ in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-finals
The match in Kraków was attended by club president Rinat Akhmetov, who had not been seen at the team’s games since 2 May 2014. Prior to this, he had been in Bucharest for Mircea Lucescu’s farewell ceremony, according to Football24.
The game began with an incident in which Isaque Silva was injured following a collision with an opponent. The midfielder remained on the pitch for a further 15 minutes or so, after which he was substituted.
In the first half, both teams tried to play on the counter-attack, but there were few clear-cut chances. AZ had a few long-range attempts, whilst Shakhtar mostly looked to finish attacks following crosses and passes into the penalty area. The most dangerous moment came from a long-range shot by Alisson late in the half, which the goalkeeper saved.
After the break, Shakhtar stepped up their game. Early in the second half, the team created a dangerous chance from a free-kick, but the ball hit the crossbar.
AZ responded with a counter-attack in which Patati found himself one-on-one, but goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk saved the day.
Midway through the second half, Shakhtar began to control the game and create more chances. In the 72nd minute, Pedrinho opened the scoring with a shot from outside the penalty area.
AZ then tried to fight back and stepped up the intensity of their attacks, creating several dangerous moments in front of Shakhtar’s goal, but were unable to capitalise on them.
In the 81st minute, the Donetsk side launched a counter-attack that ended in a corner. Following the delivery, Alisson scored the second goal.
Just two minutes later, Alisson completed his brace, finishing off an attack following a cross from the left flank. This goal set the final score at 3–0.
The return leg will take place in a week’s time in the Netherlands. The winner of the tie will face either Crystal Palace or Fiorentina.
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