Youth League: Donezk defeats Barcelona

Close match ends with a 3-2 victory for the Ukrainian side

In a thrilling match between Shakhtar Donezk and Barcelona, the Ukrainian side emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline. The match was played at the NSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium and saw both teams fighting hard for the win but in the end Donezk managed to take the lead and never let it go. After the match, Donezk coach Luis Castro praised his team’s performance saying, “We played very well today and we deserved to win. We created many chances and we could have scored even more. To beat Barcelona is very difficult so we are very committed today”.

Resilient Barcelona despite the loss

Barcelona coach Garcia Pimienta was disappointed with the result and felt that his team could have done better. However, he also praised Donezk for their performance and said, “We played against a very good team today. They were well-organized and they made it difficult for us to create chances. We had some good chances but we couldn’t take them. We need to learn from this defeat and come back stronger. I am proud of my players for their effort and commitment".

Donezk’s strong performance

Donezk’s victory was due in part to their strong performance in the first half. They took the lead in the 15th minute when Mykhaylo Mudryk scored a stunning goal from outside the box. Barcelona equalized in the 25th minute through a penalty kick by Ilaix Moriba but Donezk regained the lead in the 35th minute when Danylo Sikan scored a header from a corner kick.

Controversial Barcelona red card

The match took a dramatic turn in the second half when Barcelona’s Mika Marmol was sent off for a second yellow card. This gave Donezk a man advantage and they took full advantage of it. They scored their third goal in the 65th minute when Oleksiy Kashchuk scored a tap-in from close range.

Barcelona’s failed comeback

Barcelona fought hard to get back into the game but they could only manage to score one more goal through a penalty kick by Moriba in the 85th minute. Donezk held on for the remaining minutes to secure the victory.