UEFA YOUTH LEAGUE | FC Barcelona 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: Untouchable

FC Barcelona are flying through the group stage of the UEFA Youth League. Three games played and three games won, Wednesday's victims being Shakhtar Donetsk.

Noah Darvich's maiden goal

Barça had done nothing but attack the Ukrainian goal from the very first minute, and the Ukrainians were finally beaten by Noah Darvich, the German pouncing on a loose ball to unleash a rocket that goes down as his first goal in blaugrana.

There were plenty more chances in the first half, especially for the very active Dani Rodríguez, but the visiting defence held out and soon we also started to see more on more Ukrainian advances into Barça's half the pitch. Indeed, after the restart they looked a different side, starting to take more and more of the initiative and an increased willingness to take risks.

Dani creates, Juan fulminates

In a much more even-matched affair, both sides had chances, although Rodríguez continued to be the standout performer. Following one of his many gallops down the right wing, he floated a tremendous cross onto the head of substitute Juan Hernández, and that was 2-0, to leave the Catalans flying high at the top of Group H with the maximum nine points at the halfway stage.

MATCH STATS

FC Barcelona U19A: 2
Shakhtar Donetsk: 0

Barça: Yaakobishvili; Guillem, Kospo, Sergi Domínguez, Cuenca (Saca 90'); Pau Prim, Bernal (Brian Fariñas 61'), Darvich (Cristo 46'); Nil Calderó (Arnau Pradas 82'), Hugo Alba (Juan Hernández 82') i Dani Rodríguez.

Shakhtar Donetsk: Kravets; Drozd, Dankosvkyi (Bats 76'), Oharkov, Sheleketa; Losenko (Yanovich 79'), Tsukanov, Bundash (Smetana 65'); Yushchenko /Tryfanenko 76'), Hlushchenko i Pushkarov (Demchenko 46').

Goals: 1-0, Darvich (min. 15); 2-0, Juan Hernández (min. 85).

Referee: Antoniou Menelaos. Yellows for Dani Rodríguez, Sergi Domínguez & Marc Bernal (Barça) and Hlushchenko, Drozd & Tsukanov (Shakthar).