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Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Wednesday, 01 Oct
Competition: ???label.competicio1???
Stadium: RSC Olympiyskiy, Donetsk

Resultat:

Shakhtar D.: 1
FC Barcelona: 2

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

More info

Goals

1-0 Isinho (min 44)
1-1 Messi (min 87)
1-2 Messi (min 92)

Messi produces another late victory (1-2)

Jordi Clos

Barça turned their Champions League tie with Shakhtar on its head in the closing minutes with two goals from Lionel Messi to record their fifth consecutive victory and stay on top of Group C.

Just like on Montjuïc four days before, it was not until the very last moments that justice was done as a brace from the Argentinian forward won the game for the visitors in Donetsk. In a match of few chances at either end it was always going to take something special to claim all three points and Messi was able to produce just that.

Shakhtar complicated Barça's task by taking the lead before the break with a goal on the counter-attack. In the second half the hosts sat back even more, but Eto'o and Bojan both had chances before the Blaugrana finally drew level in the 87th minute thanks to a mistake by Andriy Pyatov that saw the ball slip through his hands. Not content with a point though, Barça pushed forward in the closing moments and Messi was able to show why he is so highly-rated with a superb finish to win the match for his team.

Difficult opposition

The home team were conscious of how important the game was for their aspirations to qualify for the next stage and did not want to take too many risks and allow Barça much space. After a bright opening, Shakhtar then sat back and the visitors took control but, unlike in previous games, they had to maintain possession in their own half and across the middle because an advanced Shakhtar side pressed them back and kept the ball away from their area.

Looking for chances

The best chance for Barcelona in the opening stages came in the sixth minute when a superb pass through the middle found Thierry Henry clear and he was able to take one touch to control the ball before shooting, only for a good save from the keeper to deny him the opener. Fernandinho then looked to test Víctor Valdés, but it was the away team that maintained the pressure and ensured that their opponents had to keep several players back on the edge of their own area at all times. With Henry and Eto'o looking for space in front of goal and Iniesta creating down the flanks, Xavi was able to use his creative touches more and more.

Opening goal

Alves then kept Pyatov's eye in with a shot from outside the area shortly before Shakhtar tested Valdés. Brandão Broke forward in the 37th minute and picked out Luiz Adriano and he in turn found Ilsinho, but the Catalan custodian was prepared and made a superb save to tip the shot over the bar. The home side were not finished though and took the lead a minute before half time. A high ball forward was flicked on by Piqué and Ilsinho held off the challenge from Puyol before clipping the ball over the approaching Valdés.

Barça monologue

With a one goal lead, Shakhtar looked to protect that and Barça controlled the second period from start to finish. Alves tested the keeper shortly after the restart with a low free-kick that was tipped round the post. Messi then entered the game just before the hour mark in place of Henry and he quickly showed a few touches that would later be used to undo Shakhtar's stubborn resistance. His first contribution was a superb pass through the middle to Eto'o and the Cameroonian forward looked set to score before losing his balance at the crucial moment before prodding the ball wide of the post. Bojan then came on and he almost scored too after steering his way into the area before shooting into the side-netting.

Late, late winner

When the equaliser came it was at a time when Shakhtar were looking to wind down the clock and see out time. Justice was served though in an unexpected way as Krkic's cross was fumbled by Pyatov and Messi was in the right place to steer home from close range.

At 1-1 the game was there for Barcelona to take and, while they could have accepted a point, they moved forward in search of all three. In the 92nd minute they produced a superb move as Xavi's pass behind the defence found Messi and he superbly clipped it over the approaching keeper and into the net to win the game.

The victory sees Barça move clear at the top of Group C with six points.

Preview

First outing for sky blue kit

FC Barcelona will be playing in their light blue reserve strip tonight. Shakhtar wear orange shirts and black shorts, which look a little too similar to both of Barça’s usual kits, and especially the yellow of their second strip, meaning that for the first time this season, we will get to see Barça wearing the light blue shirts they wore as their second strip last season.

Click here to learn of some of the curiosities associated with tonight’s fixture.

Going for five out of five

Roger Bogunyà

Barça are in action in Donetsk tonight (20.45, live on R@dio Barça) in their 2nd game of the group stage. A fifth consecutive win would set them up nicely for a place in the next round by consolidating their position at the top of the group.

The Champions League is back in the form of what promises to be a classic encounter. Shakhtar Donetsk entertain FC Barcelona, two teams that won in their opening Group C matches and thus share top spot for the time being. If Barça can achieve what would be their fifth win in a row, they would be well on course for a place in the knockout rounds.

Winning streak

Josep Guardiola’s side have found their touch. Having beaten Sporting Lisbon, Sporting Gijón, Betis and Espanyol, morale is on a high, it being a year since they last won four in a row. Another win in Europe would put them at least three points ahead of all of the other sides in their group.

Possession and pressure

It is hard to tell what kind of side Josep Guardiola is going to put out tonight, especially considering the rotation system he is putting to such great effect. However, one thing is guaranteed, the players will once again be playing at the intense rhythm that has characterised recent outings, recovering lost balls with impressive efficiency and taking absolute control of the game.

And this means we may once again see Barça creating hatfuls of chances, and that can only be favourable to their interests. But they need to make sure they convert those chances, something that has been a sore point of late. The Ukrainians are expected to be more physical and employ less elaborate tactics, but they will be keen to make sure they take the chances they are given.

Shakhtar, eleventh in Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk may have got off to a winning start in the Champions League in Basle (1-2), but are struggling in their domestic championship. They have only won one game so far and lie eleventh in a league that only features sixteen teams. Nine points are a poor return on nine games, and nine goals for and nine goals against are not the kind of statistics you would expect from a side that collected the championship trophy last season.

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