play pause open close
 
Played
November 23, 2011 7:45 PM GMT
Donbass Arena — Donets'k
Referee:‬ C. Thomson‎
Attendance:‬ 42565‎
 
 
Hulk 79′
 
R. Raţ 90+1′ (OG)

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 Porto: Hulk effort and Rat own goal keep Portuguese alive in Group G

The Brazilian striker once again stepped up to rescue the Dragoes and ensure the battle for qualification goes down to the wire

By Vasil Kotsev

UEFA Europa League: Hulk (Porto)
Getty
Porto managed to preserve their chances of progression to the round of 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Group G.
 
After an evenly-matched first half, Brazil international Hulk gave the visitors the lead, before Razvan Rat struck a late own goal to ensure the Portuguese still have hope of edging through going into the final round of fixtures.

Porto were the more vibrant team in the early minutes of the match, as they passed the ball around quickly and pressured the opposition high up the pitch. Hulk nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but saw his finish from inside the box cleared by Yaroslav Rakitskiy off the line.

Shakhtar soon shook off their early game lethargy, and started creating chances of their own. Willian was the first to have a pop at goal for the Ukrainians, but his weak shot was easily claimed by Helton.

Luiz Adriano then struck the post just before the 20-minute mark as Shakhtar were tightening the grip. Still, Porto had one good chance through Steven Defour on the counter, but the Belgium international could only shoot in the hands of Olexandr Rybka from inside the area.

Olexandr Kucher had the crowd on their feet with half an hour gone as he hit a sublime bicycle kick just wide of Helton's right post. This proved to be the last moment of interest for the first period as the teams had to withdraw at the break with the result locked at 0-0.

The freezing temperature took its toll in the second half as the tempo gradually began to drop. Chances were few and far between until after the hour mark, when Shakhtar started to pick up the pace.

Fernandinho hit the post, just as Luiz Adriano had earlier, with an elegant shot from inside the box as the hosts threw everything forward in the final quarter of the match. Their reckless attacking proved to be their undoing, however, as they fell victims to two late goals by Porto.

In the 79th minute a slick pass by Joao Moutinho found the unmarked Hulk inside the box; the Brazilian turned with the ball, freed up some space, and then powered a precise shot past Rybka.

In injury time, substitute Cristian Rodriguez forced an own goal from Rat as he powered a stinging effort which was deflected off the defender and into the net to put the game beyond Shakhtar's reach.

The scoreline means that Porto can clinch qualification into the last 16 if they are able to overcome Zenit in their final fixture of the group. Shakhtar, meanwhile, have suffered a campaign to forget, and their foray into Europe this season has come to an end.


Shakhtar Donetsk

25
Olexandr Rybka
Goalkeeper
5.5
5
5.5
26
R. Raţ
Defender
91′
4.5
3
6.5
44
6.0
7
Fernandinho
Midfielder
6.5
10
Willian
Midfielder
69′
5.0
14
Vasyl Kobin
Midfielder
75′ 87′
6.0
22
Henrik Mkhitaryan
Midfielder
6.5
9
Luiz Adriano
Striker
5.0
11
Eduardo
Striker
50′ 59′
5.5

Porto

7.0
1
Helton
Goalkeeper
6.5
4
6.0
5
Alvaro Pereira
Defender
5.5
30
6.5
14
Rolando
Defender
7.0
8
Joao Moutinho
Midfielder
79′
5.0
19
5.5
35
Steven Defour
Midfielder
88′
7.0
25
Fernando
Midfielder
7.5
12
Hulk
Striker
79′
5.0
14
Djalma
Striker
73′

Substitutes

16
Artem Tetenko
Goalkeeper
-
36
-
20
Jadson
Midfielder
59′ 65′
6.0
19
Olexiy Gay
Midfielder
-
20
Douglas Costa
Midfielder
87′
5.0
29
Alex Teixeira
Midfielder
69′
5.0
-
-

Substitutes

-
31
-
4
Jorge Fucile
Defender
-
25
Fernando Belluschi
Midfielder
6.5
10
5.0
5
Souza
Midfielder
88′
-
11
5.0
17

Coach/Manager

-
-
 
  • Goal
  • Own Goal
  • Penalty
  • Penalty Missed
  • Yellow Card
  • Assist
  • Penalty Save
  • Penalty Shootout Goal
  • Penalty Shootout Miss
  • Yellow Card / Red Card
  • Red Card
  • Substitution IN
  • Substitution OUT
  • Injury
  • Goal.com Rating
  • Goal.com Man of the Match
  • Goal.com Flop of the Match
  • Top & Flop Global Ranking
  • Fans' Man of the Match
  • Fans' Flop of the Match
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona
14 4
Mario Gomez Mario Gomez
Striker
Bayern
13 0
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid
10 2
Karim Benzema Karim Benzema
Striker
Real Madrid
7 0
Didier Drogba Didier Drogba
Striker
Chelsea
6 0