Match report: Shakhtar 0-3 Man City
Louise Taylor was at the Metalist Kharkiv Arena to see City give their hosts a gubbing to go top of the group after their shaky start against Lyon. Victory in their next game will secure their place in the knockout stages.
Pep speaks: “In the first half we were outstanding,” Man City’s manager tells BT Sport. “We create a lot of chances and we controlled it. In the second half they had five or six players forward and we pushed them back and used counter-attacks. To win 3-0 away from home is a fantastic result. If we can win against Shakhtar at home in our next game, they will be out. We need to try to finish first in the group. We were under pressure after the defeat in Lyon.”
David Silva speaks: Manchester City’s little magician pulls no punches in a post-match interview that is conspicuously cliche free.
“We could have scored a lot of goals,” he says to BT Sport’s Paul Dempsey. “We scored three, we’re happy with three points and now we look forward to the next game. The Champions League is hard and this is a tough place to come.”
Elsewhere in Group F: What sounds like a thriller between Hoffenheim and Lyon has ended in a draw. Joelinton scored a late equaliser for Hoffenheim in a six-goal white-knuckle ride that ended all square.
Full time: Shakhtar 0-3 Man City
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeep! The 612 hardy Manchester City fans who made the journey to Kharkiv have been rewarded with an emphatic win for their team. David Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Bernardo Silva got the goals that were enough to secure the points against a Shkhtar side that threatened occasionally but were ultimately outclassed.
90+4 min: Rakitsky takes the free-kick and Ederson fumbles but gathers the follow-up in a crowded penalty area. It’s all over!!!
90+4 min: Nicolas Otamendi is booked for a late, late foul on Moraes that was completely unnecessary. Free-kick for Shakhtar, a yard or two outside the City penalty area.
90+2 min: Ismaily shoots wide from a tight angle.
90+1 min: We’re into the knockings. Raheem Sterling hits the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the Shakhtar penalty area after being teed up by a deft Mahrez touch. Mahrez has been hugely impressive tonight, I must say. Man of the match for my money.
89 min: Foden shoots wide from a narrow angle moments after coming off the bench.
87 min: Manchester City substitution: Phil “The Future” Foden on for Gabriel Jesus. Sergey Kryvtsov gets booked for a foul on Raheem Sterling.
84 min: Mesmerising play from Sterling, who intercepts a pass on the left flank, cuts inside to the penalty area and then jinks and shimmies his way past one ... two ... three Shakhtar players. He shapes to shoot, but just runs out of room. And You Will Know Him By The Trail Of Defenders
84 min: Fernando volleys a decent Bolbat cross wide when scoring looked easier. He was fractionally offside, so it wouldn’t have counted if he had beaten Ederson.
82 min: Here’s some games they played earlier ...
80 min: Man City substitution: Kyle Walker on, John Stones off. The full-back takes to the field after getting a lengthy tactical tutorial, complete with accompanying indecipherable (to me at least ... and possibly Walker too, if the look of confusion on his face is anything to go by) hand-signals form his manager.
77 min: Laporte is fit to continue and, as predicted, Manchester City’s third has rather taken the wind out of Shakhtar’s sails. Bernardo Silva’s strike has taken the sting out of the game and the current pace of the game suggests both sides will be happy enough to play down the clock without further ado.
74 min: Ederson gallops out of his penalty area to deal with a through ball but his effort to control it with his chest is atrocious. The ball breaks towards Laporte, who tries to clear but goes down in a heap under a challenge, prompting Ederson to gallop further forward to hook clear. Laporte gives his goalkeeper a dirty look while awaiting treatment and the Brazilian has the good grace to look sheepish upon returning to his penalty area.
73 min: Meanwhile in Group F’s other encounter, Lyon have re-taken the lead against Hoffenheim. They lead by the odd goal of five in Germany.
GOAL! Shakhtar 0-3 Man City (B Silva 69)
What an introduction! City break on the counter and a brilliant run from Gabriel Jesus pulls a defender out of the way as Bernardo Silva charges through the middle. He arrows a low drive from 20 yards into the bottom left-hand corner, seconds after coming off the bench.
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68 min: Manchester City substitution: Kevin De Bruyne makes way for Bernardo Silva. Shakhtar substitution: Serhiy Bolbat on for Wellington Nem.
65 min: With 25 minutes to go, another City goal would finish this game as a contest but until such time as they score it, Shakhtar continue to give their all. They’re looking dangerous from set-pieces and on the break and if they could pull one back it would make for a fascinating denouement.
64 min: Alan Patrick is straight into the thick of the action, taking possession on the corner of the City penalty area in a pocket of space and trying to curl a shot into the top right-hand corner. He fails to connect properly and sends his effort high and wide. Elsewhere in Group F, it’s now Hoffenheim 2-2 Lyon.
63 min: Shakhtar win another corner, but Rakitskiy’s delivery is cleared by Fernandinho.
61 min: Shakhtar substitution: Viktor Kovalenko off, arguably the world’s most Irish sounding Brazilian: Alan Patrick, on.
61 min: Mykola Matviyenko sends in a fine cross from the right touchline. Junior Moraes gets across his man to head, but sends his effort wide of the upright. That was a decent chance - City need to concentrate here.
59 min: Fernandinho picks out Gabriel Jesus on the left flank with a cross-field pass. He cuts inside and unleashes a low drive which he pulls a few feet wide of the upright.
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57 min: Riyad Mahrez controls a dropping ball and hits the side-netting from eight or nine yards after a David Silva cross from the left is flicked towards the far post by Gabriel Jesus. Close, but no cigar.
56 min: Shakhtar win a free-kick in line with the right side of the Manchester City penalty area. Yaroslave Rakitsky whips the ball into the box, aiming for Junior Moraes. Manchester City clear.
54 min: Raheem Sterling is played in behind the Shakhtar defence, but a poor touch proves his undoing and the ball is taken off his toe by a defender.
54 min: Meanwhile in Germany, Hoffenheim have gone 2-1 up against Lyon in tonight’s other Group F fixture. Andrej Kramarij with a brace there for the German side.
51 min: Ederson is forced into action, parrying an Ismaily strike clear after the ball had broken kindly for the Shakhtar left-back. Shakhtar are being dominated, of that there’s no doubt, but they are threatening occasionally and if they could force a goal, it would make for an interesting second half.
49 min: Great covering interception from Ismaily just as it looked like David Silva was about to score his second of the night. Jesus squared the ball for him towards the end of a quick Man City counter-attack and he struck a low diagonal effort towards the far corner. Ismaily slid in to block.
47 min: There are no changes in personnel on either side, in case you’re pondering. David Silva concedes a free-kick in the Shakhtar penalty area after catching a defender with an accidental elbow.
Second half: Shakhtar 0-2 Man City
46 min: Shakhtar get the second half party started with City just a goal away from retiring to the chill-out room to recline on bean-bags.
Half-time: Shakhtar 0-2 Man City
Peep! Get the kettle on! After dominating throughout, Manchester City lead courtesy of goals from David Silva and Aymeric Laporte. Missing their two best players, Shakhtar held out for half an hour until City managed to break through the portcullis. The hosts have, however, looked dangerous on the break and from set pieces. I can’t see them rescuing anything from this game, but City can’t afford any kind of complacency.
45+1 min: Stones blocks an attempted cross from Fernando after Manchester City’s Fernandinho had carelessly lost possession in midfield.
45 min: John Stones is penalised for a shove on Ismaily a yard or two outside the Shakhtar penalty area.
43 min: With two defenders in front of him, Gabriel Jesus curls the ball over the bar from just outside the Shakhtar penalty area when he had better options to his left and right in Silva and Mahrez.
40 min: Shakhtar appeal for a penalty after Viktor Kovalenko goes down in the City box, but are forced to settle for a corner. Rakitskiy swings the ball in from the right and Shakhtar right-back Mykola Matviyeko flashes a header wide of the far post. I thought that was in, but he put it the wrong side of the upright. He should have scored.
38 min: More good news for City, as Hoffenheim equalise against Lyon in Germany. As things stand, Manchester City will top Group F tonight.
36 min: After riding their luck for 30 minutes, it’s all going horribly Pete Tong for Shakhtar, who one suspects could capitulate and come out on the wrong end of an awful hiding altogether.
GOAL! Shakhtar 0-2 Man City (Laporte 35)
City double their lead. Unmarked at a corner, Laporte does the honours with a header from about 10 yards out.
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34 min: Benjamin Mendy gallops down the inside left and unleashes a rasping, rising drive that forces a decent save out of Pyatov.
32 min: Elsewhere in Group F: Hoffenheim trail Lyon 1-0 at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
GOAL! Shakhtar 0-1 Man City (Silva 30)
I did say it was coming: Indecision in the Shakhtar defence. The ball rolls towards Sterling on the left and he plays it back across the edge of the area. Jesus shoots and his effort loops up in the air. With his eyes glued to it, Silva lashes the dropping ball past Pyatov and into the bottom corner.
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27 min: Shakhtar win another corner from which nothing comes, but with a little over quarter of the game gone, City are in complete control of this game. Mahrez picks out Silva with a sensational cross and jumping to meet it, David Silva shins a volley past Pyatov and onto the upright. That Shakhtar goal is leading an exceedingly charmed life at the moment.
24 min: Another City cross from the left gives Mahrez a chance to atone for his miss moments previously. He fails to do so, beating Pyatov the goalkeeper, only to see his low 14-yard drive blocked by Rakitskiy.
23 min: Otamendi hoofs the ball into Row Z after some fast, intricate build-up play from Shakhtar. The home side have a corner. Yaroslav Rakitskiy’s outswinger results in an impromptu game of pinball in the City box before Laporte clears. Within a milli-second, City are on a lightning fast four-on-one counter-attack.
Sterling picks out Mahrez, who tries to steer the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. He succeeds only in rolling the ball wide of the far upright.
20 min: Sterling picks out Jesus with a looping cross from the left ... again towards the near post. The angle is too tight and the City striker is unable to get his shot on target.
19 min: Ismaily is passed fit to continue and duly does so, appealing for a corner after a John Stones block. He doesn’t get one and reacts furiously and perhaps with a little justification.
17 min: An injury doubt before this game, Shakhtar left-back Ismaily goes down injured after shipping a knee in the back from John Stones.
15 min: No goals so far, but City are completely dominating proceedings. Aymeric Laporte concedes a free-kick with a barge on Taras Stepanenko, providing Shakhtar with a litte more much-needed respite.
13 min: Shakhtar enjoy a rare spell of uninterrupted possession, alleviating the pressure somewhat. Fernandinho puts a stop to that with an interception and plays the ball to David Silva, who picks out Gabriel Jesus with a sublime reverse pass between defenders. He dilly-dallies over his shot, eventually making life easy for Shaktar goalkeeepr Pyatov, who is quickly out to block.
10 min: Sustained pressure from City, who are whipping cross after cross after cross from the left flank towards the near post. Shakhtar’s defence is rocking ... and I don’t mean in a Status Quo way.
9 min: Raheem Sterling’s cross from the left is put out for a corner by Shakhtar central defender Kryvstov. City take it short and De Bruyne whips a cross in, forcing Pyatov to concede another.
7 min: A Shakhtar attack set up by a powerful run through midfield by Wellington Nem comes to naught thanks to some diligent defending from Benjamin Mendy.
5 min: There’s some scrappy play in the middle third as the game takes time to settle. Sterling gets on the ball out on the left touchline again. After running down a blind alley, he turns and plays a 40-yard cross-field pass to Mahrez, who tees up Kevin De Bruyne for a cross that’s deflected into the arms of Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.
3 min: Benjamin Mendy gets down the inside left and smashes a low cross into the penalty area. With his back to goal, David Silva manages to control it before hooking over the bar.
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2 min: Shakhtar right-back Mykola Matviyenko makes an early block as Raheem Sterling runs at him down the left flank. It looks like Sterling will be playing on the left wing, with Riyad Mahrez taking up position on the right.
Shakhtar Donetsk v Man City is go ...
1 min: Manchester City get the ball rolling in a game that could prove crucial to their chances of progressing from this group.
Kit-watch: Shakhtar line up wearing orange and navy striped shirts, navy shorts and navy socks. Manchester City wear the colours with which they are traditionally associated.
Not long now: The teams march up the stairs from the bowels of the Metalist Kharkiv Stadium and make their way out on to the pitch before lining up either side of the team of Spanish match officials. The Champions League anthem blares out over the PA – kick-off is just a couple of minutes away ...
Deja vu all over again: It’s now over four years since Shakhtar last placed in their own stadium, the Donbass Arena, due to the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk.
The OSK Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, where they currently play their home games is almost 500km from their training base in Kyiv. Here, for anyone who is interested, is a bit I wrote about their situation before they travelled to play Manchester City in last season’s Champions League.
A huge double-blow for Shakhtar: On Uefa’s website, Shakhtar reporter Bogdan Buga has likened the loss of Marlos and Taison to “Barcelona losing Messi and then another Messi”.
Pep Guardiola speaks: “Different competition,” he says in a pre-match chat with BT Sport. “It’s a higher level [than the Premier League] ... the best players are in this competition. They are league champions and have talented players. Every game is so important after what happened against Lyon. We won away, but we need points away to solve our problems in games at home.”
On the inclusion of De Bruyne: It’s important to involve him in the team as much as possible.
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Shakhtar v Man City line-ups ...
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Matviyenko, Kryvtsov, Rakitskiy, Ismaily, Wellington Nem, Stepanenko, Maycon, Fernando, Kovalenko, Junior Moraes.
Subs: Shevchenko, Butko, Khocholava, Kayode, Dentinho, Alan Patrick, Bolbat.
Manchester City: Ederson, Stones, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy, Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez.
Subs: Muric, Walker, Kompany, Aguero, Sane, Bernardo Silva, Foden.
Referee: Carlos Del Cerro (Spain)
The teams are in ...
Kevin De Bruyne makes his first start for Manchester City since 12 August. Kyle Walker misses out, having sat out City’s win over Burnley with a groin strain.
For Shakhtar, Fernando and Wellington Nem replace the injured Taison and Marlos. Ismaily, despite injury concerns, starts at left-back for the home side.
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Early Man City team news ...
Kyle Walker is available for selection after missing Saturday’s demolition of Burnley, while Kevin De Bruyne could start after playing 30 minutes for City in that win. Danilo (ankle), Ilkay Gundogan (hamstring) and Fabian Delph (unspecified knock) did not travel with City’s squad.
Early Shakhtar Donetsk team news ...
If Shakhtar are to beat Manchester City for the second year in a row, they will have to do so without two of their key Brazilians. Midfielders Taison and Marlos have both been ruled out of tonight’s match, with the former expected to be sidelined for around a month, while the former will miss at least two games. Left-back Ismaily, another Brazilian, could also miss out tonight.
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk v Man City
Manchester City go into their third game of this year’s Champions League campaign on the back of a rallying cry from Pep Guardiola for fans to get behind the team in a competition they have seemed weirdly unenthused by since becoming good (and rich) enough to play in it. ““We have to be pushed by everyone surrounding Manchester City that we have to win it – and we still don’t have that feeling from the fans,” said Pep in his post-match press conference in Kharkiv.
While he clearly has a point, he picked a strange time to make it. City fans who have made the four-hour journey from Manchester to Ukraine on a tuesday evening in October are unlikely to be going just for the hell of it and are likely to feel nonplussed at the sound of fan enthusiasm being called into question by their team’s manager when they’ve gone to all that effort and expense.
Anyway, we’ll find out how they get on from 8pm (BST), but stay tuned for team news and build-up in the meantime as the countdown to kick-off continues.
