Shakhtar top Gunners' group
442 Staff - Wednesday 08 December 2010, 23:04
DONETSK - Shakhtar Donetsk
completed a fine campaign as Group H winners after a 2-0 win
over Braga on Wednesday sent the Ukraine side into the Champions
League last 16 for the first time.
Second-half goals by Razvan Rat and Luiz Adriano secured
victory and ended Braga's hopes of also progressing.
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Rat struck after 78 minutes at the Donbass Arena and Adriano
sealed Shakhtar's fifth win from six group games with a second
goal five minutes later.
Shakhtar finished with 15 points, three more than Arsenal
who join them in the last 16. Braga take a Europa League place.
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Chances were few for both sides in an uneventful first half.
Adriano fired wastefully over after 34 minutes and Luis
Aguiar blasted wide for Braga after Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy
Pyatov pushed away a cross from the right flank.
But after the break, Shakhtar began to stamp their authority
in midfield forcing Braga into several fouls and reducing the
Portuguese side into trying speculative long-range shots.
Rat broke the deadlock when he gained possession on the edge
of the penalty area after a pass from Darijo Srna and rifled the
ball past Braga keeper Artur.
The Romanian then turned creator for the second, crossing
for an unmarked Adriano to tap in.