Shakhtar beat Roma to reach last eight
Reuters - Tuesday 08 March 2011, 23:23
DONETSK - Shakhtar Donetsk
reached the Champions League Quarter-Finals for the first time
when they humbled AS Roma 3-0 to complete a crushing 6-2
aggregate win on Tuesday.
Roma had gone into the match in buoyant mood under new
manager Vincenzo Montella but the game was virtually over when,
trailing 1-0, they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time
when Philippe Mexes was sent off for a second yellow card.
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The Italians were already ruing a missed chance after
striker Marco Borriello fluffed a 28th-minute penalty.
The win made Shakhtar the first Ukrainian side to get to the
Champions League last eight since Dynamo Kiev who reached the
semi-finals in 1999.
"We played much better than they did. Of course, 11 against
10 is easier. They were nervous and made a lot of mistakes and
we knew how to control the situation," said Shakhtar coach
Mircea Lucescu.
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Czech midfielder Tomas Hubschman set Shakhtar, five-times
Ukrainian champions, on the way to victory with a neat back
flick from a cross by Willian in the 18th minute after the
Italians had dominated in early play.
WEAK PENALTY
The 22-year-old Brazilian scored himself after the break.
Dario Srna's corner was only half cleared and Willian curled the
ball into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Striker Eduardo scored the third in the 87th minute to
complete the rout by the side owned by Ukraine's richest man,
magnate Rinat Akhmetov.
Borriello, the most dangerous man on the pitch for much of
the game, had looked full of confidence as he ran up to take the
first-half spot-kick but he struck the ball weakly and Shakhtar
goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov bundled it round the post.
British referee Howard Webb had no hesitation giving Mexes,
Roma's central defender, a second yellow card for a clumsy foul
on Luiz Adriano, reducing Roma to 10 men for the second half.
Montella said Roma would learn from the defeat. "We have to
develop the ideas and the pace that I saw in the first 30
minutes of the game.
"I tried to keep up the competitive spirit of the team
despite the nervous atmosphere after Mexes was sent off. We will
analyse our mistakes and move forward."
The coach said he would keep faith with Borriello. "Though
he missed a penalty Borriello will stay at Roma, I count on
him."