Shakhtar reached the playoff stage of qualifying for the Champions League
The former Donetsk football club successfully passed the third round of qualifying on the way to the group stage of the prestigious football tournament - the Champions League.
Let us remind you that in the last season of the UPL, unlike several previous years, the Pitmen were able to take only second place, losing first place in the table to Dynamo Kyiv. Therefore, on the way to the Champions League, the silver medalist had to go through several stages of qualification with knockout matches.
As experts from the site with forecasts noted VseProSport, in both meetings forecasters and bookmakers gave the Ukrainian club the status of favorite. And although the favorite status was not unconditional, the Mountaineers coped with their task perfectly, winning both matches with a minimal advantage.
Let us remind you that in Belgium, in the first match, Shakhtar won a strong-willed victory, scoring two goals and conceding one. Despite the fact that the hosts from the Belgian club were the first to open the scoring, the “moles” managed to restore parity by scoring a penalty, and then snatch victory from “Genk” on its own field.
The return match took place in Kyiv at the Olimpiysky Stadium. This time Shakhtar looked more confident, although the guests also had plenty of sharp moments. Just look at the performance of Onuachu, who managed to test the strength of the crossbar of the Pitmen's goal. However, it was Shakhtar who managed to open the scoring, increasing their lead in the second half of the second half. The guests managed to score a goal towards the end of the game, but in fact this goal had no effect on anything.
As a result - 4:2 based on the results of two meetings and it is the Ukrainian club that goes to the fourth round of qualification.
Perhaps the difference in level had an effect, or maybe Genk could not find the strength in itself after a not very successful start to the national championship and a series of losses. Shakhtar started the UPL games more confidently, and they didn’t expect anything other than a victory over their Belgian counterpart from the Orange-and-Blacks. Therefore, our fans were predictably satisfied with the team’s result, but the Pitmen’s fans still tickled their nerves at times.
The fourth round, also known as the playoff round, should be the last for the Donetsk club before the group stage. As a rival, the Ukrainians got the powerful Monaco, a club, frankly speaking, a level higher than the Belgian Genk. With him, Shakhtar will really have to fight to qualify for the group, and it is far from certain that the Ukrainian club will be the bookmakers’ favorite.
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