The miners will fight for the playoff zone
Midfielder Shakhtar Taras Stepanenko summed up the confrontation with Celtic (1:1) in the 5th round of the Champions League group stage. The Ukrainian midfielder is pleased with the chances of his team to continue the fight for the playoffs of the Champions League.
“This match was tough for both us and Celtic. The opponent played well in attack and pressure, it was very difficult for us. But we waited for our chance and scored a goal. We also had the opportunity to score the second goal, but that’s football.”
“We have achieved a good result, now we will have a European spring, because we will at least continue our way in the Europa League. We continue to play like this.”
“We had the opportunity to score a second goal, but Celtic also had an opportunity or two, so a draw is a good result and better for us. A team like this deserves to keep going.”
“At the beginning of the group stage, no one thought we could play like this. We deserve this [выход в плей-офф] result, and we have the opportunity to continue playing in the Champions League. We have already played well against Leipzig away and now we can do the same at home. We played well against Real Madrid and eventually saw the goal. Either way, there will be a fight. We have a young, strong team, and we will go to victory.”
Shakhtar are in third place in Group F with six points. Igor Jovićević’s team has already guaranteed a European Cup spring.
In the last round of the Champions League, Shakhtar will play against Leipzig, while Celtic will play against Real Madrid. To qualify for the playoffs of the Champions League, the Pitmen need to beat the German club.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
