Shakhtar went to the European Cup spring
Two matches took place at the start of the match. And there was enough tension either way.
Ukraine’s Shakhtar needed to beat Antwerp to qualify for the European Cup this spring. The Belgian club is completely desperate in this Champions League, but this has spoiled the nerves of the Pitmen. Shakhtar achieved their goal by winning with a score of 1:0, but the result was not clear until the end. The victory of the Ukrainians was brought by Nikolai Matvienko’s precise goal in the 12th minute.
“Antwerp” lost its chances of going somewhere and suffered a fifth defeat. The total score is 3h15.
Shakhtar will now contest their playoff ticket in the match against Porto. The Portuguese club was about to spoil Barcelona’s mood. Their match ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of the Catalans, and Porto took the lead thanks to a goal from the timeless Pepe.
But the main character was João Cancelo. Not only did he score, but he also helped Joao Felix score.
Barcelona have already qualified for the next round with 12 points. Shakhtar and Porto have 9 points each, and additional indicators are on the side of the Portuguese. In other words, the Pitmen will only be satisfied with a victory in the final match in Portugal.
There is a first survivor in the group of the dead
The main events took place in group F, which was not for nothing called the “group of death”. Surprisingly, the first playoff ticket of this quartet was snatched earlier than expected by the Borussia Dortmund players. The German club confidently beat Milan with a score of 3:1 and scored 10 points. Borussia will definitely not fall below second place from now on.
Milan could have hoped for more. On his debut, Olivier Giroud failed to score from the penalty spot, and the visitors scored their chance from the spot thanks to the ever-present Marco Reus. Borussia were inferior in terms of xG (1.48 – 2.19), but the Germans’ execution was deadly.
Milan, even after its defeat, maintains its chances of reaching the playoffs. But now the Italians are clearly outsiders.
In a parallel match, Newcastle almost eliminated PSG. The English scored at the Parc des Princes in the 24th minute, Alexander Isak scored. After that, the French club stormed the opponent’s goal, made 31 shots on goal, but was able to score only in the added 8th minute, and even then on a controversial penalty. Kylian Mbappé was the savior. However, there is no need to talk about injustice here: Newcastle looked completely passive after the goal.
The Parisians take second place in the group of death with 7 points. Milan and Newcastle have 5 points each. In the final round, PSG will face Borussia and Milan and Newcastle will meet in England. In the draw for a ticket for the Champions League and Europa League playoffs.
Manchester City’s perfect season
Manchester City and RB Leipzig were battling it out for top spot in the group at the Etihad. The Germans forced the hosts to give everything. Even in the first half, Lois Openda surprised the English twice, causing a sensation.
But after the break, Pep Guardiola’s team was firing on all cylinders. The comeback was started by Erling Haaland. Then Phil Foden and Julián Alvarez scored. A fifth consecutive victory ensured City top place in the group. RB Leipzig also qualified for the playoffs with 9 points.
Young Boys have a ticket for the Europa League. The Swiss defeated Red Star in a head-to-head match, thus securing the European Cup spring.
The two playoff participants were also determined in Group E. Atlético beat Feyenoord with a score of 3:1. In turn, Lazio played with Celtic for quite a long time in Rome, but in the last 10 minutes Ciro Immobile scored a double, giving the Romans three such important points.
Feyenoord will also continue to play in European competitions, but will be content with just the Europa League. Celtic with 1 point will focus on domestic competitions.
Anton Mozgovoy, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
