There was no favor from Antwerp in Hamburg. Shakhtar Donetsk did not fail and won, even if it was only by the slightest in Hamburg, to reach the last round with a chance to qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League. The Ukrainians now have to visit Porto in Do Dragão.
Matviyenko’s solitary early goal forced Barcelona to beat Porto, as it happened, thus sealing their ticket to the next phase. It was the 12th minute when the central defender headed a lateral free kick into the net that Zubkov scored.
Shakhtar could have had a more comfortable victory because Stepanenko, the Ukrainian captain, hit the crossbar with a left-footed shot from outside the area in the second half.
For its part, the Belgian team has not yet managed to score points in the five rounds of the group stage. In the three away games, Van Bommel’s team has not even scored. On matchday six they will not have a chance to continue in the Europa League.
