Shakhtar make winning start at new Champions League ‘home’
Fans of the Ukrainian champions turned up in their thousands at Stamford Bridge to support their team in a 3-1 comeback win over AEK Athens.
Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukrainian champions, welcomed their new Champions League home at Stamford Bridge in London by defeating AEK Athens 3-1 on Wednesday. The Ukrainian side, who were forced to leave their home ground Donbas Arena in Donetsk due to the pro-Russia separatists' control in 2014, played before a crowd of 29,000 fans, most of whom were Ukrainian expats.
Lovro Majer gave AEK Athens the lead in the 28th minute, but Pedrinho equalized with a penalty just six minutes later. Vinicius Tobias scored the winning goal for Shakhtar in the final minutes of the match, and substitute Gleiker Mendoza sealed the victory. The win earned Shakhtar four points after their opening game of the Champions League's league phase.
The club's chief executive, Sergei Palkin, emphasized the importance of playing at a top European stadium to keep the war-torn nation's struggles visible. Many of Shakhtar's young fans expressed their support for the team and their desire to help their countrymen during these difficult times.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- Shakhtar make winning start at new Champions League ‘home’ freemalaysiatoday.com
