The new season of UEFA Champions League officially kicked off this week, and we are already seeing some big upsets in the opening games. Arguably the biggest one took place on Wednesday night when Shakhtar Donetsk stunned La Liga champs Real Madrid and claimed an unlikely 2-3 away win.
Real entered the game as an overwhelming favorite and adopted an attacking mindset early on. Shakhtar, on the other hand, focused on defense and waited for their chances from counterattacks.
The sit and wait strategy proved successful for the Ukrainian club, as they managed to get the lead in the 29th minute. Viktor Korniyenko delivered an impressive breakthrough on the left side, entering the penalty box and flicking the ball to Tete. The Brazilian midfielder found himself alone in front of the goal and didn’t have a hard time putting the ball behind Thibaut Courtois.
Spanish club didn’t even have the time to recover from shock, and Shakhtar already added two more before the clock ran out to signal the end of the first half. Raphael Varane scored an own goal in the 33rd minute while Manor Solomon added another in the 42nd.
Real Madrid returned to the field, looking like a completely different team. This quickly reflected on the scoreboard, as Real cut into Shakhtar’s lead in the 54th minute thanks to a goal by midfielder Luka Modric. Vinicius Junior, coming off the bench, added another just five minutes later, and it looked like Los Blancos are on their way to deliver an impressive comeback.
Shakhtar, however, wasn’t about to let the win slip through their hands. They stopped the bleeding after conceding two quick goals, regrouped, and continued with impressive defense.
Real tried to force Shakhtar’s mistake by dominating the possession but ultimately fell short. They will now have to go back to the drawing board and rethink their strategy if they want to advance in a tough group that also has Inter Milan and Borussia Monchengladbach.
