Champions League | Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: Spot-kick save rescues a point

Bologna begin their Champions League adventure with a fairly disappointing home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, as Lukasz Skorupski saved an early Georgiy Sudakov penalty.

The Rossoblu were in Europe for the first time since the 2002 Intertoto Cup Final, while their only previous European Cup experience was in 1964. Vincenzo Italiano was still looking for his first win at the club after three draws and a defeat, with Lewis Ferguson, Nicolò Cambiaghi and Oussama El Azzouzi injured.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

The game was played under torrential rain at the Stadio Dall’Ara and that did not help Stefan Posch, who bundled into the back of Eguinaldo as they ran onto a long ball over the top in the second minute. However, Lukasz Skorupski stayed strong and saved the Georgiy Sudakov penalty to keep the scores level.

Bologna fought back, Santiago Castro’s diving header deflected wide and nobody on the end of the Dan Ndoye pull-back, while Danylo Sikan was in the wrong place at the wrong time to get an elbow in the face after a Skorupski clearance, which looked as if it broke his nose.

Jhon Lucumi had an effort charged down on a corner, but Shakhtar were unlucky to also lose Yukhym Konoplia to a hip injury, forcing their second substitution of the first half.

The hosts had a huge chance to take the lead in first half stoppages, when Ndoye’s slide-rule pass released birthday boy Castro, but Riznyk rushed off his line and made himself big for the crucial save.

The Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper was decisive again on 52 minutes when Nikola Moro flicked on a ball over the top, as Giovanni Fabbian let it bounce and saw the strike parried from point-blank range by Riznyk.

Ndoye robbed Vinicius Tobias for a curler charged down and Castro’s follow-up was deflected onto the side-netting, but the Rossoblu’s finishing let them down.

In stoppages, Dallinga’s glancing header on a Samuel Iling-Junior cross was deflected just wide and Ndoye’s effort from the following Bologna corner smothered.