Borja Mayoral bagged a brace in Kiev to send Roma through to the Europa League quarter-final, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate.
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Borja Mayoral bagged a brace in Kiev to send Roma through to the Europa League quarter-final, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate.
Follow all the action as it happens from this game and Milan-Manchester United on the LIVEBLOG.
The Giallorossi had a 3-0 first leg lead to protect, but couldn’t take anything for granted against a side that beat Real Madrid and finished above Inter in their Champions League group earlier this season. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jordan Veretout, Chris Smalling and Nicolò Zaniolo didn’t make the trip, while Taras Stepanenko, Maksym Malyshev and COVID case Viktor Kornienko missed out for the hosts. It was a return home for ex-Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca, even though the game was played behind closed doors, a decision made only last night.
Borja Mayoral blasted over after running onto a long Bryan Cristante pass, while Alan Patrick saw one shot deflected off Gonzalo Villar and another smothered by Pau Lopez.
Junior Moraes turned a towering header inches wide, then Anatolii Trubin sprinted outside his area to clear one-on-one with Mayoral, who had sprung the offside trap on an Amadou Diawara pass.
Roger Ibanez looked shaky after a clash of heads with teammate Marash Kumbulla and came off at half-time.
The Giallorossi took the lead with Rick Karsdorp burst down the right, pulled it back across the six-yard box, Kryvstsov made a desperate interception, but that just knocked it up for Borja Mayoral’s header.
It really should’ve been 2-0 moments later when Pedro was sent clear, but he incredibly scuffed the finish wide from 12 yards with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Carles Perez was almost as bad a few minutes after that, turning past the far post from even closer at the end of a well-worked move, while Trubin did well to parry a Mayoral header.
Karsdorp was booked for a pointless lunge on Tete and will be suspended for the first leg of the quarter-final.
Shakhtar Donetsk pulled one back when Alan Patrick nodded on Tete’s cross at the back post, finding Junior Moraes to slide in unmarked at the other stick.
Yevhen Konoplyanka came off the bench and immediately forced a save from Pau Lopez, but Mayoral and Roma added a second away goal.
It was a well-worked all-Spanish move, Carles Perez running onto the Pedro through ball, drawing the goalkeeper out and rolling across for Mayoral to tap in from six yards.
It still wasn’t over, as Pau Lopez had to be at full stretch to fingertip the Marlos scorcher round the post, while Trubin rushed off his line to close down Perez.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 Roma (1-5 agg)
Mayoral 48, 72 (R), Moraes 59 (S)
Shakhtar Donetsk: Trubin; Dodo (Bolbat 82), Vitao, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko; Alan Patrick (Konoplyanka 60), Marcos Antonio, Maycon; Tete (Marlos 60), Junior Moraes (Dentinho 77), Solomon (Sudakov 77)
Roma: Pau Lopez; Ibanez (Mancini 46), Cristante, Kumbulla; Karsdorp (Peres 59), Diawara (Pellegrini 59), Villar, Spinazzola (Calafiori 59); Carles Perez, Pedro (El Shaarawy 75); Mayoral
Ref: Lahoz (ESP)