1 – 0
Barcelona vs Shakhtar
Barca seemed to have a bit of a slow start, finding their footing around 15 minutes into the game. It was during this time that Shakhtar really pushed their offense and made a lot of attempts. You can see the holes in Barca defense which Shakhtar tried to exploit. With the absence of Carles Puyol and Abidal, Barca really needs to step up their defense as it seems like they will be facing Real Madrid in the semis (and in the domestic matches). A team like Real will really capitalize on their weak defense.
Leo Messi scored the only goal of the match during the later part of the 1st half. It was an amazing show of ball control and dribbling skills. The commentator said of the goal, “The little man re-writes the record books, yet again.” Can you believe he’s only 23?!
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| no, this isn't the "jersey-grabbing" shot.. can't find it yet, well see if I can get the vid photo from Getty Image |
I guess Shakhtar must have felt that Messi was just too dangerous that they had to literally hold onto him to slow him down. Ischencko, was seen clearly grabbing Messi’s jersey during the 2nd half. And a couple of minutes later, another Shakhtar defender (wasn’t able to clearly see who), grabbed on to Messi’s jersey when he dispossessed the ball from goalie, Andrey Pyativ. I know this is normal in football but it the grabbing was caught clearly on camera. Ischencko held on so tight, Messi couldn't run forward anymore. I'll try to find a vid of it if I can.
On an unrelated note, this guy’s kinda cute, hihi J He has that Elijah Wood-look going on.
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| Yaroslav Rakitskiy |
Another unrelated note, Swapping Jersey Watch: saw Messi holding Willian’s jersey after the match. Messi must, like, swap jerseys every game. Lucky Willan, got the "record-breaking" Messi jersey.
Final Aggregate Score:
Barcelona: 6
Shakhtar: 1
Here are numbers:
Shakhtar Donetsk | Barcelona | |
0 | Goals scored | 1 |
5 | Attempts on target | 6 |
5 | Attempts off target | 8 |
5 | Corners | 4 |
23' 52'' | Possession (time) | 37' 45'' |
38 | Possession (%) | 62 |
22 | Fouls committed | 17 |
2 | Yellow cards | 1 |
0 | Red cards | 0 |
Goals:
43rd minute – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Yellow Cards:
Henrik Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar)
Mykola Ishchenko (Shakhtar)
Gabrial Militio (Barcelona)
Read 1st Leg Match Preview Here
Read 1st Leg Match Recap Here
Read 2nd Leg Match Preview Here
Great articles on the match here: