Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Real Madrid: 5 talking points as Shakhtar's double sends Los Blancos to the brink of elimination | Champions League 2020-21
After their reverse against Alaves at home, Real Madrid suffered their second defeat in three days when Shakhtar Donetsk completed the double over Los Blancos with a 2-0 win over the reigning La Liga champions in a 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 fixture.
Two brilliant counter-attacking second-half goals from substitutes Dentinho and Manor Solomon helped the Ukrainian side secure a historic double over Zinedine Zidane's men despite having fewer chances and less possession in the game .
Los Blancos started the game the right way and hit the post in the fifth minute when Marco Asensio could not find the target from just a few yards out after being set up beautifully by Karim Benzema. The hosts responded almost immediately as Taison's shot at the opposite end was just inches away from the target.
Shakhtar faced an early scare when Raphael Varane caught Junior Moraes near the kick-off line in what looked like a rough collision, but the striker was back on his feet after a lengthy break. He had to be eventually taken off in the 24th minute, though.
Asensio was denied yet again from a similar position, this time by a brilliant reflex save from Anatoliy Trubin. The hosts offered very little threat going forward in the first half and only forced Thibaut Courtois to make a single save.
The deadlock was broken in the 57th minute. But it was Shakhtar who did so against the run of play, thanks to a brilliant counter-attacking play resulted in Real Madrid committing too many players forward for a corner.
Substitute Dentinho made the most of miscommunication in the Real Madrid rearguard and fired the ball past an incoming Courtois. After scoring the goal, the hosts bided their time and waited for another opening to catch the visitors on the counter.
They were not made to wait for too long, as Solomon scored a stunning solo goal after finding himself in a 4v2 situation to seal the game.
The result means that Real Madrid are on the cusp of a group-stage elimination. If Shakhtar match Madrid's result on Matchday 6, the 13-time champions will be ousted from the competition.
On that note, we take a look at the five major talking points from the game:
#5 Early substitution throws a monkey wrench into Shakhtar's plans
Shakhtar Donetsk lost their veteran striker Junior Moraes to an injury in the first half after a collision with Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane left him motionless on the ground for a couple of minutes.
Despite his desire to continue, Shakhtar head coach Luis Castro felt it wise to take him off. The loss of their veteran striker clearly had an impact on Shakhtar's game-plan because after his departure, the hosts only recorded one shot on goal in the first half,
The 33-year-old Moraes was in fine form ahead of the game, as he scored against Dynamo Kyiv last month. However, Shakhtar scored twice in the second half against Real Madrid to seal a memorable win.
#4 Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk contrive to produce a dull first-half
The first 45 minutes of the game saw Real Madrid gradually assume ascendancy over the hosts in terms of possession, recording five shots on target but lacked the quality in the final third.
The game got off to a great start, as both sides came close to breaking the deadlock in the first seven minutes of the game. Asensio's shot deflected off the post while Taison's effort flew just high over the Real Madrid crossbar.
However, as the game progressed, Shakhtar looked happy to sit back and defend, attacking only on the counter courtesy the pace of their wide players - Taison and Tete - which made the game very monotonous and predictable.
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