Shakhtar Donetsk - Barcelona, summary: Sikan, score, goals & highlights | Champions League

That's all, folks!

Thanks for joining the live blog for Shakhtar 1-0 Barcelona!

Head over to AS USA where I'll be frantically finding all possible post-match content after that stunning win from Shakhtar over FC Barcelona!

Joe

How things look in Group H:

This is how the group looks after those three points gained by Shakhtar: Barcelona are still top but a win from Porto would see the Portuguese side take the lead in the group.

While there's not much danger as of yet for the Catalans in terms of not making the next round, I'm sure Xavi will have stern words after yet another disappointing performance.

Here's how Opta saw the game:

The boffins in white coats have already whizzed up a fab graphic for you to enjoy.

The move that led up to Shakhtar's goal:

I told you it was a beauty!

Post-game stats:

Shakhtar-Barcelona

xG: 0.82 - 0.93

Shots: 9 - 13

Shotsontarget: 4 - 1

Possession: 32% - 68%

Bigchances: 4 - 1

Clearances: 40 - 5

(Sofascore)

Oriol Romeu post-game:

It's tough for us now and we have to find solutions. It was a difficult game, we didn't do enough. They attacked well and their plan worked.

We didn't want this and we need to pick ourselves up quickly. We needed to change the dynamic and do more on the pitch. Every defeat is a warning and we need to do more to correct things quickly.

FULL TIME!!!

WHAT A WIN FOR SHAKHTAR DONETSK AGAINST BARCELONA!!!!

Barcelona maybe have time for one last attack...

We're over the added time...

Riznyk collects an aimless cross from Félix. 

I've just seen the replay and it Félix was certainly outside the box, so good call, Mr Referee. Must watch more of the Bosnian league if they're all like this.

That looked like a penalty on first viewing, I must say...

JOÃO FÉLIX GOES DOWN AND THE REFEREE SAYS NO

Xavi is stood like a Terra Cotta warrior on the sideline. Motionless. 

João Félix thinks he should have a penalty after a supposed handball by a defender...  nothing given.

The ball hit the player's arm, but it came off his leg first, which doesn't count.

Boos from the crowd as Barcelona push Shakhtar back into a defensive line of seven. 

Barcelona attack and the ball falls inside the box to Gundogan, who can't find his balance and poke a shot away. Shakhtar survive and counter with Kelsy, who does well to charge forward and run down the clock.

SEVEN added minutes!

Balde slips a pass square into the box towards Félix but Shakhtar crowd around the attacker and smother any potential shot.

Into the final minute of normal time... can Barcelona find a breakthrough?

Wow, what could have been. Newerton got in behind the Barcelona defence and took the ball inside from the left, skipping onto his right foot before cracking an effort past Ter Stegen and into the far corner of the goal.
The replay shows he was indeed just offside.

The referee's assistant has the flag raised and the goal will not count!

OFFSIDE!!!!

NEWERTON

Lamine Yamal has been a bright spark for the away side but this time the ball takes a bobble and falls away from his feet, allowing Shakhtar to recover and lump up the pitch.

Five to go... 

Gundogan tries the same pass he used to unlock Real Sociedad's defence at the weekend, a far-post chip. Riznyk flies out and punches away.

Replays show that Lamine Yamal's handball shout will fall on deaf ears: the defender had his arm behind his back.

Lamine Yamal thinks a Shakhtar player handled the ball inside the box. For now, the referee has said no.

Barcelona want a penalty!

Fermín ON

Gavi OFF

Lamine Yamal skips onto his left foot and hits a hopeful cross/shot that Riznyk is grateful of.

Into the final 10 minutes.

Fermín is preparing to come on.

Zubkov's pass is slightly too close to Araújo as Shakhtar break and play outside on the right before coming back in towards the box. Another scare for Xavi's side who have to keep their cool as wen go into the final 10 minutes.

Kryskiv collects Pedri's attempt at a through ball to Lamine Yamal but the pressure is immediately on him and Barcelona recover before winning a corner thanks to nice work from João Félix.

It's a back line of 6 for the home side as Riznyk comes flying out to collect a cross from the right side. The clock ticks down.

Shakhtar haven't been able to keep hold of the ball as they did in the first half, with their time in possession being cut short by Barcelona.

But the Catalans themselves are struggling to create crystal clear chances thanks to the solid defending from the home side, who haven't lost concentration for a single second so far.

Lamine Yamal dances past a challenge on the right and plays square to Gundogan, who sees his chipped pass cleared away from goal. Barcelona are pushing...

Nazaryna ON

Stepanenko OFF

We're underway and for now Shakhtar have 10 players on the pitch.

20 minutes to go!

João Félix's cross is cleared by the defence as Stepanenko goes to ground. He can't continue any longer.

In an immediate counter attack, Newerton bursts down the right and smashes the ball into the side netting. Barcelona race up the other end of the pitch and win a corner after João Félix sees his shot deflected wide.

NEWERTON GOES CLOSE

The ball is played towards the back post from the left and Lamine Yamal heads just wide!

LAMINE YAMAL GOES CLOSE

Hearts just feel out of trouser legs there as Balde somehow manages to keep the ball that is hoofed over the top once again by the home side. Zubkov was chasing him down and almost caused the young left-back into what would have been a catastrophic error.

Balde gives away a free kick near the corner flag after a handball. Shakhtar will whip this in towards goal.

Back underway.

We've got a stoppage as two Shakhtar players are injured following a clash of shoulders.

Kelsy ON

Sikan OFF

Chance for Barça!

Félix misses the ball as it drops to him inside the box and Lewandowski can't make contact either!

Sikan can't continue after that challenge from Christensen and he'll be off shortly...

Watch the game with FuboTV

Well, that's what you call rolling the dice!

João Félix, Pedri, Lamine Yamal & Balde ON

Oriol Romeu, Ferran, Raphinha & Marcos Alonso OFF

Well, well, well, well, FOUR changes coming up for Barça...

Barcelona are cut open once again as Zubkov plays a simply through ball behind the defenders and into Kryskiv, who shoots from a tight angle at Ter Stegen from just a few yards away from goal.

TER STEGEN SAVES BARCELONA AGAIN

Lewandowski can't get his head on Oriol's sly chip over Shakhtar's defence and he watches it land in the hands of Riznyk.

Barcelona make a few entries into the Shakhtar box but do so without convincing and the home side are comfortably cleaning up everything that comes their way.

Back underway. Sikan is back on his feet and OK to continue.

Sikan is still down and the replay shows Christensen was all over him, grabbing him round the neck before landing on top of him. The defender certainly got away with one there.

Raphinha goes for the first time shot from a Ferran pass on the edge of the box. It is skewed well wide.

Sikan goes down in Barcelona's half after it looked like Christensen grabbed hold of him as the two challenged for the ball. Mr Referee says no.

Disastrous defending from Barcelona, who don't handle a simple long ball over the top, leaving it for Giorgi G to race in behind and whack a thunderbolt of a shot right into Ter Stegen's chest from a tight angle on the right side of goal.

TER STEGEN HUGE SAVE

The first shot of the half comes from Ferran, who tries his luck from distance after cutting in from the left.

The home side come racing out to attack before Christensen makes a well-timed intervention...

The ball is launched up towards Lewandowski but Shakhtar crowd him out after a nice touch down from the forward.

And we're off!

No changes for either side as Shakhtar get us going.

The players are back out for the second half!

Here's the score from the other early kick-off

A goal from Füllkrug means both home teams have a slim advantage over their opponents at half-time in the UCL.

Sikan is the man of the moment!

I've just seen the header again and the movement from Sikan to peel away from Christensen is superb, but the contact he makes with the dropping ball as he falls back is perfect. 

The ball feels like it takes an age to rebound off his forehead and loop over Ter Stegen into the net, but that makes the effort all the more satisfyingtowatch.

Don't think we need an English translation of this tweet...

Shakhtar have been excellent during the moments in which they have attacked, and Barcelona are constantly seeing balls in behind causing their defenders problems, especially in the space where Cancelo and Alonso should be.

Half-time thoughts:

It's serious faces all round from the away side who fire off into the dressing room after a sluggish first half from them, or at least one in which. their energy levels haven't been up to those of Shakhtar.

The home side have been superb and their game plan has worked to perfection: they have defended in a solid and organised way and chosen their moments to attack to perfection. 

The goal also shows they can play too: Sudakov's pass to the right side where Giorgi was waiting was the play of the game, and the header was a superb effort that looped over the long arm of Barça's German giant in goal.

Shakhtar's passing has been stunning at times, with movements and link up play constructed seemingly by telepathy as Barcelona huff and puff around halfway.

The away side have a lot of thinking to do at half time if they are to get things back on track and secure qualification to the next round.

Half-time!

What a half of football! 

Barcelona have it all to do in the second half.

Araújo is booked for a late challenge after a poor touch saw the ball run loose from his feet.

Gundogan goes on a fantastic run through the middle as he takes the steering wheel and tries to change the pace of his side. The legs come swinging in and eventually he's fouled on halfway.

2 added minutes.

Newerton is played in behind and crosses to Sikan, who is on his own, but the winger is pulled back for offside. Barça are rattled and don't look comfortable at all.

Riznyk collects Marcos Alonso's deflected cross and Shakhtar are bubbling with confidence right now...

We're back underway and the stadium is bouncing!

It's stunning!!!

Sudakov plays a ludicrous cross field ball to Giorgi G with the outside of his boot after a move of 20-something passes at the back.

The sprayed ball finds the right back in Barcelona's half and he sends a looping cross towards Sikan, who makes contact with the ball as he falls back and heads over the huge leap of Ter Stegen. A delightful goal!

SHK-FCB shooting statistics:

Shots: 3-2

Shots on target: 1-0

Just over 5 minutes to go in the first half.

The away side have certainly stepped up a gear over the past 5 minutes. Raphinha, who is back and looking OK, misses a header by inches as the ball zips over his fresh trim.

Raphinha is down now after kicking Kryskiv's foot...

Barcelona, despite not creating chances, have moved their block up 10 yards and look a little more positive.

Cancelo dances inside the Shakhtar box but play is stopped after Newerton goes down. The midfielder had launched himself over Raphinha and landed on his back. He looks OK to carry on.

Gavi's cross is cleared by Rakitskyi as Barcelona get down the right thanks to a nice move from Raphinha. So far, however, they're finding it tough to get right into the depths of Shakhtar's defensive block.

Ronald Araújo is on neighbourhood watch and sweeps up the long ball that is hoofed precisely into the path of Matviyenko, who had raced behind into the space left by Cancelo.

I think I'd be slower on a bike that Araújo is with his football boots on.

It's a fantastic atmosphere inside the ground as goalkeeper Riznyk pulls off another hilariously entertaining bit of skill inside his own box to skip past a challenge. The guy has some nerve. 

More, please!

Matviyenko heads Gundogan's cross away towards Newerton on the left who takes a huge touch forward before being poleaxed by Oriol on halfway as his side counter.

The home side do play some delicious football: this time it's Sikan who fails to get on the end of a ball whizzed across the Barça goal from Zubkov after nice work to break through the Catalan press.

Marino Pusic, unlike in the last game, is begging his players to play long passes in behind the Barcelona back line in a complete reversal of what we saw last time out, when Shakhtar didn't play a pass longer than 5 yards all game. Horses for courses.

Gundogan's ball through the Shakhtar line was delightful and Robert Lewandowski went down after looking like he was touched by the goalkeeper, but the referee was correct as the replay shows that no contact was made.

NOT GIVEN!

LEWANDOWSKI DOWN IN THE BOX... PENALTY??

Barça are calming things down after that flurry of orange and black chances with some controlled possession...

Well, Shakhtar are certainly keeping up the impression of being a brave team who are not afraid to try different things to solve problems on the pitch. They've certainly had the better of the chances, with Matviyenko's effort the pick of the bunch.

Eek. Zubkov almost gets in behind the away side's back line as Barcelona look nervous. Ter Stegen clears.

The play was delightful in its simplicity: the ball was hoofed over the top of the defensive line and it landed behind Cancelo at the feet of Matviyenko, who waited until the ball bounced to fire a thunderous volley at the imperious Ter Stegen in the Barcelona goal!

BARCELONA SURVIVE

HUGE SAVE FROM TER STEGEN

Christensen gets down superbly well to slide in and smash the ball out of play.

It was Newerton who was played in behind Barça's high defensive line which caused the fans around the stadium to get onto their feet.

Meanwhile, both managers on the touchline are furiously waving their arms in a competition to see who can be the first to take off into the air.

Barcelona are sitting with the ball about 45/50 yards from the Shakhtar goal, with the home side happy to shuffle their block laterally as the Catalans swipe from side to side. 

They eventually make it forward but the clearance is easily made by Matviyenko after Marcos Alonso swings in a weak cross.

Barcelona's first shot of the night comes from IlkayGundogan, who shimmies on the edge of the box to create half a yard of room on his right foot before smashing an effort high and wide.

Shakhtar make strides forward again and it's Gundogan this time who has to step in to retrieve the ball from inside his own box. As Xavi said before kick-off, thehome team are certainly not scared to play.

A couple of blocked shots from Shakhtar end with a Barcelona counter attack that's eventually snuffed out by a million orange and black shirts.

Back underway and it's the home side who decide to attack. They play a couple of nice through ball in the midfield, breaking Barça's lines before forcing Ronald Araújo to stab the ball behind for a corner.

He's back up and it looks like he can carry on.

The goalkeeper is stilldownand receivingtreatment. Looks like his knee clashed with Robert Lewandowski's.

Robert Lewandowski is penalised for a foul on Riznyk, the Shakhtar goalkeeper, after the stopper tried a ludicrous piece of skill just a few yards off his line.

As you might imagine, it's all Barcelona in the opening stages as they probe around halfway, looking for a path to take to get in behind Shakhtar's defensive unit, which is solid and oragnised.

Robert Lewandowski gets into the box after a mistake from Giorgi G, who in the end does well to recover as the Pole shapes for the shot.

Cancelo gets the first cheer of the night after some nice footwork in his own half. Shakhtar are pressing Barcelona's back line but then dropping furiously into a defensive block once the Catalans get into midfield.

And we're off!

It's Barcelona who get us underway from left to right in Germany.

Some of the Shakhtar players were even singing along to the Chaaaaampiioons song, which I fully approve of. More of that please.

We've got around 50,000 fans inside the stadium tonight, and pre-game they're all holding up a Germany/Ukraine flag mixture mosaic, which is lovely.

We're ready to go!!!

All 22 players are in the tunnel waiting for the green light from the referee.

Robert Lewandowski and Marcos Alonso are locked in tactics talks before they step onto the pitch. Well, I assume that's what they're talking about, could be anything, really.

A final reminder of the teams:

Welcome, welcome, if you've just joined us. If you have, make sure you get here earlier next time for all the pre-game fun and laughter.

SHK: Riznyk; Gocholeishvili, Rakitskyi, Bondar, Matviyenko; Stepanenko; Newerton, Kryskiv, Sudakov, Zubkov; Sikan

FCB: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araújo, Christensen, Alonso; Romeu, Gundogan, Gavi; Ferran, Lewandowski, Raphinha

All ready in the dressing rooms

Both teams have finished their warmups and have made their way down the tunnel for the final team talks ahead of kick-off!

Fifteen minutes to go!

Last weekend's match winner said after his Real Sociedad goal that he "wanted to score more". Let's see if he gets his name on the scoresheet tonight against, but his first objective is surely to keep them out of Ter Stegen's net, as Shakhtar are the only side to have scored against Barcelona so far in the Champions League this season!

Barcelona can qualify with a win

It was the first thing Xavi said in his pre-game interview: "we want to qualify for the next round". 

Last year's failure in Europe is clearly at the front of the boss' mind tonight as he knows that three more points would see Barcelona make it into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

However, the Barça coach also recognised that "Shakhtar have nothing to lose", hinting that the away side won't have it all their own way in Hamburg.

Xavi pre-KO interview:

We want to qualify for the next round and feel good. This is always the objective but even more so in the UCL. We want revenge for last year, when we were pretty much out. Today it will be tough, they are a good side with nothing to lose.

We have a clear way to attack, we are always offensive. We have made changes but the team will be recognisable and hopefully we play well.

The pitch is not great. It lifts up after a few minutes playing on it but it's the same for them, they are an offensive team and it will be difficult for both of us.

We've got just over half an hour to go!

The Barcelona players have just this second stepped out onto the pitch and the large number of Barça fans have broken out into a huge cheer for their team.

Here's a reminder of the starting XIs:

SHK: Riznyk; Gocholeishvili, Rakitskyi, Bondar, Matviyenko; Stepanenko; Newerton, Kryskiv, Sudakov, Zubkov; Sikan

FCB: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araújo, Christensen, Alonso; Romeu, Gundogan, Gavi; Ferran, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Just checking out the pitch...

The pitch at the Hamburg stadium is perhaps not what you'd call a bowling green. I'm sure Xavi will have something to say about it ahead of kick-off...

Where is Pedri?

The Canarian midfielder still isn't deemed fit enough to start a game for Barcelona, but I would imagine that we will see the little wizard at some point during the game in order for him to get game time and play his way back to full match fitness.

Pedri missed 71 days with an injury and made his return last week in Barcelona's narrow win over Real Sociedad, in which Pedri came on as a second-half substitute.

Serious faces (except Xavi) on Barça's arrival

The Catalan coach has the biggest smile in the room as Barcelona arrive at the venue for tonight's game!

Have your say!

Nip over to the socials and check out the live poll we've got going on, where you can have your say on who will take home the three points in this intriguing Group H clash!

Dare to give a score prediction?

Or just simply say hello @English_AS & @j4brennan 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Shakhtar vs Barcelona: times, how to watch on TV, stream online | Champions League

Here’s how you can watch the game tonight if you fancy it as well as following along with the live blog. Why not stick them side by side and watch the goals go in as you scroll through the live match feed?

That’s a great idea, maybe get something nice to eat while you’re at it.

All the information you need to know on how to watch the Ukrainian side take on the Catalan giants at Volksparkstadion, Hamburg.

No João for Barça tonight:

Notably, it's the first time João Félix hasn't made the starting XI since he signed for Barcelona.

He made the move to Cataluña after failing to find a home at Atlético Madrid and Chelsea.

But he's been a revelation in Xavi's side and a true creative outlet for a side that has been plagued with injuries in the early part of the season. 

Xavi mixes up Barça XI:

TerStegen retains his place in goal behind a defence of Cancelo, Araújo, Christensen and Marcos Alonso.

Romeu, Gundogan and Gavi make up the midfield with Raphinha, Lewandowski and Ferran up top.

Shakhtar XI revealed:

Three changes from the Shakhtar side that faced Barcelona in the away leg, with Gocholeishvili, Newerton and Rakitskyi all coming into Marino Pasic's XI.

Yukhym Konoplia, midfielders Artem Bondarenko and Oleh Ocheretko, as well as striker Lassina Traore are all out.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Who is Irfan Peljto, the referee for Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona in the Champions League 2023/24?

Mr Referee tonight will be a familiar face for those of you who are Bosnian Premier League super fans.

Yes, it's IrfanPeljto!

The 39-year-old has never overseen neither Shakhtar Donetsk or FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, as he's normally found patrolling games in his domestic division.

Barcelona pre-game press conference highlights:

Where do Shakhtar play their home games?

As you may have noticed, Shakhtar aren't able to play to their games at home and are using Hamburg's Volksparkstadion tonight.

They haven’t played any matches at their home stadium, Donbas Arena in Donetsk, since 2014 and since May 2020, they have played domestic home matches at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in the Ukrainian capital.

However, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Shakhtar have had to play their European games on foreign soil and are using second division Hamburg's Volksparkstadion this season.

Here's the full story...

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk, summary: Fermín, score, goals & highlights | Champions League 2023/24

What happened last time...

Barcelona 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

The previous game in Cataluña was a strange one, if I’m honest, and it only served to make me even less capable of drawing a concrete conclusion of whether or not I think Barcelona are a good side. 

They battered Shakhtar for a good 60 minutes of the game, with little Fermín López running around like a Super Saiyan from Dragonball Z.

He smashed one in during the first half before getting the assist shortly after, but Barcelona allowed their standards to slip and fully allowed Shakhtar back into the game, even conceding a goal and looking likely to allow an equaliser past them in the dying minutes. 

They’re the typical James Bond villain, always pointing the super-mega death ray at the secret agent, but never delivering the final blow to finish him when they have the chance.

Barcelona to wear their white kit

The Catalans will be in their white kit for tonight's game. It's got nothing to do with their eternal rivals, and was actually a colour used during the 1970s with Johan Cruyff.

As well as the surprising colour choice, the most outstanding feature on the shirt is the badge, which is the version of the crest used between 1975 and 2002, instead of the current one.

How things look in Group H:

We’re halfway through the group stage now with every team having faced each other and right now it’s Barcelona who sit top of the pops with a 100% record (5-0 against Antwerp, 1-0 in Porto and then 2-1 versus Shakhtar).

They’ve got a 3-point lead over Porto in second (who will still be annoyed they lost to them at home) but things are looking good for Barça who need a win to guarantee they go through to the next round of the tournament.

As for their opponents, Shakhtar are in third place with three points and given that Porto, barring a slip-up to Royal Antwerp, will be on 9 points by the time the week is over, they could really do with a result tonight.

Team news: Shakhtar Donetsk

Yukhym Konoplia is suspended for the game tonight after being a naughty boy and picking up too many yellow cards, while midfielders Artem Bondarenko and Oleh Ocheretko and striker Lassina Traore are all out. 

Team news: Barcelona

Christmas has come for Xavi in early November as he can finally welcome back a bumper pack of first-team players to his squad after injury had previously kept them out while the winter night crept in. 

Pedri is set to return to the team tonight after over 70 days without being seen in a Barça shirt, as are Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. 

The one starting player who is still missing is Frenkie De Jong, who can’t quite shake off a physical issue, but apart from that it’s full steam ahead for the Catalans who can finally afford to rotate. 

Sergi Roberto is also out with a niggling muscle injury.

The Chaaaaaaampioooooonssssss!

Hello and welcome back everyone to the delightful Group H, where Barcelona play Shakhtar Donetsk in Hamburg.

It’s Joe here with the match coverage of yet another fascinating tie in Europe’s elite club tournament.