Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 AEK Athens: result and report

Report

## Shakhtar Donetsk: behind, level, then ahead late

Shakhtar Donetsk won 3-1 after falling behind. Still, the scoreline makes the game look far more one-sided than it was.

AEK Athens went ahead on 28 minutes when Lovro Majer scored from Stavros Pilios's assist. The lead lasted only six minutes, because Pedrinho levelled from the penalty spot on 34 minutes.

The game then stayed at 1-1 until the last ten minutes. Vinícius Tobias put Shakhtar Donetsk ahead on 80 minutes from Alisson's pass. Gleiker Mendoza made it 3-1 on 86 minutes, set up by Isaque. Mendoza and Isaque had both come off the bench, so the goal that settled it came from the substitutes.

AEK Athens: chances made, chances missed

The chance numbers point to a much closer match than 3-1. Expected goals were almost level, 1.33 to 1.26 in Shakhtar Donetsk's favour, while AEK Athens created five big chances to two. AEK Athens missed four of them, and that gap in finishing decided the game more than any difference in creation.

AEK Athens also had more shots, eight to seven, and more key passes, 11 to eight. Each side hit the woodwork once, so neither can claim to be the only one denied by the frame.

That does not make the win simply luck. Shakhtar Donetsk put four shots on target to three and edged the xG, while their pressure was slightly higher on average across the match. AEK Athens produced the strongest single spell of pressure, however, which fits a side that created clear openings without turning them into goals.

Vinícius Tobias was named player of the match, though his goal stands out more for its timing than for any wider dominance. It broke a long stalemate and forced AEK Athens to chase the game.