It was not the game of the spotlights, but it turned out to be flashy, fun, and important for the Ukrainian wrestlers, who were able to dedicate a joy to their battered country.
Royal Antwerp and Shakhtar signed a vibrant game, which the locals were winning but the visitors turned around with a very entertaining 2-3 result in Group H of the Champions League.
At 2 minutes in, Muja hooked and finished inside the penalty area to open the scoring, and at 33 with another through ball, the number ten, Balikwsha, resolved in front of the goalkeeper. It seemed like just another day at the office. But how that panorama would change...
At 48, the Ukrainian team came out furious and everything happened in the box: Sudakov hit the post, the ball left the box and from the left came a crossing shot that the goalkeeper saved with his body, then Sikany's header was cleared off the line by the number 1, but the same attacker scored the discount goal with the rebound. It was about to enter... no doubt.
But then the goalkeeper, who was a figure, gave away the advantage: instead of letting the ball go out for a corner kick, he swatted it into his own box and set up Sikan, who scored the brace and the 2-2.
And it seemed like Royal Antwerp was no longer in the game, as they didn't even come close to the opponent's field, an advantage that Rakitskyi took advantage of in the 71st minute to make it 2-3 in the end.
To top it off, in the 90+5th minute, it seemed that the salvation of the locals would come with a penalty, that is, a handball in the box, which was the hope for the tie, a fortune given how the match was going. And the captain took a horrible penalty kick! He missed the chance to score and the match ended immediately, a very emotional, contested, and Champions-like match.