Donetsk “Shakhtar” in the first match of the 1/8 finals of the Europa League defeated German “Wolfsburg” 2-1.

The wards of Luis Castro took the lead in the 17th minute - Junior Moraes transferred the opponent's goalkeeper with his head after an unsuccessful defender at the gate.

Before the hosts could come to their senses, after five minutes a penalty was awarded to their goal for playing with the hand of Maximilian Arnold. The chief arbiter pointed to the mark after watching the video replay. However, Viktor Kovalenko failed to beat the goalkeeper from the penalty spot.

Toward the close of the first half, a penalty was already awarded to the Donetsk gates - Nikolai Matvienko played with his hand after a rebound from a teammate and the judge, again, after watching the VAR system, indicated “the point”. The forward of “wolves” Wouter Vegorst approached the ball, but shot much higher than the goal.

“Wolfsburg” equalized at the very beginning of the second half of the duel - central defender John Brooks struck Andrei Pyatov with his head after a corner kick.

However, the last word was still for Shakhtar - Marcos Antonio finished off the ball into the net after 73 saves by the goalkeeper, who in an incredible way repelled a free-kick hit by Alan Patrick.

Thus, defeating the “Wolfsburg”, the team Kastru made an important step towards the quarterfinals. Note that this game was held without spectators because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The return match should take place on March 19 in Kharkov. However, due to the danger of coronavirus, a duel can take place in empty stands or even be postponed.