Champions League campaign begins with 4-1 home defeat
Leipzig opened up on counter and concede four | Shved (16’, 76’), Mudryk (57’) and Traoré (85’) score for Shakhtar | Simakan scores first UCL goal (57’) | Abdou Diallo makes RBL debut
RB Leipzig suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening game of the UEFA Champions League. Marjan Shved scored in the 16th minute to give Donetsk the lead, before Mohamed Simakan equalised in the 58th minute. Shved scored again just seconds later, while Mykhaylo Mudryk (75’) and Lassina Traoré (85’) rounded off a night to forget for RBL.
Leipzig began the game well and had more possession from the opening minutes, but coudln@t find the answer to the visitors’ low block. Christopher Nkunku had a half chance to open the scoring in the 12th minute but saw his shot blocked. The visitors had the lead in the 16th minute when Marjan Shved rolled into the empty net from long range after a mistake from Péter Gulácsi against the run of play. After that, Shakhtar set up in an even more compact shape and didn’t allow Leipzig any space in the final third.
Leipzig put the pressure on out of half time and the beginning of the second half was promising. After several chances, the equaliser finally came when Dominik Szoboszlai slipped a pass through to Mohamed Simakan in the area, who finished with a powerful first-time shot (57’) Just moments later, however, the ball was in the back of the net at the other end. After some fantastic individual play by Mykhaylo Mudryk, Shved scored his second of the evening (59’). Leipzig continued to push for a second equaliser and had their best chances through headers from Willi Orban (71’) and Konrad Laimer (73’), but Shakhtar were again clinical on the counter attack and added two more goals to rub salt into the wounds for RBL. Mudryk first capped a fine performance with a goal of his own (76’) before setting up Lassina Traoré (85’) for the final goal of the night.
Statistics
RB LEIPZIG:
Gulácsi (C) - Simakan, Orban, Werner (70. Forsberg), Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Silva, Halstenberg (46' Raum) , Schlager (70' Henrichs), Laimer (82' Haidara), Diallo
SHAKHTAR DONETSK:
Trubin - Bondar, Stepanenko (C, 85' Kryvtsov), Sudakov, Shved (61' Petryak), Mudryk, Zubkov (70' Traoré), Bondarenko (62' Djurasek), Matviyenko, Taylor, Konoplia
REFEREE:
Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro (Braga, Portugal)
GOALS:
0-1 Shved (16'), 1-1 Simakan (57'), 1-2 Shved (58'), 1-3 Mudryk (75'), 1-4 Traoré (85')
YELLOW CARDS:
Simakan | Konoplya, Trubin, Mudryk, Jovicevic, Djurasek
ATTENDANCE:
41,591 | RB-Arena
First half highlights
Kick-off!
Let's go, RB Leipzig!
3rd minute:
The first promising sign form Domenico Tedesco’s side. Timo Werner attacks down the left and shoots but it goes over the bar.
7th minute:
The Red Bulls are starting to gain more control of the game with direct passes down the flanks.
11th minute:
Leipzig attack down the left again. Timo gets past his man and crosses but it’s deflected behind for the second RBL corner of the game.
12th minute:
Biggest chance so far! Down the left again. Halstenberg finds Werner, who cuts back to Nkunku, but Trubin saves for the visitors.
16th minute:
The visitors take the lead. A mistake by Gulácsi and Shved intercepts to score.
27th minute:
Christo attacks through the middle and finds Halstenberg, but his cross doesn’t find a man.
31st minute:
Shakhtar are sitting deep after taking the lead and making it hard for Leipzig to find and spaces in the final third.
Half time:
The visitors take a one-goal lead into the break. Leipzig started the game well but Shakhtar retreated into a very compact shape after taking the lead and RBL have not been able to find the answers.
Second half highlights
46th minute:
The second half is underway. David Raum is on for Marcel Halstenberg.
47th minute:
Leipzig come out determined from the break. Szoboszlai and Christo look to link up down the right but a Shakhtar defender gets in between.
50th minute:
Szoboszlai cuts in from the right but doesn’t connect properly with his left foot and it’s off target.
53rd minute:
A good opportunity for the equliser with a free kick around 25 metres out, but Szoboszlai sends it just over the bar.
57th minute:
Equaliser! A good move ends with Szoboszlai finding Simakan breaking into the area. He hits it first time into the back of the net!
59th minute:
Shakhtar reply instantly. Some good work from Mudryk sees Shved get his second of the night via a deflection.
63rd minute:
Having regained the lead, Shakhtar have once again retreated and lurk on the counter.
70th minute:
Szoboszlai hits a corner into the area but Willi Orban heads just over.
71st minute:
Benjamin Henrichs and Emil Forsberg are on for Xaver Schlager and Timo Werner.
76th minute:
Leipzig with possession in the final third and a long-range shot hits Silva and bounces in favour of the visitors, who break and play directly on the counter. The ball ends up with Mudryk, who puts it in the bottom corner.
78th minute:
RBL continue to give it everything. Konrad Laimer heads goalward but its off target.
83rd minute:
Another change: Amadou Haidara comes on for Konrad Laimer.
86th minute:
Traoré scores from close range, turning in Mudryk’s low cross.
Full time:
A bad start to the Champions League campaign – RBL lose 4-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk.