Barcelona faced a tough challenge on Tuesday as they went head-to-head with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, but it was a disappointing night for the Spanish champions. Danylo Sikan’s header in the 40th minute secured a 1-0 victory for Shakhtar, leaving Barcelona unable to seal early qualification to the knockout stages.
Barcelona’s coach, Xavi Hernandez, did not mince his words after the match, “It’s one of our worst matches that I recall in recent years. We are not going through a good moment, we have to recognize that. It’s a mental thing. But we still depend on our own results and we can qualify at home against Porto in the next round.”
Despite dominating Group H, Barcelona couldn’t capitalize on this chance to secure their progress early. Shakhtar held their ground from the beginning and managed to shut down Barcelona’s attack, leaving them with just one shot on target throughout the game.
Shakhtar’s lead came just before half-time, with Giorgi Gocholeishvili’s precise cross setting up Danylo Sikan’s crucial header. Barcelona attempted to bounce back with substitutions, but their efforts were in vain.
Although Shakhtar’s Brazilian winger Newerton had a late goal disallowed for offside, the Ukrainian champions celebrated their hard-fought victory.
Barcelona now has Porto waiting in their next Champions League match on November 28, and the pressure is mounting on them to redeem themselves. Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu added, “It’s a tough loss. We wanted to come here and secure our qualification but it wasn’t possible. We have to try to rebound as quickly as we can.”