In the 3rd round match of the UEFA Champions League main stage, Donetsk's Shakhtar suffered an away defeat against Milan's Inter at the San Siro stadium. The final score was 1:0 in favor of the hosts. A crucial detail of the result: the "Miners" kept their clean sheet while playing with equal squads and conceded the only goal only after being a man up following the red card shown to Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni. Thus, the Nerazzurri extended their unbeaten run against the Donetsk team.

First Half: Hosts' Pressure and Confident Riznyk

The first twenty minutes at the San Siro were extremely difficult for the Ukrainian team. According to a Sport RBC.UA report, this was due not only to the hosts but also to the "Miners" themselves, who sat deep in their own half and sometimes acted too nervously. It was during these minutes that the Nerazzurri had clear scoring opportunities, but Shakhtar goalkeeper Riznyk handled both shots on target. In the second half of the first half, the Donetsk side gained confidence: although they did not seize the initiative, the visitors created several chances near Martinez's goal — both Bondar's header and Ocheretko's shot came from corner kicks near Inter's goal. The teams went into halftime with a goalless score.

Key Episode: Bastoni's Red Card and Goal Down a Man

The second forty-five minutes saw the "Miners" start more confidently, controlling the ball more during the first ten to fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, the hosts created the first chances again, but Bony's shot was no trouble for Riznyk. The turning point occurred in the 68th minute: a corner kick near Shakhtar's goal turned into a series of clashes and ended with Bastoni being sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a rough challenge on Oleh Ocheretko. The irony of fate is that it was while playing a man down that Inter opened the scoring: substitute Mkhitaryan delivered a pinpoint pass to Carlos Augusto, who poked the ball past Riznyk.

Match Outcome and Context

This goal ultimately proved to be the only one of the match, although both the Nerazzurri and the "Miners" had their chances. The final whistle confirmed another victory for Inter, which, according to sources, has still never lost to the Donetsk team in head-to-head encounters. Shakhtar's starting lineup included Riznyk; Pedro Henrique, Matviienko, Bondar, Vinicius; Ocheretko, Mendoza, Marlon Gomes, Pedrinho, Alisson, Elias. In the 32nd minute, Nazaryna replaced Pedrinho; in the 72nd minute, Ocheretko (Isake), Mendoza (Newerton), and Elias (Traore) were substituted; and in the 83rd minute, Alisson was replaced by Bruninho. Previously, Donetsk head coach Arda Turan spoke in an interview about how the war is exhausting Shakhtar, adding special intensity to every tournament match.