Donetsk Shakhtar overcame capital-based Obolon in a hard-fought encounter in the opening match of the 11th round of the Ukrainian Premier League. The fixture, held at a stadium in Lviv, ended in a confident 2-0 victory for the Donetsk side. Both goals were scored by Brazilian midfielder Alisson, who came on as a substitute and single-handedly decided the outcome of the match. The game served as yet another confirmation that Arda Turan's side is capable of finding solutions even against a deeply defending opponent.
Kyiv's Deep Defense and Miners' Pressure
The match began with Shakhtar's expected pressure, as they sought to quickly find open spaces in Obolon's dense defensive lines. From the opening minutes, the Kyiv side dropped into a deep block, forcing Donetsk to look for unconventional attacking solutions. Already in the 16th minute, the Miners could have opened the scoring: Lassina Traoré, following a pass from Isaky, reached a shooting position and hit the crossbar. Obolon tried to respond with counter-attacks, but it did not come down to real threats on Riznyk's goal.
Sukhanov's Injury and a Scoreless First Half
Late in the first half, the visitors suffered a personnel blow: Oleksandr Sukhanov had to leave the pitch on a stretcher due to an injury, replaced by Denys Ustymenko. Despite their numerical and tactical advantage, Shakhtar failed to break through the Kyiv defense before the halftime whistle. The teams went into the break scoreless, leaving the Donetsk squad to break down the opponent's game in the second half.
Alisson's Masterpieces: Two Goals in 14 Minutes
After the interval, the game pattern remained unchanged: Shakhtar continued to press, and in the 71st minute, the Donetsk team's efforts paid off. Following a corner kick from the right flank, Neverton passed the ball to the newly substituted Alisson. The Brazilian curled the ball from the right corner of the penalty area into the far corner, sending it straight into the net — 1-0. Then in the 85th minute, the same Alisson brilliantly cut inside from the right flank and unleashed a magnificent long-range strike into the bottom right corner of the goal, sealing his brace and effectively putting the game to bed — 2-0.
Riznyk's Super Save and Three Points for Donetsk
The Kyiv side tried to respond in the dying minutes, and in the 90th minute, Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk pulled off a sensational save, tipping Ihor Medynskyi's dangerous long-range shot over the crossbar. This episode marked the final point in the match: a confident victory brought the Miners well-deserved three points in the championship. For Obolon, the defeat continued a run of setbacks, while Shakhtar strengthened their position in the UPL standings by picking up points in the opening match of the 11th round.
