Barcelona Is Defeated, Shakhtar Donetsk Opens Opportunity To Get To The Last 16

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is overshadowed by Shakhtar Donetsk players. Barca lost 1-0 in that match. (Twitter @FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - Barcelona suffered their first defeat in the Champions League. In the match in Group H at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Wednesday, November 8 early morning WIB, Barca had to admit Shakhtar Donetsk's 1-0 lead. Barca's move to the last 16 is delayed. Meanwhile, Shakhtar opened up opportunities for that round.

Barca, who fielded the best team in that match, actually experienced their first defeat at home to their opponents. A defeat that damaged Barca's winning record during the group stage.

More than that, the Blaugrana's progress to the knockout round was delayed. The defeat did not change Barca's position. With nine points, the Spanish La Liga giants are still at the top of Group H.

This result did not change Barca's chances. Ilkay Gundogan and team still need one more win from the remaining two matches to ensure they qualify for the last 16.

Meanwhile, Shakhtar also did not change its position. This team from Ukraine remains in third place with six points. However, they opened up the opportunity to compete for tickets to the next round.

In that match, Barca coach Xavi Hernandez did not field a core squad even though striker Robert Leandowski was the starter after recovering from injury. A number of young players such as Lamine Yamal and Fermin sat on the bench.

Meanwhile, Pedri and Alejandro Balde were not immediately deployed because they were just recovering from injuries. Both were introduced by Xavi in the second half.

Although there were changes to the composition of players, Barca still showed dominance over Shakhtar. They only had difficulty facing Shakhtar's neat defensive organization. As a result, Barca only took one kick on goal throughout the first half.

On the other hand, Shakhtar, who lost the ball, relied entirely on counter attacks. However, they can maximize this strategy and look aggressive when counter-attacking.

The result was not in vain when Danylo Sikan found the net against Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 40th minute.

Starting from Giorgi Gocholeishvili's cross on the right side of Barca's defense, Sikan managed to beat defender Andreas Christensen by jumping to head the ball.

Sikan's header flew fast without Ter Stegen being able to reach it. The score was 1-0 for Shakhtar and lasted until the end of the first half.

In the second half, Shakhtar actually showed their dominance in the early minutes. They were able to put pressure on Los Cules and had several opportunities to increase their lead.

It was recorded that Gocholeishvili managed to win the ball against defender Marcos Alonso. It's just that Ter Stegen could still save his shot.

Furthermore, the German national team goalkeeper made a brilliant save when he saved Sikat's close-range shot in the 52nd minute.

In fact, Shakhtar actually added a goal through midfielder Newerton. However, the goal was disallowed because he was in an offside position.

Barca, who failed to show maximum offensive play, made substitutions by bringing on Joao Felix and Yamal in the 60th minute. Even though the attacks from the champions, Barca became more lively.

However, they still failed to break through Dmytro Riznyk's goal. The score 1-0 for Shakhtar did not change until the end of the match.