Shakhtar fall just short against Sporting Lisbon on another surreal night for west London football
Champions League Matchday 4
Shakthar Donetsk (0) 0
Sporting Lisbon (0) 1 Doumbia 59
Sometimes football's significance is hard to quantify - or qualify. A game between a Ukrainian team and a Portuguese team played in a neutral London venue at a weird kick-off time of 5.45pm makes so little sense.
Then again, in a week where the Ukrainian champions had to endure another bulletin from back home detailing Russian slaughter of innocent civilians and the football world in general was digesting the awful news of the death of Tenerife player Jesus de Miguel during a match, does anything make any sense?
Credit to Shakhtar for pushing through so many negative thoughts to give it their all against a team who gave Arsenal a scare in last season's Champions League - managing a 0-0 draw at the Emirates. In the end, the defensive nous they showed over two legs against the Gunners was in evidence again here. They were difficult to break down.
The orange and black against the famous green and white hoops of Sporting offered the splash of unfamiliar colours at the home of Chelsea, and Shakhtar are determined to leave a few traces of their presence during this season in exile when it comes to Champions League football.
Playing their second match of at least four, their fans and those from Iberia made plenty of noise to compensate for the fact a third of the seats were unoccupied. Donetsk's Turkish boss Arda Turan has enough voltage in his touchline acts of annoyance to power the stadium lights all by himself.
Neither side is expected to trouble the very best at the business end of this year's competition, but both have high hopes of at least advancing to the knockouts in the new year. After a win, a draw and a defeat in their opening three games - there was no disgrace in losing 1-0 at former winners Inter on matchday three - the Ukrainians will feel they are still very much in the mix.
They were aiming to build on a 3-1 win against AEK Athens in the first of their four group games here but had to accept a disappointing outcome. Sporting with two wins from three going into this one, and currently lying third in their Primeira Liga have every right to harbour positive ambitions of their own.
Winger Gleiker Mendoza - who score a cracker in that victory over Athens - was again prominent in attack for Shakhtar, who grew stronger as a scoreless first half wore on.
But they did not convert a couple of half chances and in a game crying out for a little extra quality in the final third it was no surprise that a scrappy goal came along to break the deadlock. A chip up into the box ran off a Shakhtar defender and Italian striker Issa Doumbia stabbed it past keeper Dmytro Riznyk.
The response was as spirited as you might have expected. Kaua Elias came close. Alisson Santana drifted in off a flank to fire into the side netting and there was a late flash across goal and a firm on-target header as the Chelsea tenants did their best to chisel a point out of the evening. But it was not to be.
Shakhtar: (4-1-4-1) Riznyk - Vinicious Tobias, Bondar, Matviyenko (Ferreira 90), Pedro Henrique - Nazaryna (Isaque 67) - Alisson Santana (Meirelles 90), Ocheretko, Marlon Gomes (Traore 83), Mendoza (Newertton 67) - Kaua Elias
Sporting: (4-3-3) Rui Silva - Eduardo Felicissimo, Eduardo Queresma, Inacio, Araujo (Blopa 88) - Doumbia (Simoes 88), Andersen, Segi Altimira - Catamo (Fresneda 83), Suarez, Ioannidis (Zalazar 70)
Attendance: 28,260
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