Shakhtar Donetsk kept their Champions League hopes alive with a crucial 2-0 victory over debutants Brest on Wednesday, thanks to Heorhiy Sudakov’s audacious Panenka penalty.
Shakhtar, on the brink of elimination with a potential loss, showed resilience. Sudakov displayed composure and confidence in the 37th minute with his slowly executed spot-kick, doubling an earlier lead created by Brazilian midfielder Kevin’s impressive solo effort in the 18th minute.
Brest, in their remarkable inaugural Champions League campaign, had already secured a top-24 spot in the revamped 36-team format, guaranteeing advancement to the knockout rounds.
Sitting 11th with 13 points, the French side still has a chance to qualify directly for the round of 16 with a top-eight finish, but they face a daunting challenge against defending champions Real Madrid next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar’s win takes them to seven points from seven games, just one point shy of Manchester City, who occupy 24th place ahead of several games later in the day.
Among these fixtures is a showdown between 26th-place Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, two underperforming giants seeking redemption.
Liverpool and Barcelona are the only teams so far to have guaranteed their places in the round of 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will progress to the knockout playoff round in February, with the draw for the two-leg ties scheduled for January 31.
