Arda Turan secured his first UEFA Champions League victory as a head coach, leading Shakhtar Donetsk to a 3-1 win over Greek side AEK at Stamford Bridge, as reported by Hürriyet.
Stamford Bridge Opener Tests Shakhtar Defense
Playing at Stamford Bridge in London, AEK pressed early with vocal support from their travelling supporters. Just three minutes into the match, Lovro Majer delivered a corner from the left flank, finding Harold Moukoudi whose header struck the yan direk, bouncing away from the goal, according to ahaber.com.tr.
Shakhtar responded by testing AEK goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli from distance. Alisson Santana fired a shot from outside the penalty area in the 9th minute, forcing Brignoli to tip the ball over the crossbar for a corner kick, cumhuriyet.com.tr reported.
Lovro Majer Breaks the Deadlock for AEK
The visiting Greek side broke the scoreless deadlock before the half-hour mark. Following a turnover by Vinicius Tobias, Stavros Pilios drove down the left wing and delivered a low cross into the penalty box. Lovro Majer met the pass cleanly in the 28th minute, driving a low shot past the Shakhtar defense to put AEK ahead 1-0, as detailed by ahaber.com.tr.
🇹🇷🧠 Shakhtar Donetsk manager Arda Turan explains what he learned from Diego Simeone, Fatih Terim and Luis Enrique! ❤️ "From Diego Simeone, I learned about the defensive details of the game. That could be the angles of double teams, when two players are going to defend one, or… pic.twitter.com/ZKlTHu7q7Z”
Shakhtar’s response arrived quickly. In the 32nd minute, Filipe Relvas brought down Alisson Santana inside the area. Following a VAR review, referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the penalty spot, cumhuriyet.com.tr noted.
Pedrinho stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 34th minute. He sent Brignoli and the ball in opposite directions, equalizing the score at 1-1, according to Hürriyet.
Vinicius Tobias and Gleiker Mendoza Seal the Victory
Both teams traded dangerous attacks through the second half before Shakhtar claimed the lead in the 80th minute. Alisson picked out Vinicius Tobias on the right side, and the defender struck from a tight angle. Brignoli managed to get a boot to the ball, but it deflected into the net to make it 2-1, as reported by ahaber.com.tr.
Shakhtar put the match out of reach in the 86th minute. Gleiker Mendoza drove into the penalty area from the left wing and curled a shot into the top right corner, setting the final score at 3-1, cumhuriyet.com.tr confirmed.
The victory lifts Shakhtar Donetsk to four points in the group stage after two matches, while AEK remains on three points, having seen their three-match European clean-sheet run come to an end, according to Hürriyet.
Arda Turan Repeats History at Stamford Bridge
The venue carries notable personal history for Arda Turan. Exactly 12 years prior, Turan helped Atletico Madrid secure a 3-1 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League semi-finals—after a 0-0 draw in the first leg—scoring Atletico’s third goal in the 72nd minute to reach the final, ahaber.com.tr recalled.
Now managing Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe’s premier club competition, Turan earned his maiden managerial win in the tournament at the exact same stadium. In his first Champions League match on the touchline, his Shakhtar side drew 1-1 away against PSV, according to cumhuriyet.com.tr.
Keep reading
