Bayern Munich Dominate Shakhtar Donetsk to Maintain Unbeaten Streak in UCL
Bayern Munich rallied from an early disadvantage to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 at the Veltins Arena in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) as the Bavarian titans extended their H2H unbeaten streak (W2, D1).
Bayern were not permitted to settle into the match before the hosts stunned them, as Oleksandr Zubkov delivered a brilliant through pass into the path of Kevin, who sprinted into the area and without delay slid the ball under Daniel Peretz to hand his team the advantage within five minutes. That surprising lead didn’t persist long, however, as a perilous ball into the Shakhtar box ricocheted among the feet of numerous players before Konrad Laimer drilled the ball past Dmytro Riznyk to equalize the scores.
In spite of the swift reply, Bayern struggled to build on that and dismantle the home side’s resolute defence, with Jamal Musiala testing his fortune with a fierce effort, but the attempt was deflected by a fearless Shakhtar defender. As HT neared, the visitors began to seize control of the contest, with Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka both seeing opportunities thwarted by Shakhtar players, as a second goal for the German side seemed unavoidable. That goal ultimately came on the cusp of HT, with Musiala elegantly maneuvering into the area and just as it appeared he might take the shot himself, he instead delivered the ball into the center of the box where Müller was stationed to blast it into the net, granting the visitor the advantage.
The late strike preceding HT didn’t appear to dampen the hosts’ morale, as Valerii Bondar nearly equalized, but a Bayern defender managed to intervene and prevent the ball from finding the net. Bayern assumed they had sealed the match with 25 minutes remaining when Musiala struck the net, but the effort was annulled for a foul in the area. That proved insignificant moments afterward when Alaa Ghram clipped Sacha Boey on the border of the area to send Michael Olise to the penalty spot, with the Frenchman drilling his effort into the top left corner to extend Bayern’s advantage. The visitor secured a fourth with mere minutes remaining, as a loose ball fell to Musiala, who confidently slotted it past Riznyk. Olise concluded the display with his second of the evening as the winger collected the ball and glided past several defenders before deceiving Riznyk and slotting the ball into an unguarded net.
Despite their valiant attempts, Shakhtar have now been defeated in four of their six encounters in the UCL, with the Ukrainians facing a steep challenge to clinch a play-off position as they languish in 26th. Meanwhile, Bayern will be pleased to achieve a crucial triumph on the road, as they stay within the top eight with their focus on automatic progression to the last 16.