In the center of Warsaw, with red and white flags, is the headquarters of the Polish news agency PAP, which trained reporter Ryszard Kapuscinski decades ago. A few years before his death in 2007, Kapuscinski met another world-famous reporter, Gabriel García Márquez. The Colombian asked whether he sometimes added a little tear to his stories in order to give the truth more weight, and Kapuczinski is said to have looked at the floor in embarrassment.
A Champions League game between Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig took place on Tuesday in Warsaw, a few kilometers from the PAP headquarters, and a “tear” would have looked good. Because Leipzig took the lead so quickly that it was clear early on that Leipzig would qualify for the knockout phase of the premier class. In the end they won 4-0 – and finished the preliminary round behind Real Madrid (5-1 against Celtic Glasgow) in second place in Group F.
The constellation before the start of the game meant that one point was enough for Leipzig to progress, while the Ukrainians had to win. Shakhtar secured the Europa League. But Donetsk coach Igor Jovicevic said the night before: “I want more. I want the impossible.” But after just two attacks it was clear that Leipzig would prove to be overpowering. Christopher Nkunku staged his fellow German striker Timo Werner twice in the penalty area; this failed both times to Anatoliy Trubin. But the second time, the rebound landed on Nkunku. And he didn’t have the slightest trouble putting the ball in the goal from almost ten yards out (10′).
What posed the first mystery of the evening was the extremely curious nature of Nkunku’s jubilation. The Frenchman, who has continued his outstanding form from the previous year in recent weeks, took a balloon out of the stocking – and blew it up. The puzzle was that the motive was unclear. Was the gesture political? Not at all. “That was for my son,” said the famous attacking player. “He likes balloons.”
The second riddle should not only have unsettled the 26,045 spectators in the Legia Stadium. But also the coaching staff of the German Football Association. Because after about a quarter of an hour Timo Werner lay down on the lawn and indicated that he could not continue playing.
The reason for this was that various players in Shakhtar acted without considering themselves and, above all, their opponents. One victim was: Werner. He got hit on the ankle. At first it was not clear whether he felt more panic, jeopardizing his secure ticket to the World Cup in Qatar, or whether he really suffered a worse injury. In the second half, however, the Leipzig press team gave the all-clear: Werner “only” felt pain after being kicked in the ankle. The national player was already quite relaxed on the substitutes’ bench.
Beyond that, Leipzig had the game under control so well that RB coach Marco Rose was able to keep his hands in his pockets most of the time on the sidelines.
It was evident that Shakhtar’s players were very keen to show fighting power. demonstrative. They play, as they never tire of emphasizing, on behalf of the whole of Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia on February 24; hence the venue Warsaw. Mykhailo Mudryk, the young attraction of the Ukrainians, showed several times why he is one of the most sought-after players in Europe: he is a force of pace, technique and determination. But the defense of the DFB Cup winners was so stable that Shakhtar shot only once in the first half and never once at the opponent’s goal.
After the break, the Ukrainians had no choice but to seek salvation in the desperate offensive. But then the Ukrainians conceded an almost absurd goal after just five minutes. David Raum ran almost to the baseline on the left and threw in a surprisingly poor cross, but it ended up at right-back Mohamed Simakan. His header flew in a high arc through the six-yard box. Lo and behold, André Silva pushed the ball over the line at the first post – although goalkeeper Trubin was also there.
Excitement followed: Lassina Traoré was attacked by Kevin Kampl in the penalty area, but the video referee decided that the action was within the permitted range. After that, Shakhtar collapsed.
Nkunku started his show with two notable assists. The first almost led to a goal by Emil Forsberg, the second was converted by Szoboszlai to make it 3-0 (62nd). Shortly thereafter, the Hungarian was substituted – against his Spanish friend Dani Olmo, who needed less than a minute before he too was able to celebrate a goal.
After a short free-kick, he fired – and was lucky that central defender Valriy Bondar deflected the ball slightly. He flew into the net from the inside of the post (68′), which is why it was correctly counted as an own goal. What remained was a dangerous shot from the exciting Mudryk, who was substituted shortly afterwards. Knowing that this Shakhtar team is too small for his tremendous talent. Although, under adverse circumstances, she has at least reached the Europa League.