Shakhtar Donetsk vs AS Roma 2018 (Shakhtar-Roma 2018)
Final score and result:- Shakhtar vs Roma 2-1 (Ferreyra, Fred/ Under)
Kharkiv, Ukraine- 21 February, 2018- Champions League Round of 16
Second half goals from Ferreyra and Fred see Shakhtar come from behind to beat Roma in the first leg of their CL Round of 16 tie
How did Chelsea’s players fare in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash against Barcelona?
Manager Antonio Conte clearly had a plan in mind, opting for a 3-4-3 to counter Ernesto Valverde’s side. The Italian gaffer chose Antonio Rudiger over Gary Cahill to partner Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen in a flat back three, with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso on the flanks.
There was no place in the starting XI for either Alvaro Morata or Oliver Giroud, with Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante in midfield and Pedro and Willian chosen to support Eden Hazard upfront.
Conte’s tactics nearly paid off- Chelsea clearly had the better chances, with Willian hitting both sides of the posts in the first half. The Brazilian opened the scoring after the hour mark with a well placed shot, and Chelsea’s back three handled Messi and co. quite well for 75 minutes until a mistake from Andreas Christensen allowed the Argentine to equalise. The Danish centre-back, still 21, had a fantastic game, but that misplaced pass could very easily end up knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League- such are the thin margins in European football.
Here is how several British newspapers rated the Blues- we’ve compiled all of their ratings in one place. Willian was clearly their best performer on the night, with skipper Azpi and the tireless N’Golo Kante not too far behind.
This Marcos Alonso nutmegging Rakitic was a nice piece of skill on show from the Blues star in his club’s 1-1 draw against Erneste Valverde at Stamford Bridge on 20 february, 2018. The wingback returned from injury to play against the Blaugrana, but Antonio Conte’s men had to be content with a draw despite having better chances.
Also check out Luis Suarez’s piece of skill against Andreas Christensen- a nice turn that earned the visitors a corner.