Shakhtar come from behind to secure 1-1 draw at Celtic

Shakhtar come from behind to secure 1-1 draw at Celtic

Winger Mykhaylo Mudryk scored before the hour mark to level out Celtic's first-half goal.

Shakhtar’s Valeriy Bondar (top) and Celtic’s Giorgos Giakoumakis vie for the ball during the match yesterday. (AP pic)
GLASGOW:
Shakhtar Donetsk earned a 1-1 draw at Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday after winger Mykhaylo Mudryk cancelled out a first-half goal by striker Georgios Giakoumakis to maintain the Ukrainian side’s chances of reaching the knockout stage.

Coach Igor Jovicevic’s side secured at least a Europa League spot by avoiding defeat in Glasgow as they remain third in Group F on six points and will host second-placed RB Leipzig – on nine points – in their last clash on Nov 2.

Giakoumakis put the hosts in front in the 34th minute with a low shot from close range into the bottom right corner after a blocked effort rebounded to him.

However, Shakhtar’s Mudryk levelled shortly before the hour mark as he slalomed past defenders and fired the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

Shakhtar had a golden chance to take the lead in the 72nd minute when Mudryk went on another solo run, ending with a beautiful pass to teammate Danylo Sikan but the 21-year-old missed the target badly with the goal at his mercy.

Celtic, who needed a first win of this season’s Champions League campaign to have any chance of continuing in European competition after Christmas, sit bottom of the group standings on two points.

RB Leipzig grabbed a 3-2 win at home against leaders and already qualified Real Madrid in the other Group F game.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.