Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Inter: Shot-shy Serie A champions held in Kiev

Nicolo
Barella,
who
was
denied
by
the
crossbar,
and
Edin
Dzeko
spurned
first-half
opportunities,
with
Roberto
De
Zerbi’s
hosts
also
faltering
with
a
multitude
of
chances
at
the
Kiev
Olympic
Stadium.

Manor
Solomon
and
Tete
both
went
close
for
Shakhtar,
but
with
neither
able
to
beat
Samir
Handanovic,
the
Ukrainian
outfit
settled
for
a
creditable
goalless
draw
against
the
Serie
A
champions.

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Both
teams
are
left
on
a
point
apiece
in
Group
D
as
they
suffer
similarly
timid
starts
and
will
need
to
make
up
early
ground
on
Real
Madrid
and
Sheriff,
who
meet
later
on
Tuesday.

The
opening
chance
of
the
contest
saw
Solomon
surge
inside
and
thrash
his
effort
past
the
left-hand
post
before
Barella
blasted
an
effort
against
the
bar
from
long-range
at
the
other
end.

Inter’s
carelessness
in
possession
almost
cost
them,
with
Tete
angling
wide
and
Pedrinho
smashing
over
either
side
of
Lautaro
Martinez’s
whipped
effort
failing
to
find
the
corner.

Dzeko
should
have
opened
the
scoring
after
ghosting
onto
Federico
Dimarco’s
corner
but
he
wastefully
prodded
over
from
close
range
as
the
two
sides
continued
to
trade
first-half
chances.

Milan
Skriniar
produced
a
vital
last-ditch
block
after
the
break
to
deny
Pedrinho
following
Dodo’s
cutback
as
the
hosts
boasted
66
per
cent
of
the
possession
against
their
uncharacteristically
sloppy
opponents.

Mykola
Matyvenko
then
gifted
Martinez
the
chance
to
break
the
deadlock,
but
the
Inter
forward
could
only
skew
over
the
bar
when
one-on-one
with
Andriy
Pyatov.

Dodo
selfishly
lashed
high
of
Inter’s
goal
before
the
visitors
gave
Shakhtar
a
late
scare.

Substitute
Joaquin
Correa
drifted
inside
and
curled
towards
the
far
corner,
only
for
Pyatov
to
turn
it
behind
the
post
before
denying
Stefan
de
Vrij
from
the
resulting
corner
as
the
match
ended
level.