Match report
FULL TIME: Shakhtar 1-1 Celtic
It’s all over and Celtic have to settle for a point. An away draw – even though this was technically on neutral soil – is never a bad thing at this level but the Bhoys will rue an opportunity missed. They had a series of good chances, especially in the final 10 minutes, but couldn’t find the killer touch. It leaves them with a point after two games but that won’t look too bad if Madrid beat Leipzig later tonight.
Updated
90 min +5: Mudryk tries to get on the end of a floated ball into the box but it has too much juice on it. At the other end, Giakoumakis goes up for a header against the goalkeeper. The ball drops into space with Trubin stranded but there’s a Shakhtar defender to mop up. It’s not going to be Celtic’s night.
90 min +4: Shakhtar skipper Stepanenko limps to the touchline but he’s back in action again. Job done. Just a minute to go.
Updated
90 min +3: We’re now into cramp time. Shakhtar’s players starting to feel it and are happy to run down the clock.
90 min +2: Apart from that flurry which produced their goal and sparked them into action for the next 10 minutes, Shakhtar have been very much second best here. Celtic have had the chances, including two in the last few minutes, but just haven’t been able to convert them.
90 min: We’ll have five minutes of added time. Still hope for Celtic.
88 min: Postecoglou, looking stern in his black jumper, must be thinking that this is one that got away. Even more so when the stretching Maeda can’t guide his effort on target when all set to play the hero from McGregor’s cross. More agony for Celtic.
Updated
87 min: Abada replaces Jota. He’s got six goals this season so is the right man to come on if Celtic are to nick this.
Updated
85 min: Huge chance for Celtic! Taylor picks out Giakoumakis in the box around 12 yards out. A great first touch from the striker but his left-foot strike flies inches wide. Wow. That was so close to the winner.
Updated
84 min: Jens is robbed on the halfway line but he gets back to block Ocheretko’s shot. Just as well. Got away with that one.
82 min: Trubin has to dash to the edge of his box and hack clear as Celtic press again. Maybe Shakhtar are feeling this a bit. Celtic finishing the stronger.
Updated
80 min: Into the final 10 minutes. Do Celtic push hard for the winner or take an away point? You’d imagine it would be the former and they show their intent with a flowing move that ends with a hooked shot in the area from Maeda that deflects off a head and behind for a corner. Nothing doing from that though.
Updated
79 min: Danger for Celtic as Mudryk’s free-kick out on the left drifts to the back post but Hart allows it to bounce behind with no orange and black shirt near enough to poke the ball home.
Updated
77 min: Sudakov was receiving treatment during that break and hobbles to the sidelines. On comes Oleg Ocheretko, who scored Shakhtar’s 96th-minute winner in their domestic league match at the weekend.
Updated
76 min: A break in play as both sides get a drink and some coaching advice.
75 min: Djurasek replaces Bondarenko as Shakhtar make another change.
74 min: Hartson, in commentary, tempting fate horribly by saying Shakhtar “look out on their feet”.
72 min: Twinkly feet by Jota after Celtic win the ball high. He dances through the Shakhtar defence but is almost out of energy when he hits a tame shot. It’s blocked behind and Celtic’s corner is headed clear.
Updated
71 min: Almost a mix-up in the Celtic defence as two players go for the same lofted ball into the area but Carter-Vickers gets a decisive touch and Shakhtar concede a foul.
69 min: Turnbull almost makes an immediate impact as his right-foot thump from just outside the area isn’t too far over the bar.
68 min: It’s a triple Celtic switch. Hatate, Kyogo and O’Riley are off. Turnbull, Giakoumakis and Mooy come on.
66 min: In my extensive research for this match, I jotted down the goal times of Shakhtar’s eight goals in all competitions this season. Six of them have come in the 74th minute or later. Celtic beware!
Peter Oh produces a pun: “Joe Hart, Heung-min Son and John Hartson should go into business together. A podcast, consultancy firm, or maybe a restaurant or food truck. It would be called Hart, Son & Hartson.”
64 min: O’Riley goes for goal with his left foot and the low-struck shot is parried by Trubin. The ball is recycled and the midfielder has a go with his right peg this time but this one is wide. More activity on the Celtic bench now.
63 min: A double dragback from Mudryk is more for show than effect but it shows highlights confident the No.10 is. Mark him, Celtic. Mark him!
Updated
62 min: Still Celtic on the front foot here until the dangerman Mudryk breaks away down the left. He cuts infield and the move rather loses its momentum.
Updated
61 min: Shakhtar make a double switch and bring on Petryak and Traore for Zubkov and Shved.
60 min: The second half is pretty much mirroring the pattern of the first: Celtic in control and threatening to score and Shakhtar just not doing much.
Updated
58 min: Taylor drives forward for Shakhtar but he runs into traffic and the ball balloons into the air and back to Hart.
56 min: Fantastic run from Jota: a stepover, a cut inside, a drift to the right and then a shot which is parried for a corner. Jota looking very lively since the break. Celtic can’t make anything of the corner.
55 min: Hartson is giving the goal to Hatate. Does that override Uefa’s judgement?
53 min: I should have trusted my instincts. Uefa now saying own goal after 10 minutes from Bondarenko rather than Hetate after 11. I’ll change it back again!
52 min: A poor tackle from Mortiz Jenz earns him a yellow card. The first of the match I believe.
51 min: Mudryk, who really does look a player, pings a 1-2 on the edge of the box but Celtic have numbers back. Postecoglou’s side will do well to keep the ball away from the dangerous Shakhtar No.10.
49 min: A poor clearance from Hart leaves Taylor with a chase but some nimble footwork allows him to keep the ball in and win a free-kick.
48 min: Jota is in the thick of the early second-half action as his right-foot curler from outside the box thumps into the chest of a Shakhtar defender when en route for goal to test the goalkeeper.
46 min: Fast start by Celtic again and within 30 seconds of the re-start Trubin has to shovel away a Jota shot from the left corner of the area. The rebound doesn’t fall Celtic’s way although could their strikers have been sharper? Welsh goal sniffer John Hartson believes so.
Updated
46 min: Celtic get the second half underway. They’ve made a change at the break with Daizen Maeda coming on for Haksabanovic.
HALF-TIME: Shakhtar 1-1 Celtic
A strange 45 minutes of football comes to an end. Celtic were completely dominant, deservedly went in front and then Shakhtar suddenly woke up. The equaliser came out of the blue but from that point the hosts threatened further goals and had a second ruled out. Which way will this one go? I’ve no idea to be honest!
Updated
44 min: Shakhtar threaten another counter but this one doesn’t flourish into anything.
42 min: Better from Celtic as Jota’s left-foot shot from outside the area is saved after taking a slight deflection.
40 min: Leipzig supporters will be watching this and agreeing that Shakhtar are a bit of a weird team. They can look blunt and ineffective but then suddenly burst to life as Leipzig found out when having their pants pulled down in a 4-1 loss. Celtic were looking good for 2-0 or 3-0 before the break but Shakhtar are now a tad unlucky not to be ahead.
Updated
37 min: Shved cuts in from the right and tries to curl a left-foot shot into the bottom corner but Hart parries. From the corner, Konoplya almost gets his bonce on it but it’s cleared for another which passes without incident. Celtic must want half-time now.
35 min: Mudryk is leading this momentum swing as he again threatens to cause Celtic problems down the left. He’s snuffed out this time but the winger looks a huge danger.
33 min: Hart has to dive smartly to his left to intercept a dangerous cross. This has been quite the turnaround from the hosts. From nowhere, they’ve come to life and Celtic need to focus again.
Updated
31 min: Huge let-off for Celtic as Shakhtar have the ball in the net again but it’s ruled out. Mudryk pulls the ball back from the byline and Shved hammers the ball past Hart and into the net. The celebrations begin… but to Celtic’s relief the ball had gone out before Mudryk could hook it back in.
30 min: BT co-commentator John Hartson is using the term “sucker punch” a lot. And he’s right.
GOAL! Shakhtar 1-1 Celtic (Mudryk 29)
Would you believe it! A classic Shakhtar goal as they completely do Celtic on the break. The ball is threaded through to Mudryk who shows great pace to drive into the box and blast his left-foot shot over Hart. 1-1. Hugely disappointing for Celtic to concede like that.
Updated
27 min: Celtic’s turn for a free-kick and Riley tries to catch the hosts out with a quick one but the referee says “hang on”. It eventually does come in and a Jenz snap-shot from around eight yards out to the left of goal is blocked by the goalkeeper’s right leg. Another decent chance for the visitors.
26 min: Shakhtar win a free-kick out on the left. Mudryk, a target for Everton and Arsenal in the summer, swings it in but Kyogo is back there to head away. Bit of a waste for the hosts and the ball ends back with goalkeeper Trubin.
24 min: It all looks comfortable for Celtic for now but let’s recall that Shakhtar had five shots on target against Leipzig in their first match and scored with four of them.
21 min: A thumping challenge from Carter-Vickers leaves Shved in a heap. He complains but it was fair. Very hard but nonetheless fair.
20 min: A bit more clarity from Shakhtar now as they get men forward. But they quickly lose possession and that allows Celtic to break. Haksabanovic whizzes down the left and tries to bend a cross into the box with the outside of his right foot but it ends up as a shot straight at the goalkeeper.
17 min: Just checking and uefa.com have officially given the goal to Hatate after 11 minutes. Dreadful update from me earlier as I’d given it as an own goal after 10. The correction has been made.
15 min: Shakhtar must be bemused by what’s happening here. They’ve just faced constant pressure and not got a foothold in the game at all. And it nearly gets worse as Kyogo almost charges down the goalkeeper to bundle in a second! That was about five times more casual than the Hart one at the other end! Risky from Shakhtar stopper Trubin!
Updated
12 min: Fully deserved from Celtic. Now will they press for a second?
GOAL! Shakhtar 0-1 Celtic (o.g. Bondarenko 10)
It’s been coming! The ball is floated out to the left and Haksabanovic plays in Hatate. He drives towards goal, slips the ball past the goalkeeper and it nicks off defender Bondarenko and into the net. Kyogo could have tapped it in to make sure but, perhaps wisely, let it run over the line to avoid any possible offside flag.
Updated
8 min: A little casual there from Joe Hart as he gets probably his first touch of the game, letting the ball run into his six-yard box before casually passing out as a forward closes in. One of those ones that Ederson does in his sleep but Mendy makes a hash of.
7 min: Celtic are keeping Shakhtar pressed in their own half. The hosts finally get a chance to launch a counter but it’s rushed and comes to nothing.
5 min: Taylor’s cross-shot took a little nick and went for a corner but Celtic couldn’t make anything from it. They’re very much on the front foot though.
4 min: Taylor flashes a left-foot ball across the six yard box but Kyogo can’t quite reach it. Fast start from Celtic here.
3 min: Celtic knocking the ball around now. This is probably how the match will play out; lots of Celtic possession and Shakhtar trying to hit on the break.
1 min: Early chance for Kyogo! Celtic pinch possession, O’Riley plays in the Japanese frontman and the goalkeeper saves his right-foot shot with his left boot. Almost a dream start!
Updated
Kick-off: Peep!!! Let’s play. Shakhtar get us in play in front of a far from full but still noisy stadium. Lots of that din is coming from the Celtic end.
The teams are wearing black armbands but there is no minute’s silence here tonight.
The teams are out! Celtic in green and white hoops (no mucking away with away kits here) and Shakhtar in thick black and orange vertical stripes.
Officially, 2,000 Celtic supporters have travelled to Warsaw. They’ll be hoping to see their team win an away Champions League game for the first time since 2017.
A nice lunge from Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart although a tad performative. Doing a Dan Wootton possibly.
🏃♂️Warming up in Warsaw! 🇵🇱#UCL | #ShakhtarCeltic | #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/jIi6QuopkM
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) September 14, 2022
Tom Hopkins emails: “Thanks for the Shed Seven jolt of nostalgia, my first gig, Wolverhampton Civic, great days! Also, apologies for not responding more quickly. Missed your post - I was on the Rick Witter.” Ah, you use that one too.
Here’s Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. First up, he explains the team news and the starts for Kyogo and Haksabanovic
“We’ve trained and both those players have trained well. Just thinking the way the game’s going to go tonight I think it might suit having them two up front and, yeah, they start.
“From our perspective it’s about trying to capitalise on the areas we want to. With the set up we have we’re hoping to dominate the game as we usually do and put some pressure on them. We know that sometimes the game can go a different way and we’ve just got to be ready for whatever challenge is out there.”
Shakhtar’s Marian Shved can’t be a fan of Britpop otherwise he’d surely have insisted on the No.7 shirt. He wears 9 so will, erm, be “Going for Goal(d)”. He has a point to prove tonight after never really being given a chance (made just three appearances) during his brief time at Celtic a couple of years ago.
Updated
The BT coverage has started and we see Celtic fans having a wander around Warsaw. Looks a pleasant evening. This will be familiar territory to some of those travelling fans as Celtic played Legia Warsaw at this very stadium in a pre-season testimonial for goalkeeper Artur Boruc (now 42) in July. Result: 2-2.
With the match being played in Poland, Shakhtar have had to relinquish home advantage and that explains the odds.
Celtic are around 5/4 favourites to win, with Shakhtar 2/1 and the Draw 5/2.
There must have been some good puns doing the rounds when these two last met as Massimo Donati did for Donetsk with a last-gasp winner in the group phase. Gordon Strachan was the Celtic boss in that 2-1 home victory 15 years ago. Shakhtar had won the home showdown 2-0.
That’s two changes for Celtic from the side that lost to Real Madrid. Kyogo Furuhashi replaces Giorgos Giakoumakis up front while new summer signing Sead Haksabanovic comes in for Liel Abada.
Shakhtar, as you might have expected with no new fresh injuries, stick with the same side that beat Leipzig 4-1.
🍀 #CelticFC's @ChampionsLeague 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀! 📋
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) September 14, 2022
Hakšabanović with his first start for the Bhoys!#UCL | #ShakhtarCeltic | #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/lQzgi0RJI5
Team news
Shakhtar: Trubin, Bondar, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Shved, Mudryk, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Matviyenko, Taylor, Konoplia
Subs: Shevchenko, Pyatov, Traore, Krytsov, Sikan, Mykhaylichenko, Kryskiv, Djurasek, Topalov, Ocheretko, Kozik, Petriak
Celtic: Hart, Taylor, Jenz, Kyogo, Haksabanovic, Jota, Carter-Vickers, O’Riley, Hatate, McGregor, Juranovic
Subs: Bain, Siegrist, Giakoumakis, Abada, Mooy, Turnbull, Bernabei, Abildgaard, Maeda, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh
Preamble
Celtic fans dared to dream in their Champions League opener at home to holders Real Madrid last week. At 0-0, skipper Callum McGregor smashed the inside of the Madrid post and there were other chances too.
The eventual 3-0 scoreline was harsh but perhaps an important reminder of what they’re up against at this level. Switching off for 10 or 15 minutes can prove fatal.
After the cauldron of noise at Celtic Park, their second Group F outing comes in very different circumstances as they travel to Warsaw to face Shakhtar Donetsk. Due to the ongoing Russian military invasion, Shakhtar are playing their ‘home’ Champions League games in Poland.
Surprisingly, given the distress, disruption and loss of key players from their squad, Shakhtar began the group with a 4-1 away win at RB Leipzig. It flattered them but that result heaps extra pressure on Celtic. This is a game the Bhoys cannot really afford to lose if they’re to head home with genuine hope of reaching the knockout phase.
Kick off at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego is 5.45pm BST.
