Shakhtar Donetsk beat Roma 3-2
Shakhtar Donetsk beat Roma 3-2
Shakhtar Donetsk scored three goals in 13 minutes to beat Roma in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match.

Rome: Shakhtar Donetsk scored three goals in 13 minutes on Wednesday to beat Roma 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 matchup.

Simone Perrotta opened the scoring for Roma in the 28th minute, but Donetsk leveled a minute later through Jadson. Douglas Costa and Luis Adriano then scored to open a two-goal advantage by halftime.

"We are a good team and we played well," Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu said. "We held the ball well, especially in the first half, and we knew if we didn't let Roma settle its players would start getting agitated."

Jeremy Menez pulled a goal back for Roma in the 61st, but Marco Borriello and Francesco Totti wasted late chances for Roma to draw level.

It was a dominant performance by Donetsk in its first competitive match since the end of the Champions League group stage on December 8.

"We played a lot of games in this period, even if they were friendlies and we were able to maintain our intensity," Lucescu said. "It helps that we have a young team. Adriano for instance is only 23 and has a great future in front of him."

Claudio Ranieri's side now has a difficult task in Ukraine on March 8 to reach the last eight.

Donetsk showed its intent early on when captain Dario Srna whipped in a free kick which Roma goalkeeper Doni had to punch clear.

Roma defender Nicolas Burdisso then came close with a glancing header that whistled past the far post. Perrotta did better with his header in the 28th, finding the net from Rodrigo Taddei's cross after he was left unmarked at the far post.

But Donetsk equalized immediately. Jadson shot's from the edge of the area was deflected by Philippe Mexes and Daniele De Rossi on its way past Doni.

"We knew that Donetsk's small and quick players could cause us problems before the match," Ranieri said. "On those occasions when Donetsk scored, we weren't concentrated enough."

The Ukrainian team doubled its tally in the 36th when Costa cut inside Taddei and De Rossi and rifled a shot from the edge of the area that flew into the top corner.

Roma was visibly shocked and Mirko Vucinic blazed a shot wide after cutting inside the defense.

Moments later, though, Adriano made it three for Donetsk after Roma defender John Arne Riise slipped, allowing Costa to collect the ball and pass to the Brazilian, who slipped it past Doni.

"I'm not sure what happened after the first goal," Riise said, "but it was my fault for the third goal."

Donetsk was content to soak up Roma's pressure at the start of the second period, and the hosts were unable to find its way past the tight defense.

Eventually, Menez broke through the midfield and shrugged off Jadson's weak challenge before shooting home from outside the area.

Roma's defense nearly let Donetsk in again for a fourth, but Doni stopped Henrik Mkhitaryan's shot and Perrotta managed to reach the rebound before Adriano.

Doni then had to race off his line to stop Adriano.

As Roma poured forward in search of a late equalizer Andriy Patov pushed Borriello's shot over the bar, then held Totti's effort.

Borriello had one more chance before the final whistle, but headed Paolo Castellini's header wide.

"We weren't favorite going into the first leg and we certainly aren't the favorite going into the second," Ranieri said.

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