Ibrahimović sets record as Paris see off Shakhtar
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
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Paris 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Second-half goals by Lucas and Zlatan Ibrahimović, the latter setting a new club record, sealed victory as Shakhtar went into the UEFA Europa League.
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- Group A runners-up Paris triumph despite missing raft of regular starters
- Lucas breaks deadlock on 57 minutes with fine low strike
- Zlatan Ibrahimović becomes Paris's record European scorer late on
- Shakhtar hold onto third place and transfer to UEFA Europa League
- The round of 16 draw takes place at 12.00CET on Monday
Group A runners-up Paris Saint-Germain signed off on a positive note by defeating Shakhtar Donetsk, who nonetheless move into the UEFA Europa League.
The stakes were low for Paris after sealing their spot in the UEFA Champions League's last 16 on matchday five, but Laurent Blanc's much-changed side began with their typical desire to get forward, Lucas testing Anton Kanibolotskiy early on and Zlatan Ibrahimović lobbing over after the Shakhtar goalkeeper had presented him with the ball in the area.
Not intimidated by a Paris lineup lacking the likes of Ángel Di María, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva, the Pitmen were digging away too. Eduardo narrowly missed the target before home goalkeeper Kevin Trapp had to come a long way out to thwart a counterattack, while Darijo Srna was able to send in numerous crosses from the right.
That initial burst of activity promised more than it could deliver, and the first half ended with both teams probing but making little headway. Nevertheless, the pace quickly picked up after the restart, Gregory van der Wiel firing just wide and Lucas making the breakthrough on 57 minutes. Found by Ibrahimović in too much space on the edge of the area, the Brazil forward slotted low and crisply into the far corner.
Kanibolotskiy responded with saves to deny Blaise Matuidi and Ezequiel Lavezzi, while Ibrahimović rolled a shot wide on the break. The Sweden captain made no such mistake after being freed by Lucas, though, finishing low to become Paris's all-time leading scorer in Europe. As for Shakhtar, Malmö's heavy defeat in Madrid secured them third place in the section.
Key player: Lucas
The young Brazilian found the net in Malmo last time out and made the difference with an excellent finish here after some less assured moments in the first period. He added to his second-half turnaround with the assist for Ibrahimović's goal.
New landmark for Ibrahimović
The records seem to keep tumbling for Ibrahimović right now. Having become Paris's top marksman in Ligue 1 history at the weekend, the No10 can now pride himself on being their all-time leading scorer in Europe too. His goal came late, but he has now surpassed George Weah with 17 strikes and counting.
Solid at the back
Paris ended the group stage with the competition's tightest defence after keeping their fifth clean sheet in six outings. Layvin Kurzawa, Gregory van der Wiel and Marquinhos were all filling in for more regular colleagues, yet they and David Luiz did more than enough to restrict Paris's 'goals against' column to a single strike.
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Laurent Blanc, Paris coach
We played two very different halves; sometimes you can't explain everything in football. There was nothing at stake for us today but we wanted to win, because that's what we always aim for, no matter what the competition is. It's our duty, especially at home in front of our fans, and even more so in the Champions League.
Our report at the end of this group stage is really good. But paradoxically, the match which game me most satisfaction was the one we lost in Madrid, because we demonstrated that we could play our game and compete with the best teams. It's our aim, and we say so, but showing it on the pitch is something else. Let's try and do it again in the knockout stage.
Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
It was a spectacular match and we didn't deserve to lose, we had our chances. But the Paris players showed their class and their efficiency. We faced a good team, who for me are up there among the four best in Europe, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern. We were unlucky to be drawn against two of those, but we put in some decent performances.
We'll now go into a competition which can be compared to the Champions League. Just look at the teams involved: Manchester United, Sevilla, maybe Arsenal, Leverkusen, Roma, Porto, maybe Chelsea – it's a great competition.