Pyatov is also shown a yellow for wasting time as he prepares to take a goal kick.
Demirbay gets booked after an overzealous attempt at getting the ball off of Patrick, wrestling him in the ground in the process. He will now miss their final group game at Manchester City.
90' +4
B. Butko enters the game and replaces O. Danchenko.
O. Danchenko gets yellow.
Butko comes on for Danchenko in Shakhtar's final change of the match.
Danchenko gets booked in the process for time-wasting as he comes off the pitch.
90' +2
Taison has scored a goal for Shakhtar Donetsk! Assist by Ismaily.
Ismaily repeats his party tricks from the first half and makes himself a nuisance on the left with a great run and cross towards the appreciative Taison!
GOOOOAAAALLL!! SHAKHTAR NICK IT AT THE DEATH! Patrick finds Ismaily in space down the left, and the rampaging left-back hits a low cross towards Taison, who has more space than he should in the Hoffenheim box and turns before shooting the ball past a statuesque Baumann!! 3-2 to the visitors, and this will be a crushing blow to Nagelsmann and company!
90' +1
S. Kryvtsov gets yellow.
Krivtsov is now the second Shakhtar player to be booked after a bad foul on Belfodil.
90'
The fourth official indicates four minutes of added time to be played.
89'
K. Vogt gets yellow.
The home side's captain Vogt goes in the referee's book for dissent.
85'
Dentinho enters the game and replaces V. Kovalenko.
Dentinho comes on for Kovalenko as Shakhtar try to get something out of this match in the final moments.
84'
F. Grillitsch enters the game and replaces H. Nordtveit.
V. Grifo enters the game and replaces N. Schulz.
Grillitsch makes his comeback from injury as he replaces Nordtveit for Hoffenheim's final change of the match.
Schulz makes way for Grifo in the home side's second change of the game.
77'
Alan Patrick enters the game and replaces T. Stepanenko.
R. Nelson enters the game and replaces S. Zuber.
Patrick comes on for Stepanenko in a straight midfield swap for Shakhtar's and the game's first substitution.
On-loan Arsenal youngster Nelson comes on in place of goal-scorer Zuber in an attacking change for Nagelsmann’s team.
Minute
Description
75'
Danchenko’s low drive is gathered by Baumann after some wingplay by Taison. Just under 15 minutes to go for either side to find a vital winner.
74'
Nordtveit plays a wonderful lofted ball towards the hard-working Belfodil, but he’s crowded out by the away defence as he gains a corner. It ends with Kaderabek’s header tamely collected by Pyatov.
73'
Shakhtar get a corner after Moraes’ deflected shot just goes over Baumann. The subsequent set-piece is taken short, but Taison’s cross goes straight to Baumann.
70'
Despite their one-man advantage, Shakhtar have been second-best since Szalai’s dismissal. They’ve barely been able to stamp any authority on this rampant Hoffenheim side.
68'
M. Matviienko gets yellow.
Shakhtar get their second booking of the match after Matvyenko brings down the lively Demirbay in dangerous free-kick territory.
66'
Kramaric goes close there! Belfodil and Zuber combine in the attacking third and the latter plays in the in-form ex-Leicester player, whose shot just about goes over Pyatov’s goal.
62'
Taison lets fly with a stinging shot from outside the box that Baumann does well to hold on to after receiving Kovalenko's quick pass.
59'
Á. Szalai gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
Hoffenheim’s players surround Kruzliak as he takes out Szalai’s second yellow, dismissing him in the process! The striker’s enthusiastic challenge caught Matvyenko, but both feet were up, leaving the referee with no choice but to send him off! Hoffenheim are now down to 10 men as their target man heads for an early bath!
58'
Á. Szalai gets yellow.
Szalai receives Hoffenheim’s first booking of the match after clipping Kovalenko from behind.
57'
Vogts goes down after Moraes runs into him. He clutches his leg, but the home skipper gets up after a few seconds.
55'
The crowd jeers at the referee’s decision to award Shakhtar a throw-in near the centre circle. Nagelsmann doesn’t look too pleased, either.
53'
Both sides have to go for it here, as a draw would see them both get knocked out of the Champions League.
51'
The flag goes up again after more good play by Nagelsmann’s side, as the rampaging Kaderabek is caught offside after trying to latch onto Szalai’s pass.
48'
The home side win a corner after some excellent play by Belfodil, who turns away from his marker and has his cross deflected. He attempts to meet the set-piece, but the away defence get it behind for another one, which is then played short but some miscommunication between Kramaric and Derimbay results in a throw-in to Shakhtar.
46'
No player changes at the interval for either side. The home side are now shaped into a 4-3-3, with Kramaric and Derimbay pulling strings behind the front three of Zuber, Szalai and the impressive Belfodil. The visitors, who must still be reeling from losing such a good advantage, are now adopting an attack-minded 5-3-2, using wing-backs Ismaily and Danchenko as their main outlets on the flanks.
Shakhtar get play restarted as the second half gets underway!
A good passage of play by Hoffenheim ends with Kramaric’s low cross being collected by a diving Pyatov.
45' +1
HALF-TIME: HOFFENHEIM 2-2 SHAKHTAR
Demirbay takes an effort after some Hoffenheim pressure, but the ball goes well over Pyatov’s goal. That will be the last action of the first half.
45'
The fourth official indicates just the one additional minute to be played.
43'
Nagelsmann’s side have shown their powers of recovery once more, as this would now be their third Champions League match in a row that they have recovered from a losing position.
40'
S. Zuber has scored a goal for Hoffenheim!
GOOAAALLL!! HOFFENHEIM AGAIN COME BACK FROM BEHIND! Belfodil plays a good throughball to Kaderabek whose cross is deflected, but an alert Zuber gets it in the air and heads it towards the Shakhtar goal after Pyatov goes in no man’s land! It’s now 2-2, and the home fans find their voice once again!
38'
The flag goes up against a promising Hoffenheim attack, as Kaderabek protests against the decision. Subsequent replays do indeed show Belfodil as having strayed slightly offside.
37'
T. Stepanenko gets yellow.
Stepaneko gets the game’s first booking after clipping Zuber with his studs in mid-air.
36'
Bicakcic takes out Moraes near the touchline with a sprawling challenge that leaves both men down on the pitch.
32'
Demirbay tries to create something on the other end, but his powerful cross is collected safely by Pyatov.
28'
THAT SHOULD’VE BEEN 3-1! Maicon’s short corner finds Kovalenko, and his swift cross was met by Kryvtsov’s head at the back post, but it goes just wide! Hoffenheim escape there!
27'
Nordtveit reacts badly to the referee’s whistle after he barges into Taison from behind. Can’t say that the Norway midfielder had much cause to be angry, though.
23'
Kovalenko fouls Vogt by attempting to win the ball from him in the air in a vain attempt to receive the one-two.
17'
A. Kramarić has scored a goal for Hoffenheim! Assist by I. Belfodil.
Belfodil’s determination to win the ball back was key, and his lofted throughball left the Shakhtar backline watching. By the time they could catch up to Kramaric, Hoffenheim grab one back.
GOOAALL!! HOFFENHEIM ARE BACK IN BUSINESS! Kramaric gets the home fans singing again as he scores for his sixth match in a row! Belfodil does well to track back and win the ball from the away side, and he lofts a pass towards the in-form midfielder who beats the offside trap and dinks it over Pyatov! It’s now 2-1 to the visitors, and this is some start to a match!
15'
Taison has scored a goal for Shakhtar Donetsk! Assist by Júnior Moraes.
Moraes takes advantage of Schulz’s loss of concentration with some excellent centre-forward play, and it was his brilliant through-ball that allowed Taison to turn from provider to finisher in a blink of an eye.
GOAAALL!! SHAKHTAR DOUBLE THEIR ADVANTAGE! Taison gets his first goal of the match after some brilliant hold-up play by Moraes, who brings the ball down from a bad error by Schulz. He outmuscles his marker and plays an excellent pass towards the path of Taison, who sidefoots it past Baumann who didn’t have a chance. 2-0 to the Ukrainian champions, and the Rhein-Neckar-Arena is now filled with the chants of the travelling support!
13'
Ismaily has scored a goal for Shakhtar Donetsk! Assist by Taison.
Taison has been a threat during these opening moments, and it was his cute pass that left the home defence frozen.
GOAL!! SHAKHTAR TAKE THE SURPRISE LEAD! Ismaily’s forward forays have paid off, as the left-back does ever so well to charge upfield and play an exquisite one-two with Taison that splits the home defence wide open, leaving him to finish it past Baumann! 1-0 to the visitors, and Hoffenheim are rocked!
9'
Moraes takes down Schulz from behind as the German international attempted to break away into the opposition half.
7'
Schulz takes a wild lash at the ball after Kramaric’s corner is cleared by the away defence, but it goes high and wide to the left.
3'
Danchenko tries to conjure up something on the other end, but his cross takes a slight deflection. Shakhtar get the ball back on the right wing, but it goes out for a home throw-in.
2'
Kramaric, who will be key for the home side’s fortunes today, already forces Khotcholava to concede the game’s first corner. It is cleared away by the visiting defence, but this is a bright start from the favourites.
1'
Referee Ivan Kruzliak blows his whistle, and the hosts get us underway at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena!
Hoffenheim are out in their home colours of all-blue, while Shakhtar are decked in all-grey - a departure from their famed orange-and-black stripes.
Hello, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this Champions League clash as Hoffenheim host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena!
This is a must-win match for both sides who have yet to register a first win in this season’s edition of the competition, as a victory for either team could still see them progress to the knockout stages. Julian Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim have shown great fighting spirit to snatch draws from losing positions in their last two Champions League matches against Lyon, displaying a penchant of grabbing extremely late goals along the way. However, they would need to improve on their mediocre record of one home victory in their last six European outings to stand any chance of qualifying from Group F.
SUBSTITUTES: Gregor Kobel, Leonardo Bittencourt, Stefan Posch, Joshua Brenet, Reiss Nelson, Florian Grillitsch, Vincenzo Grifo.
HOFFENHEIM XI (3-5-2): Oliver Baumann; Ermin Bicakcic, Kevin Vogt (c), Nico Schulz; Pavel Kaderabek, Havard Nordtveit, Kerem Demirbay, Andrej Kramaric, Steven Zuber; Ishak Belfodil, Adam Szalai.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s take a look at how both teams line up, starting with the home side.
Nagelsmann makes just two changes from the side that let Hertha Berlin come back from 3-1 down to equalise three minutes from time over the weekend. Zuber comes in for Kevin Akpoguma, allowing Schulz drop back in defence alongside Bicakcic and captain Vogt. The absence of forward Joelinton is a slight surprise, as Belfodil is tasked with leading the line alongside Szalai. Kasim Adams is suspended after his sending off against Lyon in their last Champions League fixture, and should Demirbay get booked here, he will miss Hoffenheim’s final group game in two weeks against leaders Manchester City.
The Ukrainian champions, on the other hand, are in a do-or-die situation as defeat in Germany would ensure that they remain bottom of their group. Paulo Fonseca’s charges will still be reeling from their 6-0 drubbing against Manchester City, and will need to plug a leaky defence that has proven to be their downfall on the continent, having already shipped in 30 goals in their last 14 Champions League matches. Fail to rectify these issues, and we could be seeing an earlier end to their European adventures than most had anticipated.
Fonseca makes four changes from the team that played out a goalless stalemate at home to Lviv last Friday, with Kryvtsov - who’s had his fair share of injury problems this season - coming in for Rakitskiy in the heart of defence. Matvyenko’s inclusion allows Danchenko to move up from right-back, and Patrick makes way for Stepanenko to partner Maycon at the base of the midfield. Nem and Bolbat are benched as Kovalenko is tasked with sharing creative duties alongside Taison.
The players are out and kick-off is drawing near as the home crowd ramp up the noise with the Champions League anthem blaring in the background.
The pre-match talk of this being one for the purists has lived up to the hype, as you will struggle to see a more exhilarating 45 minutes of football in the Champions League all season. Nagelsmann’s side had to fight through the shock of conceding two goals so early in such quick fashion, but they’ve provided their fans with another European comeback that will surely give the young manager an easier half-time team talk than his opposite number. Kramaric and company should be confident come the second half.
Fonseca will be furious at his team for losing a two-goal lead at such a crucial stage of the game. Pyatov, in particular, was at fault for Zuber’s equaliser having ventured away from the goal line which allowed the Hoffenheim midfielder an easy header. Their main threats in Taison and Moraes haven’t been as positive as they were in the opening minutes, and Ismaily faded badly since his goal, with Kaderabek proving to be a tough opponent. Shakhtar have it all to do again, as Hoffenheim surely have the momentum now.
And that wraps up our coverage. We hope you enjoyed our commentary, and until next time, goodbye!
Hoffenheim now have to go through the ignominy of a meaningless final group game at Manchester City in two weeks time, but Shakhtar have an all-important clash against Lyon where anything but a win will see the Ukrainian champions bow out of the Champions League.
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