UEFA Cup Final
May 21, 2009
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation time, Jadson notched the winner for Shakhtar seven minutes into extra time.
Luiz Adriano opened the scoring for Shakhtar in the 25th minute, but Werder’s Naldo equalized for Bremen ten minutes later with a free-kick. Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov looked able to make the stop on the Naldo boot from well outside the penalty area but was dismayed to see the ball slip through his fingers.
All three goals were scored by Brazilian players.
Bremen Outplayed
Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said that Shakhtar deserved to win, outplaying Bremen in all respects. "We have to accept that we lost and we congratulate Shakhtar. We did not find our game in the match," he said.
Shakhtar's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu fielded a strong attacking side with five Brazilian players.
Bremen played Wednesday's match without suspended Brazilian playmaker Diego and striker Hugo Almeida, as well as injured German defender Per Mertesacker.
Diego, who leaves Bremen at the end of the season to join Italian side Juventus Turin, paid tribute to Shakhtar.
"They have a great team and are very good offensively. On the day they were the better side and deserve to be champions. We now have to win the German Cup to make something good out of our season," he said.
Dominant showing
Watched by a capacity 52,000 at Istanbul’s Fenebache stadium, Shakhtar had control of the match from beginning to end.
The team from the Ukraine, however, failed to create that many real chances.
Bremen's Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro had a good chance of putting the northern German club in the lead in the final stages of regulation, but Shakhtar Donetsk’s goalkeeper Pyatov was there to stop the header.
Pizarro also had the ball in the back of the net two minutes before the final whistle, but Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo correctly ruled that midfielder Mesut Ozil was offside.
Jadson notches game-winner
Jadson found the winner for Shakhtar in the seventh minute of extra time as he was set up by an unmarked Srna and his shot from close range slipped past Wiese.
With the clock ticking Bremen nearly tied it up in the last minute. Pizarro's shot crossed the line but was disallowed.
Bremen's Germany midfielder Torsten Frings said afterwards that his team now needed to recuperate for the Germany Cup final. That match comes next weekend in Berlin against Bayer Leverkusen.
"We are obviously very disappointed. We gave everything, but did not look good when they scored. Donetsk made the game without having any real chances," he said.
"We have over a week to find ourselves and we have the chance there to win a cup and we will fight to make it happen."
nrt/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Nick Amies