Khamrun Spartans — Shakhtar, photo FC Shakhtar Donetsk December 11, 2025, 11:56 p.m

Among our two European Cup fighters this season in the UEFA Conference League, Shakhtar Donetsk is faring much better, because the Arda Turan team is taking full advantage of the successful draw of the main round and in the four previous meetings almost always achieved the maximum result. For another three points to their own treasury, the “miners” this time planned to visit the already familiar Maltese team called Hamrun Spartans.

Giacomo Modika’s team was known to Ukrainian fans thanks to the qualifying matches for the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv, when Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s team was just starting its unsuccessful journey to the main club competition of the Old World and simply did not see any opposition from the team from the islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

The “Spartans” miner, however, promised to arrange a real battle for scoring points, as if making a discount on the rank of the tournament, in which both teams are now participating. And, considering the first half, Modika’s team tried to keep their promise. Hamrun was interesting with his willingness to hold on to the ball and press, then find the attacking players in front with vertical passes. And it goes without saying that Turan’s team skillfully dealt with this.

After all, the “miners” again decided to play with the rotation, which reduced their attacking potential before the break. Shakhtar still found their moments in the end, but only Lukas’ shot under the near post from the left wing of the penalty area and Bondar’s header – both of which were ultimately managed by the goalkeeper of the Maltese national team Bonello – could be called dangerous.

And at the end of the first half, the first alarm signals began to appear right in the penalty area of ​​the Donetsk people, where Mbong stepped up and created a moment for a long shot for himself, and before that Chorich also tried to assist, but Fesyun reacted to a shot from the left flank of the penalty area under the near post.

Obviously, keeping this uncertainty on the scoreboard in the future would be a big mistake, but about a quarter of an hour into the second half, Shakhtar could not create anything in front at all, until suddenly they decided the fate of the game literally in a matter of minutes. This was helped by a pass from the depth of the left wing from Azarov, who failed in the first half, to Meirellish’s head in the center of the penalty area, as well as Izaki’s shot from Pedrinho da Silva’s pass to the left edge of the other side’s possession. Three minutes of game time was enough for that.

And then the Turan team just started playing with their opponents, and judging by the number of wasted opportunities to score a crushing score, the players of the “miners” were just beating the crap out of them, not playing football. To waste so many exits face-to-face with the goalkeeper still needs to be managed. And this is definitely not the attitude to the situation in the standings that a coach should like. And every goal is important there.

In the final round, Malta’s Hamrun Spartans will visit Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers, while Shakhtar Donetsk will host Croatia’s Rijeka.

Hamrun Spartans — Miner 0:2
Goals: Meirellish, 61, Izaki, 64

Hamrun Spartans: Bonello — Compri, Emerson (Sherry, 75), Bjelicic, Kamendzouli — Mbong (El Fanis, 65), Coric, Coffey (Attard, 65), Garcia, Čadzenović (Shymkus, 75) — Smajlagic (Mayer, 65).

Miner: Fesyun — Konoplia (Vinicius, 46), Gram, Bondar, Azarov (Farina, 89) — Bondarenko (Ocheretko, 46), Nazarina, Izaki — Lucas, Meirellish (Elias, 81), Pedrinho da Silva (Eginaldu, 67).

Warning: Mbong, Garcia — Ocheretko, Konoplia