Despite many difficulties in personnel, Pep Guardiola still used a strong squad to welcome Shakhtar Donetsk. Key stars such as Ederson, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Sterling are all in the starting lineup.
With a strong squad, Pep has clearly shown his intention to get 3 points. Right after the opening whistle, Man City created an encroachment in terms of ball control and number of opportunities. However, the urgency in the final stage prevented the blue team from penetrating Shakhtar Donetsk's net in the first half.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk do not hesitate to play an open game against Man City when given the chance. In the 14th minute, from a quick counter-attack, midfielder Mateus Tete passed goalkeeper Ederson. Fortunately for the English team, Fernandinho promptly covered up the home team's goal.
In the second half, Man City was the team that entered the match faster, creating clearer opportunities. In the 56th minute, Shakhtar Donetsk's crowded defense was penetrated, as Gabriel Jesus quickly rotated in the penalty area and had an accurate drop shot for Guendogan to lightly finish to open the score.
After the opening goal, Man City created a much better game. Many delicious opportunities have been created by the reigning Premier League champions, but their strikers have unfortunately missed them.
Unable to score a second goal, Man City had to pay the price in the 69th minute. From an attack on the right wing, Dodo pressed into the penalty area for Mano Salomon to finish past goalkeeper Ederson, equalizing 1-1 for Shakhtar Donetsk.
A draw was enough to secure the top spot in the group, so Man City were not too hasty in the remaining minutes in attack. However, that did not mean that scoring opportunities did not appear, but in a day of competition that was too unlucky, Sterling continuously missed. This kept the 1-1 score unchanged until the end of the match.
In the match taking place at the same time, Atalanta beat Dinamo Zagreb with a score of 2-0. With this victory, the Italian team has 4 points. Despite being at the bottom of the table, they still have a chance to compete for a ticket to the next round with Shakhtar Donetsk (6 points) and Dinamo Zagreb (5 points).
