Club Profile – FC Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukrainian Premier League Toppers
Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club which plays in the top flight of Ukrainian football, known as the Ukrainian Premier League. The club came into being in 1936, and was named Stakhanovets. Its name changed
from Stakhanovets to Shakhtyor in 1946, and then finally to FC Shakhtar in 1992 after Ukraine had become an independent country.
Shakhtar, along with Dynamo Kyiv, have dominated domestic football in Ukraine, winning the Ukrainian League five times in the last ten years. Shakhtar have also lifted the Ukrainian Cup on six occasions and the Ukrainian Super
Cup on three separate occasions. The club qualifies for Europe on a regular basis due to its impressive form in the domestic leagues and so has raised its profile in Europe and attracted high-quality foreign players to its side.
Shakhtar's biggest achievement in the last decade has been its victory in the 2009 UEFA Cup. The result firmly put the club on the footballing map, as far as Europe is concerned.
After finishing 3rd in a group that contained Barcelona and Sporting CP, Shakhtar were handed a place in the UEFA Cup despite getting nine points in the group. Their impressive performance included defeating Barcelona at Camp Nou
in a memorable game for the Ukrainian club.
In the round of 32, Shakhtar defeated English team Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on aggregate to progress to the round of 16. Next it was old rivals CSKA Moscow, who were pushed aside with a 2-1 aggregate victory after going down 1-0 in
the first leg. The next round provided a simpler task as Shakhtar made light work of an in-form Marseille side by beating them 4-1; once again, their Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano scored the crucial goal, in what was a sign of things to come.
In the semi-finals, Shakhtar played their most bitter rivals Dynamo Kyiv. The two clubs have a long history of intense competition and the match proved to be very interesting as the away leg finished 1-1, which flattered Shakhtar.
The second leg started very well for the Donetsk club as they took the lead in the 17th minute through Jadson but Kyiv soon equalized. The match looked to be heading for extra time and a potential penalty shootout, when a moment of brilliance took Shakhtar
Donetsk to the final. Ilsinho, an important player for the club, received the ball just outside the penalty area and sidestepped three defenders before placing a stunning shot into the goal to the immense joy of the Shakhtar faithful.
The final was against Werder Bremen of Germany, in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the Brazilian, Luiz Adriano, who opened the scoring for Shakhtar once again but it only took ten minutes for the German club to equalize. The match went
to extra time and it was the Ukrainians who held their nerve to take the match with a goal from Jadson proving the difference.
Shakhtar finished 1st in the last domestic season, but they will be looking for an improved performance in Europe in order to add to the UEFA Cup won in 2009. With players like Adriano, Jadson and captain Srna, the club have all
the necessary talent required to take them to the next level.
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