Shakhtar Donetsk's hopes to advance in the Champions League ended with a 1-0 loss to Portuguese super-power Sporting. The match was tightly played before the break with realistic opportunities to score few and far between. Liedson began to assert himself after the break and the Miners seemed to be playing back on their heels. With twenty-one minutes remaining Sporting called upon veteran Brazilian striker Derlei and only four minutes after he was served-up a perfect ball by long-term Lokomotiv Moscow man Marat Izmailov, which he volleyed-into the back of the net.
With the loss Shakhtar Donetsk sits in third place two points above FC Basel in the race for the UEFA Cup spot.
