Photo: theTimes.co.uk
Darijo Srna and Shakhtar Donetsk are through to the Champions League knockout round; but at what cost?
With Danish champions Nordsjaelland up 1-0 in the 26th minute, play was whistled down due to an injury at midfield. Common fair play protocol calls for the team defending at the time of the foul to kick the ball back to the opposing club’s goalie to restart the play following the drop ball. Shakhtar’s Luiz Adriano didn’t get the message.
As the ball was headed back towards Nordsjaelland keeper Jesper Hansen, Adriano made a run up field, took control of the ball and calmly made a move around the goalie to tie the game up at 1-1, to the dismay of the Nordsjaelland players and supporters. The goal would stand but Shakhtar would have to rectify the play at the following kick off, right?
Wrong.
It looked as if Shakhtar were aware of their fair play foul and would let Nordsjaelland score a gimme goal following the Adriano ‘Ethics 101’ blunder. However, as the Danes started coming down the field, Shakhtar midfielder Taras Stepanenko poked the ball away and play would resume. The 23,000 fans in attendance filled Parken Stadium with ‘boos’ and ‘jeers’. However, Nordsjaelland would take the lead with a deserved goal three minutes later with Kasper Lorentzen making it 2-1 for the home side. But justice is sometimes blind as Shakhtar would convert four unanswered goals to win 5-2, with villain Luiz Adriano completing a hat trick on the night.
Eduardo played the last 10 minutes of the match while Srna went the full distance. Nordsjaelland’s 22 year-old Croatian defender Ivan Runje also played the full match.
Fair play mess @ 0:31
It was clearly Luiz Adriano’s miscue, but doesn’t it lie with captain Darijo Srna to make things right on the following lickoff, giving Nordsjaelland a goal to balance the universe- or is all fair in love, war AND football?
In other Champions League news…
Bayern Munich are through to the Champions League knockout round as well as they came from behind Tuesday night to force a 1-1 draw at Valencia. Striker Mario Mandžukić came off the bench in the 66th minute and hit the post off a header fives minutes in. The man is finding ways to impress at Bayern this season, as they host Hannover this weekend.
Complete douche move.
Is it a language barrier thing or is he that dopey?
Either way, they are fun to watch.
Srna could have gotten closer to the cross, but it looks like he expected the opposing player to take him one on one. No Shakhtar player was marking the man scored the goal.
@dukic shut the fuck up. U dont have respect for him? Nothing he could fuckin do. U dont no anything
somebody’s being called to the principal’s office…
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/footballfirst/matchorganisation/disciplinary/news/newsid=1895837.html#charges+brought+against+luiz+adriano
i have always liked shakhtar and seeing them do well in CL but that was disgraceful. think i might have to join some of the others in rooting against them now. this is exactly the point where the vets/leaders should set it straight. it looks like they kind of tried but not exactly.
what a joke….until the concept of stoppage time (i.e. like in pretty much all other major sports) is introduced into soccer, this system of kicking the ball back when an injury occurs is the best way to keep things fair.
that must have been a very interesting plane ride home for the team….
I like Shakhtar and I hope they go far in the CL.
Sure, they should’ve given a goal back, but it doesn’t really matter. It would’ve still taken a miracle for the Nords to avoid defeat in this game. Shakhtar has been playing great soccer this season, and it shouldn’t be negated by that one play.
When did Shaktar import all the negros?
In the end it’s a coach’s decision on whether or not they allow/disallow that goal. Adriano is a complete idiot, and knew exactly what he was doing. You realize that he was subbed off right before the game ended, and didn’t even stay on the pitch. He probably ran his ass into the locker room and got on the team bus as fast as he could.
Theyve only got 1 point. There outrage would be as is.
What if this game ended 3-2 instead of 5-2? Imagine the outrage then.
Serbs
UDBA
JUgos
Commies
blame them all
in situations like this I blame the serbs.
You guys are coming down hard on Srna. After the goal you could see him directing his players to let Nordsjaelland score unfortunately a few of them thought otherwise. The second goal by Nordsjaelland Srna let the guy just run by him without challenging the player. He knew it was a mistake on Shaktar’s part and did what he could to rectify it. Anyone to blame is Adriano and the coach not Srna.
Fair , as long as Referee standing on there !! (:
Shakhtar is dead for me. I will be rooting against them the rest of the season.
I thought it was pretty disgraceful.
honestly, I’d be embarassed If my team mates let that happen (especially not letting Nordsjaelland score when it looked like they were going to)…
On Adriano’s part… it was a real bitch move.
Also if I was the coach of Nord, I would take the entire team off the pitch until Shakhtar scored an own goal. No place for this in sport
Fair? Hell no. I remember years a go Ajax player did the same but after the kick off they let the other team score a goal. This is why Shakhtar Donetsk never going to be big name even if their filthy owner by 45 more brazlians and build 6 more new stadiums.
Srna lost my respect a long time ago. Rolling around on the pitch crying, no leadership, now this. exile
What shouldve happened to adriano was to get his ass kicked by the entire team. That wouldve been FAIR and players would think twice to do some bullshit like this again.
i have no respect for srna anymore. real captain would gave a goal back.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.
I would say its fair. God this sport is so stupid sometimes with their rules on how everything is so loose. No sport would let that happen, their would be strict rules to set the bar on what they can do on a free kick. Just sad, good thing I don’t take this too seriously anymore.
Fair. Not a rule to let it go back and the defense saw him an they could have stopped it. Play the whistle and play the ball. Fair.
He is just doing his job as a striker 😀