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Results Based News

Shakhtar secure UEFA glory

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 21/05/2009

Shakhtar Donetsk became the first Ukrainian side to win a major European trophy after they defeated football betting favourites Werder Bremen 2-1 after extra-time in the UEFA Cup final.

Luiz Adriano fired Shakhtar ahead midway through the first half and, although an error by keeper Andriy Pyatov allowed Naldo to grab an equaliser for the Bundesliga side, Jadson steered home the winner in extra-time.

Mircea Lucescu's Shakhtar side started very brightly and Luiz Adriano should have opened the scoring in the sixth minute when he fired narrowly wide after being set up by Jadson's clever pass.

Three minutes later, when play swung to the other end, Frank Baumann drilled a shot into the ground and wide of the goal when presented with a clear opening.

After making a very nervous start to the match Werder slowly started to get into the game and, in the 20th minute, Clemens Fritz lifted a long-range effort over the bar.

However, five minutes later Shakhtar took the lead when another clever pass by Jadson left the Werder defence in disarray and Luiz Adriano was able to run on and dink the ball over the advancing Tim Wiese.

Werder grabbed a 35th-minute equaliser after Markus Rosenberg won a free-kick 30 yards out. Naldo's powerful effort appeared to have been saved by the hapless Pyatov, but he somehow contrived to let the ball slip through his hands and into the net.

Shakhtar almost regained the lead just before half-time, but Wiese somehow turned a thunderous Mariusz Lewandowski drive away for a corner.

After a lively first 45 minutes the second half was a more staid affair as both teams adopted a more cautious approach.

Darijo Srna and Jadson went close with two free-kicks for Shakhtar while Mesut Ozil dragged a shot wide from a good position for Werder when he should at least have got his effort on target.

The match appeared to be heading for penalties until another goalkeeping error handed the trophy to Shakhtar seven minutes into extra-time, when Wiese allowed Jadson's weak effort to dribble into the net.

Home favourite Jurgen Melzer continued his progress at tennis' Austrian Open, seeing off Argentina's Agustin Calleri 6-4, 7-5 to reach round three in Kitzbuhel.

However, Stefan Koubek was knocked out in the second round, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Russian seventh seed Mikhail Youzhny.

In the Friends Provident Trophy Ireland sprung a major shock as they beat Worcestershire by 94 runs at New Road, with the home side bowled out for a mere 58.

That meant the Pears missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, with Hampshire and Nottinghamshire qualifying from Group A.

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