Do they mean us - Shakhtar reaction from the other side

Opinion on Celtic’s UEFA Champions League Group stage opening game is fairly solid that the team were thoroughly outplayed. Here are a few snippets from Ukraine journalists.

Eduard Kiselyov, The Sport Arena:

Shakhtar turned out to be considerably stronger. Gordon Strachan and his side were shocked not only by the two quick goals, but mostly by the level of Shakhtar’s performance. They definitely were not ready for that. Shakhtar exceeded all their expectations. They couldn’t have guessed that there was such a strong team on the outskirts of Europe. Mircea Lucescu’s team did their job perfectly well. The two goals knocked the Celts down and allowed Shakhtar play their game. What impressed me most, was the Miner’s confidence with which they defeated the Scottish league leaders.

Mykhailo Metreveli, The Futbol v Litsah magazine:

Shakhtar delivered a high-quality performance. During first 20 minutes they were totally dominating the game. Our team were very aggressive in their attacks. With two quick goals Shakhtar secured their success. As to my mind, all the players looked very good. But still, I would like to mention Fernandinho. I think he has potential.

But Shakhtar had problems in that match too. Celtic, being pressed down, managed to create a couple of goal opportunities. It was a miracle the ball didn’t cross the goal line in one of the episodes. So, it crucial for the team to learn to remain concentrated all through the match. But all in all I enjoyed this match I think Shakhtar are able to preserve the first pace in the Group and advance to the next stage.

Dmytro Korotkov, The Segodnya:

Most of all I liked two things in that match: first, Shakhtar managed to make Celtic play under their rules, and second, the Donetsk players looked much better in terms of individual skills. And the fact that Celtic were unable to push forward and switch from defence to attack made Shakhtar’s task even easier.

But this match also showed Shakhtar’s weak points. First of all the team are emotionally unstable: they seemed to be surprised at their own success and gave up the initiative for some time.

Celtic aren’t the strongest squad in Group D. It means Shakhtar will have to make efforts to keep the leadership.