Ten-man Brugge stay on even keel

FC Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Club Brugge KV
A late penalty from Timmy Simons secured a draw for Club Brugge KV in their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first-leg match against FC Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Looked likely
With time running out in the Shakhtyor stadium, the Ukrainian champions were leading through a Julius Aghahowa strike and looked likely to secure a first-leg advantage. However, the away goal four minutes from time has swung the tie back in Brugge's favour with the return to come in a fortnight.

Belgian domination
Brugge dominated possession in the first half, soaking up any Shakhtar pressure and counterattacking at pace. Yet both sides failed to create any real clear-cut chances as the teams cancelled each other out in a tight opening 45 minutes.

Renewed purpose
Shakhtar came out with renewed purpose after the break and, in the 47th minute, Isaac Okoronkwo's long ball found Aghahowa who beat Marek Spilar to the ball to give Shakhtar the lead. Five minutes later, another long ball allowed Andriy Vorobiei a clear run at Dany Verlinden's goal, but the Ukrainian international shot wide.

Red card
Vorobiei wasted another opportunity late in the game, just failing to latch on to the ball after Hennadiy Zubov's incisive pass. By this time, Brugge were down to ten men after Peter van der Heyden was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Away goal
With four minutes left, Mykhailo Starostiak brought down Andrés Mendoza Acevedo in the box. Simons converted the penalty to give Brugge a vital away goal and a hard-earned draw.

'Complicated task'
"We did not achieve the planned result, but I must say that we were not under par," said Shakhtar coach Nevio Scala. "We deserved a victory more than a draw. I have seen the replay of the episode with penalty against us. I think the referee has made a mistake. Now we will have to score away from home, and this will be a more complicated task."

'Going home satisfied'