UEFA Champions League 2011, Matchday 3: All The Big Boys Win On Wednesday

Shakhtar Donetsk had a lead over Zenit St. Petersburg on two separate occasions in their UEFA Champions League clash, but the visitors fought back on two occasions to earn a deserved 2-2 draw. Shakhtar now have just two points from their first three matches - including two home draws - and are in very bad shape in Group G. Meanwhile, Zenit are in the mix for a knockout stage place and will like their chances of qualifying if they can defeat Shakhtar at home in their return fixture.

Zenit was the team very much on top in the first 15 minutes, and they should have been ahead after 10. Shakhtar’s star defender Dmytro Chigrynskiy pushed down Aleksandr Bukharov in the box in the 9th minute, leading to a Shakhtar penalty, but Roman Shirokov’s effort was a weak one and Oleksandr Rybka made a simple save.

Valencia opened up the scoring thanks to a beautiful play by Roberto Soldado in the 26th minute. The Spaniard chased a ball down on the left then hit a perfect cross with the outside of his right boot right into the path of Jonas, who only had to tap the ball in to put the visitors in front.

That goal held up until halftime, when the crowd at Bay Arena were understandably concerned that they would drop the home points to Valencia and make advancement a steep uphill climb. Just seven minutes into the second half, Andre Schurrle helped ease those concerns though. A cross from the left curled all the way to the top of the box, where Schurrle hit a great shot with his left foot to beat Diego Alves.

Shakhtar Donetsk made an impressive run to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals last season not long after winning the final version of the UEFA Cup, but the Ukranian giants are not off to a great start. They picked up a couple of red cards en route to a loss to FC Porto, and could only manage a draw againt APOEL Nicosia. If they hope to qualify for the knockout stages again, a home win against Zenit St. Petersburg is vital.

Zenit are currently cruising in the Russian Premier League and made up for their slip-up against APOEL with an impressive home win over FC Porto. Going away to the Donbass Arena is difficult, though, and they’ll put themselves in excellent position to reach the next round if they gain a point before the return fixture in St. Petersburg.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for Genk to get a result, but the injuries to their back line have been a killer. Jose Nadson, Torben Jonelei and Jeroen Simaeys are all out due with injuries, leaving the defense decimated. Midfielder Daniel Tozser will have to play in the center of defense and Daniel Pudil, who is preferred on the wing, will have to play left back. The absences aren’t limited to the back though. Captain and midfielder David Hubert is out and so is forward Jelle Vossen. Genk is what us fancy football writers like to call screwed.

The most interesting part of the match will be watching Kevin De Bruyne playing against his possible future team. Chelsea have been linked to the 20-year-old Belgian on several occasions and it looked like he might make the move to Stamford Bridge, with a loan back to Genk, in the summer. It didn’t happen, but it still could happen in the future. If De Bruyne can impress on Wednesday it might be what convinces Chelsea to pull the trigger on the big money transfer.