RENNES: Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday with coach Igor Jovicevic hailing the win at French side Rennes as a “victory for Ukraine.”
Shakhtar defeated Rennes 5-4 in a penalty shootout after their play-off had ended 3-3 on aggregate and then went to extra-time.
The win comes on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It was very important. This match was for you, Ukraine, it was for our country, for Ukraine,” said Croatian national Jovicevic who has worked in Ukraine for more than 20 years.
“I can’t find the words at the moment, we were in the game until the end,” he added.
“You could almost say that we died on the pitch, that we left our arms and legs there. This victory is a reward for our work.”
The Ukrainian club has not played games in their home city since 2014 and have to stage ‘home’ league matches in Lviv.
European matches are played on neutral ground in Warsaw where families of some of the players now live.
“Respect to my players, I’m proud of them,” added Jovicevic who praised the “magnificent atmosphere” of Rennes’ Roazhon Park stadium.
“It’s my dream that my team can one day play in a home stadium full of fans,” said the coach.
“The next round now gives us the opportunity to see them again, they give us strength.
“Without European competition, we wouldn’t go to Warsaw. Personally speaking, if we had been eliminated tonight, I would not have seen my family until at least June.”
The draw for the last 16 of Europe’s second-tier club competition takes place Friday and Shakhtar will continue to prepare in Ukraine despite the war.
“It’s already a very difficult situation to live to the rhythm of the bombardments, the sirens,” explained the coach.
“We have to think about tactics but above all, we want to wake up alive in the morning.”
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