Wednesday, 24th October, 2012
Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu believes his side’s victory over Chelsea in the Champions League last night was all the more impressive due to the improvement he has seen in the opposition.
The Ukrainian Premier League outfit claimed the win 2-1 at the Donbass Arena, but such was their dominance in portions of the game, the scoreline could have been more favourable.
For Romanian manager Lucescu, it was more than enough though and the former Besiktas boss believes the current Chelsea crop is better than that which won last season’s Champions League, making him all the happier to claim three points.
"The match worked out exactly as we would have hoped. Perhaps, it was one of our best games in recent times", said Lucescu at his post-match press conference.
"It proves that we are on the right track, we are still growing, our young players are maturing and gaining the necessary confidence.
"And I have to say that this Chelsea side are stronger than the one that won the Champions League last season.
relatedNewsStory"That is something that makes our victory all the more important."
Domestically, Shakhtar have been in superb form this season, winning all 12 of their league games so far.
The win over Chelsea now places the Ukrainian giants firmly in control of Group E, with seven points from three games. The Blues come next with four points, followed by Juventus on three and then Danish champions FC Nordsjaelland on one.
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