Inter End Champions League Slump With Narrow Win Over Shakhtar

Inter beat Shakhtar 

Inter Milan ended a four-game losing streak in the Champions League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, who suffered their first League Phase defeat.

Augusto winner sees 10-man Inter past Shakhtar in tense clash. Bastoni sent off but hosts hold on...

Inter Milan claimed their first points of this season's Champions League and earned just a second win in nine games in the competition with a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, ending the Ukrainian side's unbeaten start to the League Phase.

Already on an unwanted club-record run of four straight Champions League defeats, Inter started like a side with nothing to lose, as Marcus Thuram saw a scuffed effort kept out by Dmytro Riznyk before Hakan Calhanoglu linked superbly with Nicolo Barella and drilled a low shot just wide inside the opening five minutes.

The hosts continued to dominate territory, but they had to wait until midway through the first half to truly test Riznyk again, when Ange-Yoan Bonny brought down a ball over the top and fired well on the turn.

Despite these sides producing 16 goals combined across the first two matchdays, chances were scarce here as Shakhtar's disciplined defence frustrated Inter. Valeriy Bondar's header from a corner in the closing stages of the half was pushed away by Josep Martinez - only the second shot on target he had faced - before the whistle blew on a first goalless first half in 10 Champions League games for the Hirnyky.

Even in defeat to Club Brugge on Matchday 2, the Nerazzurri had kept up their record of scoring three or more in every home game this season, but their frustration against Arda Turan's side only grew after the restart.

Bonny watched an effort deflect kindly into Riznyk's hands, before the keeper tipped a curling Thuram attempt around the post. That growing frustration boiled over with a quarter of the game left, when Alessandro Bastoni was shown a second yellow card for striking Oleh Ocheretko in the face off the ball.

But as Shakhtar committed players forward to exploit their numerical advantage, Cristian Chivu introduced Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the veteran midfielder made an instant impact.

He threaded a perfectly timed ball through for Carlos Augusto, who took it in stride and calmly slotted past the onrushing Riznyk.

A moment of magic wins it for Inter ⚫️🔵 #UCL https://t.co/Oajj08KZ6v

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 21, 2026

Mkhitaryan had the opportunity to seal it moments later, but dragged his effort wide after being forced into an extra touch. Martinez then kept out Newerton and Bondar in the closing stages, ensuring a single goal was enough for Inter to hold on and end a run of four straight home defeats in Europe. Shakhtar, meanwhile, are now winless in eight meetings with Il Biscione, having scored just once across those encounters.

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