Soccer Football - Champions League - Shakhtar Donetsk v Brest - Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - January 22, 2025 Shakhtar Donetsk's Kevin celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Shakhtar Donetsk kept their Champions League hopes alive as they secured a vital 2-0 home win over Brest on Wednesday thanks to a brilliant strike from Kevin and a well-taken penalty from Georgiy Sudakov.
The Ukrainian champions broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Brazilian winger Kevin pounced on a costly slip by Brest skipper Brendan Chardonnet, before racing into the area and confidently slotting home.
The hosts pushed hard to extend their lead and Brest keeper Marco Bizot made a series of impressive saves, before conceding a penalty for a poor challenge on Irakli Azarov and Sudakov scored with a chip down the middle of the goal.
Brest are 11th in the Champions League standings with 13 points, still well-placed to progress to the last 16, while Shakhtar are 27th on seven points and outside the playoff places with one match remaining.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)