Eighteen matches played simultaneously on Wednesday concluded the league stage of the UEFA Champions League and among African players, Serhou Guirassy and a group of Morocco national team member snatched the spotlight.
Guinea national team star Guirassy led Borussia Dortmund to a 3-1 victory over Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk. The prolific goal scorer was in the right place to direct Karim Adeyemi's cross into the goal in the 16th minute.
Guirassy doubled the lead for Dortmund just before halftime. The former Stuttgart star ran onto a pass from Julian Brandt and finished under goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk to make it 2-0. It is Guirassy's 9th goal in the Champions League this season, leaving him level with FC Barcelona marksman Robert Lewandowski at the top of the scoring charts.
Shakhtar fought back with an early goal in the second half but Algerian defender Ramy Bensebaini provided the insurance goal in the 79th minute. Bensebaini passed to American playmaker Giovanni Reyna who provided a clever backheel return pass for the Algerian to produce a brilliant chip over Riznyk.
The victory was not enough to move Dortmund into a top-8 position and a bye into the Round of 16. Despite their struggles in the Bundesliga, last season's Champions League finalists continue to show that the quality is there for another potential deep run in the knockout stages. Guirassy now has 17 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions this season.
Comments