Samba stars send Shakhtar Donetsk into UEFA Cup final

Shakhtar Donetsk thanked their Brazilian contingent’s eye for goal as they saw off fellow Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev 2-1 to reach the UEFA Cup final for the first time on Thursday.

Donetsk’s 3-2 semi-final aggregate win gave them a final date with either Hamburg or Werder Bremen who were meeting later with Hamburg leading their north German rivals 1-0 from their first-leg clash.

Brazilian Ilsinho netted a goal fit to win any game, finishing with aplomb at the end of a flowing move two minutes from time to send his teammates into a May 20 final in Istanbul.

After drawing the away leg, Donetsk survived an early scare, Ismael Bangoura firing an early effort just wide for the visitors.

But thereafter the hosts began to find their rhythm and were rewarded when Ilsinho’s countryman Jadson put them in front in the 17th minute when Kiev’s Brazilian defender Ebert Betao failed to clear a loose ball.

Stunned into a riposte Kiev thought they were level when ten minutes before the break Croatian Ognjen Vukojevic fired home following a well-worked free kick routine but his effort was ruled offside.

Needing to chase the game after the restart Dynamo came out fighting and two minutes into the second period the levelled after Artem Milevskiy fed Oleksandr Aliev, who in turn found Bangoura steaming through and he nonchalantly chipped Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov.

With extra-time looming ever larger yet another Shakhtar Brazilian, Luiz Adriano, headed off his own line line as Kiev sought the second away goal which would have given them breathing space.

As the clock ticked down Kiev’s Moroccan midfielder Badr El Kaddouri failed to cut out a through ball and Ilsinho pounced to outpace Nigerian Aliya Yussuf and slam a fine left-foot shot low into the bottom corner to wrap up a famous win.