Donetsk, Ukraine (My Sportsbook) - Oscar Cardozo scored twice as Benfica beat Shaktar Donetsk, 2-1, on Tuesday in the Champions League to move into third in Group D and secure a spot in the UEFA Cup. Shaktar Donetsk was still alive for a berth in the knockout round of the Champions League entering Tuesday's match, but fell behind by two goals and couldn't recover. In addition to failing to advance in the Champions League, Shaktar Donetsk also lost a berth in the UEFA Cup, a consolation for the third-place team in each group. Cardozo scored in the 6th and 22nd minutes. He had three goals in group play. Cardozo took advantage of a defensive mistake to score his first goal, running onto a bad pass to dribble by Shaktar Donetsk goalie Andriy Pyatov for an easy goal. He added his second goal on a header from the center of the box. Maxi Pereira picked up the assist on the goal. Cristiano Lucarelli converted a penalty kick in the 30th for Shaktar Donetsk's only goal. Also on Tuesday, Filippo Inzaghi scored as AC Milan beat Celtic, 1-0, to win the group. Group D finished a week earlier than the rest of the Champions League because AC Milan is playing the FIFA World Club Cup in Japan next week. |
