Oleksandr Zinchenko has been lauded for a touching gesture towards Shakhtar Donetsk fans after Arsenal’s 1-0 Champions League win over the Ukrainian side. Zinchenko, who remained on the bench during the match, made a point of acknowledging the Shakhtar fans, many of whom were his compatriots, by applauding them and giving his shirt to one supporter, Metro reports.
Despite Shakhtar’s brave performance, they left the Emirates Stadium without a point, losing 1-0 after an unfortunate own goal by goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk. However, the Ukrainian team earned widespread admiration for their resilience, representing a country still grappling with the effects of the war following Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Shakhtar manager Marino Pusic praised Zinchenko for his gesture, revealing that the Arsenal defender also visited the Shakhtar dressing room after the match to show his support and listen to Pusic’s post-match speech. “Great guy, we love him, and an amazing player of course,” said Pusic.
Zinchenko, who captained Shakhtar Donetsk at the youth level before moving to Ufa in 2015 and eventually to Arsenal via Manchester City, was spotted taking pictures with several Shakhtar players and signing an Arsenal shirt to be taken back with the team.
Speaking about his team’s performance, Pusic expressed pride in his players, particularly for their strong second-half showing, and lamented the near-miss of securing a draw after a late save from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. “We made some small changes, and I think we dominated at times in the second half,” he said, adding that Shakhtar deserved a goal and could have salvaged a point.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was pleased with his side’s hard-fought victory, emphasizing the importance of the three points. Despite recent fatigue from a weekend defeat to Bournemouth, Arteta said, “We left the game a bit open, but we dug in for three points.”
Arsenal now sits fourth in the Champions League group stage with seven points from four games, while Shakhtar are 29th with just one point.
