Shakhtar beat Brest 2-0 to keep Champions League playoff hopes alive

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany : 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.