UEFA Cup - Late goal puts Shakhtar in final

Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for the final of the UEFA Cup after a 2-1 semi-final second-leg win over fellow Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev gave them a 3-2 aggregate win.



The hosts won a tense match thanks to an 88th-minute winner by Brazilian midfielder Ilsinho, who added to an opener from compatriot Jadson that had been cancelled out by Ismael Bangoura.

Shakhtar will play one of German duo Hamburg or Bremen, who play later tonight.

League leaders Dynamo Kiev started brightly and had the first opportunity when Bangoura got into the box despite a tug from Mykola Ischenko but could only fire wide of the right-hand post.

The hosts then dominated though, forcing Kiev into their own half until, on 17 minutes, Brazilian forward Jadson hammered the ball into the roof of the net after compatriot Betao failed to clear his lines, putting them 1-0 up on the night and 2-1 ahead on aggregate.

Just after the half-hour mark, Kiev's Moroccan left-back Badr El Kaddouri saved his side with a superb challenge on the edge of the box and they thought they had levelled five minutes later when Croatia's Ognjen Vukojevic slide the ball past Pyatov after a superbly-worked free-kick but it was disallowed for a marginal offside.

Aliyev - who sent the low delivery into the box - protested too fiercely and was booked along with team-mate Bangoura, ruling the former out of his side's next European match.

The hosts led at half-time but whatever Dynamo coach Yuri Semin said at the break worked as, within two minutes, his side were level.

The otherwise-quiet Artem Milevskiy played a deft ball to Aliev that he slid through to Bangoura, who raced clear of the Shakhtar defence to loft a chipped finish over reserve keeper Andriy Pyatov.

The match opened up and both sides exchanged chances in what seemed a desperate attempt to avoid extra-time.

Fernandinho was denied by Betao after Jadson shot into the ground, while down the other end Luiz Adriano headed off the line after Pyatov flapped at a high ball.

Jadson went clean through but was denied by a brave diving block from Kiev back-up keeper Stanyslav Bogush, while for Kiev Finland midfielder Roman Eremenko drilled just wide after breaking down the right wing.

Bogush almost handed the hosts a winner when he dropped a straightforward high ball into Ilisnho's path, but he was saved on the line by Goran Sablic.

The winner came with two minutes remaining after El Kaddouri's poor decision to intercept a crossfield pass was exploited by Ilsinho, who cut inside from the right wing, slipped past Aliya Yussuf and switched on to his left foot, with which he passed a low, angled effort into the bottom right.

It sent the home fans into delirium and, despite frantic late pressure from Kiev, oil-rich Shakhtar held on to set up the biggest game in the club's history and their first European final