2016 Florida Cup: Shakhtar Donetsk and Fluminense Draw 1-1

Ronaldinho made an appearance in the second half, but couldn’t spark a game winner as Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk and Fluminense from Brazil’s top flight played to a 1-1 draw in each club’s first match of the 2016 Florida Cup at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

Both teams came out of the gate running, but the game slowed down after the sides settled in and found their footing. The first chance for either team came in the third minute as Shakhtar’s Ismaily was able to get a breakaway down the wing and took a shot right into Fluminense keeper Diego Cavalieri.

Over the next 15 minutes, there was a lot of play through the midfield and several long balls over the top of the defense, but hardly anything even reached the final third of either team.

There was finally a chance in the 17th minute, after a foul in the midfield by Fluminense. Shakhtar’s Taison took a free kick for that went around the wall and just into the grasp of the keeper. Five minutes later, Fluminense had a chance on the other side with Diego Souza, but the ball was cleared away by Kucher Oleksandr before anyone from the Brazilian team could get to it.

The best chance for Fluminense in the first half came in the 35th minute, when Richarlison took the ball from the right wing, cut inside to the edge of the box and took a low, hard shot toward goal. Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov came up with a big save and was able to parry the shot away and keep the game level.

Right before the half ended, Shakhtar had a golden opportunity to take the lead. A cross into the box was taken by Facundo Ferreyra and left in the box for Wellington Nem to finish off. The goalkeeper had already dove for the layoff, so the net was completely open. Luckily for Fluminense, Gum came to the rescue and cleared the ball before Wellington Nem could put it in the net. The half ended, still without a goal.

The game didn’t remain scoreless for long after the break. Only two minutes into the second half, Marlos drove in a cross from the left wing and the ball was deftly put away by Ferreyra to put the Ukrainian side in front, 1-0.

About 15 minutes after the goal, Fluminense tried to respond with a shot from Souza from about 25 yards out, but the new goalkeeper, Anton Kanibolotskyi, was confidently able to save it.

Multiple substitutions came over the next 15 minutes, culminating in the appearance of the Brazilian legend Ronaldinho in the 59th minute. With the younger players in for both teams, Shakhtar was able to control most of the possession throughout the half, while most of Fluminense’s chances came on the counter attack.

In the 70th minute, one of those counter attacks almost resulted in an equalizer. Gustavo Scarpa for the “Tricolor” was able to get free down the right wing. Ronaldinho, who was playing as a striker and wearing No. 100 on his jersey, got the ball at his feet in the area and took a brilliant chip, trying to find the corner of the goal, but to the dismay of the Brazilian side’s fans, he missed the target by a foot.

In the 80th minute, Fluminense were able to equalize. After a huge mistake from Shakhtar defender Mykola Matviyenko, who misplayed the ball, Felipe Amorim was able to deliver a pass to a waiting Magno Alves who calmly slotted home the equalizer.

Up until the final whistle, both teams put pressure into trying to break the tie, but the defenses held tough and the match ended in a draw.

Shakhtar will play one more game on Wednesday against Corinthians. That game will be at 6:45 p.m. at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex. Meanwhile, Fluminense will play their fellow countrymen Internacional at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale at the same time.