The encounter
Timișoara qualified on away goals · aggregate 2–2
Match cassette · results and dates
Romanian club’s score first.
- 29 July 2009 · AwayPolitehnica Timișoara 2–2 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
- 5 August 2009 · HomePolitehnica Timișoara 0–0 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
A trophy holder in a different competition
Politehnica Timișoara met Shakhtar Donetsk in the third qualifying round of the 2009/10 Champions League. Shakhtar, coached by Mircea Lucescu, had won the UEFA Cup only months earlier.
Two valuable goals in Donetsk
The first leg on 29 July finished 2–2. Timișoara returned home with two away goals and the possibility of qualifying without winning either match.
A clean sheet at the Dan Păltinișanu
On 5 August, Ovidiu Ioan Sabău’s side held Shakhtar to a 0–0 draw in Timișoara. Costel Pantilimon helped preserve the clean sheet as the hosts protected the result they needed. With the aggregate score level, Timișoara progressed on away goals.
The holders held at bay
Shakhtar had lifted the UEFA Cup just months before, but Timișoara’s two goals in Donetsk left the tie delicately poised. At home, a goalless draw was enough under the away-goals rule. That did not end the Romanian club’s European journey, but it did end the Champions League hopes of the previous season’s UEFA Cup winners.
What qualification meant
The success took Timișoara into the Champions League play-off round, where Stuttgart ended their hopes of reaching the group stage. Shakhtar transferred to the Europa League. Eliminating the UEFA Cup holders remains a notable achievement, distinct from winning an individual match.
Explore the archive
Sources & image credits
Match results and dates follow the archive records. Reference pages:
- UEFA · Timișoara joy as Shakhtar crash out ↗
- UEFA · 2009/10 handbook and subsequent play-off results ↗
Club crest: the image already stored in the club archive, used as a visual identifier rather than a photograph of this encounter.
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