Jean Benedichich delivered the decisive blow against "Shakhtar" in their friendly match against Slovenian side "Triglav", handing the Ukrainian club their first defeat under new manager Arda Turan. The Slovenian forward found the net in the 16th minute of the shortened format game, which consisted of two 30-minute halves.
"This is just part of our preparation process," a club representative might explain after such a result. "Friendly matches help identify areas for improvement before competitive fixtures."
Shakhtar Donetsk entered this friendly match with some positive momentum, having recently secured advancement to the second qualifying round of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League. However, the "miners" couldn't maintain their winning form against the Slovenian opposition.
Interestingly, Turan made wholesale changes at the 44-minute mark, replacing goalkeeper Fesyun with Bahlai and introducing six outfield substitutes including Gocholeisvili, Ogarkov, Farina, Tsukanov, and Shved.
The starting lineup featured key players including Konoplya, Matvienko, Sudakov, and Brazilian talents Kevin and Pedrinho Enrique, but they couldn't break through Triglav's defense.
Do these early struggles indicate potential concerns for "Shakhtar" as they prepare for European competition? Or is this simply a minor setback in their preseason preparations?
