Late lapse irks Lucescu

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu was vexed after a late goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-2 draw in their last-16 Champions League clash.

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu was vexed after a late goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-2 draw in their last-16 Champions League clash.

An 87th-minute equaliser from Mats Hummels left Dortmund the happier of the two teams following the first leg, with the Germans leaving Ukraine with two away goals to show for their efforts.

Lucescu was unhappy with how his players squandered a vital home win and particularly rued inadequacies in defence, though he praised Juergen Klopp’s men for their attack-minded approach.

The 67-year-old told reporters after the match: “It’s a pity that we didn’t reach our goal which was to win. Our opponents are a very organised and well-prepared, physical team.

“They played aggressively and tried to attack whenever possible, creating a lot of problems for us. We couldn’t keep the lead on two occasions, made some errors, and this is inexcusable.

“It’s a 2-2 draw, but we still have some time to work and prepare. We made childlike mistakes today, and now we have to work hard.

“We talked a lot about set pieces, while preparing for Dortmund, but they still used one of their big strengths to score.”

The sides will meet in the return leg at Signal Iduna Park on March 5.