Klub asal Ukraina, Shakhtar Donetsk, menempati peringkat pertama sebagai tim dengan penyelesaian akhir paling efisien dalam kompetisi Liga Konferensi UEFA musim 2025/2026 berdasarkan data statistik resmi expected goals (xG) yang dirilis pada Kamis, 21 Mei 2026.
Laporan resmi UEFA menunjukkan tim asuhan Arda Turan tersebut membukukan 21 gol dari total nilai xG sebesar 16,02, sehingga mengemas surplus 4,98 gol lebih banyak dari perkiraan peluang mereka.
Pencapaian efisiensi ini melengkapi kesuksesan domestik Shakhtar Donetsk yang baru saja mengunci gelar juara Liga Utama Ukraina setelah meraih kemenangan dramatis 3-2 atas Kryvbas KR dalam laga yang sempat terhenti akibat peringatan serangan udara.
Ketajaman lini depan skuad ini juga diperkuat dengan kepastian bertahannya penyerang internasional Burkina Faso, Lassina Traore, yang menandatangani perpanjangan kontrak baru berdurasi panjang hingga musim panas 2031 pada Selasa, 19 Mei 2026.
Traore bergabung dari Ajax Amsterdam pada Juli 2021 dengan biaya transfer 10 juta euro dan telah mencatatkan 115 penampilan serta membukukan 31 gol dan 23 asis di semua kompetisi bersama klub.
Pemain berusia 25 tahun tersebut menegaskan alasannya untuk tetap bertahan di Ukraina demi kelanjutan karier sepak bolanya saat diwawancarai oleh media Africa Foot.
"Stability, the Champions League, and I find all the perfect conditions here, the trust at every level to develop." ujar Lassina Traore, Penyerang Shakhtar Donetsk.
Keputusan bertahannya Traore mendapat respons positif dari sang pelatih, Arda Turan, yang memberikan pujian mendalam terhadap kualitas personal serta kontribusi besar sang penyerang musim ini.
"We always have some small private jokes between us which we use in relation to whether he managed to score or not. For me, he is not only a footballer but, first of all, a person, and his contribution to us winning the Ukrainian Premier League title this season simply cannot be overstated. And I truly love him." ujar Arda Turan, Pelatih Kepala Shakhtar Donetsk.
Turan kemudian menyanggah anggapan mengenai situasi melelahkan akibat perjalanan darat selama 16 jam dan peringatan serangan udara sebagai fase tersulit bagi timnya.
"No, I wouldn’t say it is the most difficult period. First of all, we are here for the children and for all the fans present, so we knew why we were travelling here. I would compare it with other, in my view, more demanding periods – for example, when we had three UPL matches in a week, including the rescheduled game with Zorya, as well as period when we had to compete on two fronts, in the Ukrainian league and in European competitions. It is also always difficult to return after international breaks and get back into rhythm. So yes, it is physically demanding, but as I said, we played for the children and for everyone here in the stands. Despite the external circumstances, which of course were not very pleasant, we understood the purpose of what we were doing." kata Arda Turan, Pelatih Kepala Shakhtar Donetsk.
Pelatih kepala tersebut juga memberikan penjelasan mengenai situasi kelelahan fisik tim serta dua pergantian pemain terpaksa akibat cedera pada babak pertama pertandingan melawan Kryvbas.
"I think all the science in the world cannot provide a fully complete answer to that question. Given our schedule and the fact that we travelled here for 16 hours, there is no need to look for any special explanations. And if I’m not mistaken, in our last 16 matches we have regularly played two or three games a week, so I believe that says more than any explanation I could give." tutur Arda Turan, Pelatih Kepala Shakhtar Donetsk.
Turan menambahkan bahwa pihak kepelatihan kini mulai mengistirahatkan beberapa pilar penting seperti Riznyk dan Mykola Matviienko demi mengurangi risiko cedera menjelang musim baru.
"We will think about it, and the decision will be made at the level of the club’s top management. We take into account all the minutes played over the season by each individual performer, as well as the potential risk of injury in this final stage of the season. If we go through the individuals briefly, Riznyk played a lot and deserved this rest; Kaua Elias and Alisson were injured, so they could also have left the club’s camp, but they continue to train individually. Mykola Matviienko has been called up very frequently to the Ukraine national team over the last two seasons, where he has also played full matches, so he was given time to rest in order to reduce the workload and the risk of injury ahead of the next season." jelas Arda Turan, Pelatih Kepala Shakhtar Donetsk.
Saat dimintai keterangan seputar strategi belanja dan rencana transfer pemain baru untuk menghadapi fase grup Liga Champions mendatang, Turan menyerahkan seluruh wewenang kepada Direktur Olahraga klub.
"I’m responsible for building the team in tactical and technical terms, and of course the Champions League is a completely different level of competition and a different level of football challenge, but regarding the actual squad planning and recruitment, it would be better to direct that question to Darijo Srna." ungkap Arda Turan, Pelatih Kepala Shakhtar Donetsk.
Berikut adalah tabel efisiensi penyelesaian akhir tim-tim terbaik berdasarkan data resmi UEFA yang dilansir dari harianbasis.co dan pojokpapua.id:
| Tim | Gol Dicetak | xG | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shakhtar | 21 | 16.02 | 4.98 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 9 | 6.07 | 2.93 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 22 | 20.21 | 1.79 |
| Drita | 8 | 6.38 | 1.62 |
| Raków Częstochowa | 11 | 9.75 | 1.25 |
Kemenangan atas Kryvbas tersebut turut melambungkan nama penyerang muda asal Nigeria, Prosper Obah, yang mencetak dua gol penentu kemenangan setelah masuk sebagai pemain pengganti dan kini dilaporkan mulai menarik minat dari klub asal Inggris, Coventry.
