Shakhtar Donetsk were made to work for their place in the UEFA Champions League group stages, fighting off a spirited Rapid Wien 3-2 on aggregate.
Shakhtar had put themselves in an excellent position thanks to Marlos' strike and were looking to put in a similarly confident performance in Lyiv. Mircea Lucescu made just one change to the side that won in the Austrian capital last week; Serhiy Kryvtsov came in for Olexandr Kucher at centre-half.
For Rapid, their winning run continued domestically but this competition was what they had been craving for 10 long seasons. Zoran Barisi kept faith in the side that lost in the first tie but their superb performance warranted an unchanged eleven to have another crack at one of Ukraine's finest.
Crazy first half hour
The second leg began in similar fashion to the first and Shakhtar looked dangerous from the get-go. Olexandr Gladkiy had his header saved by Jan Novota but there was nothing he could do with a stunner from Marlos. He stole the ball back outside the box and cut inside onto his left foot, leaving the Rapid defence flat-footed.The Brazilian had made his space, and superbly curled the ball into the top corner.
Their joy was to be short-lived, however, as Barisi's side hit straight back. Florian Kainz broke past the home defence but was denied by Darijo Srna's superb sliding tackle. The ball bounced kindly for him and he drilled towards Louis Schaub, though he was also denied by a fine block. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, it popped straight up in the air and Schaub headed home to get an all important equaliser.
That goal turned the tide and the underdogs soon found themselves ahead. Robert Beric won a free-kick right on the edge of the box, a dangerous position but it looked slightly too close to goal. Stefan Hofmann, Rapid captain, wasn't concern where the ball was. A dead-ball specialist, Hofmann took charge and arrowed the ball straight into the top corner, sending the already raucous travelling support into a frenzy.
More goals, more chances
The first-half entertainment wasn't finished there, and a mistake allowed Shakhtar to edge back in front. A hopeful cross forward from Srna was misjudged by Christopher Dibbon and his header threw Novota off track. He did his best to recover the situation but Gladkiy was on hand at the back post to beat him to the ball and continue the basketball-like nature of the game.
Both teams had late chances to try and edge ahead on the night. Gladkiy was halted by Novota and Kryvtsov headed over from the resulting corner, while Pavelic had a strong effort from range well-held by Andriy Pyatov. The first half had been a rollercoaster, and set up the second period on a knife's edge.
Kainz looked very dangerous on the turn of the game though even he was thwarted by the superb Srna. In comparison to the first, the second half was tense and tight and neither side wanted to give an inch to the other. A flurry of bookings summed up the action after the break, in what was a hard watch for even the footballing purists.
Late drama
Attempt after attempt, through ball after through ball, there was just no easy way in behind the home defence. Beric, Kainz and Schaub were doing their utmost to find that crucial goal to take Rapid into the group stages but it was not forthcoming. Philipp Prosenik was thrown on in the hope of netting a winning goal, although it proved to be in vain. Mario Sonnleitner was sent-off late on for a second booking, in a sorry end to their spirited challenge.
There was to be two final chances for the Austrians and they fell to Beric and Prosenik. The one man that they would have prayed for any opportunity to come for was their top scorer, although he somehow put a free header wide in the final minute of normal time. The substitute rattled the post with the final kick of the game, as the men in green and white couldn't believe their luck. Shakhtar got through in the end, but Rapid will most definitely fancy their chances of challenging in the Europa League.