Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Manager Paulo Fonseca fulfilled a promise to Shakhtar Donetsk Wednesday, dressing as Zorro for a news conference.
He promised to do so if his team reached the final 16 teams of the UEFA Champions League. Shakhtar beat Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday in Champions League action at Metalist Oblast Sports Complex in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The club faces Zorya at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ukrainian Premier League.
"Good evening. Do you want me to speak in a mask or without it? All right," Fonseca said at the postgame news conference, according to the team website.
"If someone doesn't know it, the person responsible for the way I'm dressed up at the moment is in the room ... The jolliest press conference in my life: everyone laughs and smiles! It was almost a perfect match. Beating the City is not easy, but we played in an organized and safe way defensively, making quality transitions to attack."
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He was also asked which actor played the better Zorro: Antonio Banderas or Alain Delon.
"It's difficult to answer. Both! But right now I like the Zorro Paulo Fonseca," the manager said.
He also said he thought the joke would last for a long time.
The loss was the first for Manchester City in 29 matches. It was the first loss since the club lost 2-1 to Arsenal on April 23 in the FA Cup semifinal.
Shakhtar is in the same pot as Basel, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto and Real Madrid. Pot 1 includes: Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Liverpool, Besiktas and Tottenham Hotspur.
⚡ Видео дня! Паулу «Зорро» Фонсека. 💥
Смотрите полную версию: https://t.co/l48o829BHH pic.twitter.com/mPsoejrhY9— ⚒FC SHAKHTAR DONETSK (@FCShakhtar) December 7, 2017Advertisement
The Champions League round of 16 draw is set for noon on Monday, with the final taking place on May 26 in Kiev.
