Inter Milan secured their first win in the Champions League league phase by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at San Siro on Wednesday, despite finishing the match with 10 men.

Carlos Augusto scored the decisive goal in the 77th minute, nine minutes after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off. Henrikh Mkhitaryan released his team-mate into space, allowing Carlos Augusto to run beyond the Shakhtar defence before beating goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.

Inter had been under pressure to respond after losing their opening two European matches. The contest remained closely fought for much of the evening, with Shakhtar creating dangerous opportunities but unable to turn them into goals.

The Italian side’s position became more difficult in the 68th minute when Bastoni was shown two yellow cards in quick succession. Inter were forced to defend with a numerical disadvantage for the closing stages, but still found the breakthrough less than 10 minutes later.

Shakhtar pushed for an equaliser after falling behind. Josep Martinez prevented Newerton from scoring with a save, then stopped a Matviienko effort from the corner that followed as Inter held on for a hard-earned victory.

The result revives Inter’s European campaign and gives them momentum before their next Serie A fixture against Fiorentina. Shakhtar Donetsk must now regroup before their meeting with Zorya Louhansk.