On 20 November 2012, playing against Danish team Nordsjælland in the Champions League, Luiz Adriano scored a controversial 1–1 equalizer. After an injury to a Nordsjælland player led to a dropped-ball, Willian attempted to return it to the Nordsjaelland goalkeeper, but Luiz Adriano pounced on the pass, rounded the goalkeeper and finished into an empty net. This led to heavy protests from the Danish players and the crowd. UEFA opened a disciplinary case against Luiz Adriano, later banning him for one game for unsporting behaviour. Shakhtar released a statement backing the UEFA decision and stated that they were deeply disappointed by the player's actions.