Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
“It’s a tough, mental burden for the players, but I feel their will and character are very strong,” says Marino Pušić, the former Feyenoord assistant coach who took the reins this October. A fortnight later, he oversaw a 1-0 win against Barcelona which ended the Spanish side’s 100% start, courtesy of 22-year-old Danylo Sikan’s first-half strike. It was no fluke, either. “We controlled both the game and the opposition from the very first minute,” says Pušić. “We could have won even more convincingly.”
A 1-0 defeat of Antwerp then ensured Europa League football at the very least in the new year, a fine achievement which suggests Shakhtar have started turning those long treks to their advantage, strengthening the bonds in the squad. Regular trips to visit wounded military personnel have also helped maintain focus. “Many of these guys are my peers,” says Stepanenko. “They went to protect our country, paying the price of their own life and health. They’re giving the most precious thing a person has. We try to repay them with what we have. In my opinion, our motivation is the highest it’s been in my career.”
Triumph over adversity? You bet.
Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
“It’s a tough, mental burden for the players, but I feel their will and character are very strong,” says Marino Pušić, the former Feyenoord assistant coach who took the reins this October. A fortnight later, he oversaw a 1-0 win against Barcelona which ended the Spanish side’s 100% start, courtesy of 22-year-old Danylo Sikan’s first-half strike. It was no fluke, either. “We controlled both the game and the opposition from the very first minute,” says Pušić. “We could have won even more convincingly.”
A 1-0 defeat of Antwerp then ensured Europa League football at the very least in the new year, a fine achievement which suggests Shakhtar have started turning those long treks to their advantage, strengthening the bonds in the squad. Regular trips to visit wounded military personnel have also helped maintain focus. “Many of these guys are my peers,” says Stepanenko. “They went to protect our country, paying the price of their own life and health. They’re giving the most precious thing a person has. We try to repay them with what we have. In my opinion, our motivation is the highest it’s been in my career.”
Triumph over adversity? You bet.
Triumph over adversity is a well-worn footballing phrase. Grimly hold onto a narrow lead with ten men? A triumph over adversity. An injury-hit team parks the bus and pinches a win against the odds? A triumph over adversity. A deserved 1-0 victory at home against a strong Barcelona side in the Champions League group stage? Well, not normally. But, for Shakhtar, adversity is the new normal.
It is approaching a decade since the Ukrainian giants last played in their home town of Donetsk. Forced out by war in 2014, they have since set up camp in Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Warsaw and Hamburg – hence the “Beyond boundaries” motto stencilled on the side of their well-worn team bus. Shakhtar’s base these days is a hotel in Kyiv and a training centre down the road that bears heavy scars of Russian shelling. The squad cannot fly in and out of Ukraine, so Champions League games involve an arduous 725km drive to an airport in Rzeszów, Poland. And back again.
Journeys of 12 hours plus have become the norm, and last season they struggled at times – with boredom, with fatigue, but also with the knowledge that their families were still in Kyiv. Or possibly even further afield. “My family now lives abroad and we see each other very rarely, only when we call each other,” says captain Taras Stepanenko. “It’s challenging when you don’t see your children growing up, but the main thing is that they’re healthy and safe. That warms my soul.”
