Exiled Shakhtar target European success as Palace loom in semi-final

Since 2014, Ukraine’s most successful club of the 21st century have not been home. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its incursion into the eastern part of the country, coupled with the full-scale invasion eight years later, has led Shakhtar into a nomadic life, its soul stripped from itself over 12 years.

This story has been told before; however, the club will look to write another glorious chapter of success through hardship, starting on Thursday when they take on Crystal Palace of the Premier League for a place in the UEFA Conference League final.

As has become customary with Shakhtar, they will play their ‘home game’ on foreign soil. The Synerise Arena, home of Wisla Krakow, will host the match, and the CEO expects 26,000 Ukrainians to be in attendance for the fixture. They will travel from across Europe to support a side that has symbolised resistance, freedom and perseverance in the face of national adversity.

Speaking at a virtual media round-table on Monday, Palkin expressed the importance of playing in front of his compatriots, explaining: "Almost 90% of the supporters are our Ukrainian people, and I'm sure that they arrive not just from Poland.

"For them, who stay abroad, for example, it's like the connection, top connection to the country, you know, to visit the match, to watch the match. And as I said, for our fans, who cannot physically visit the stadium, who cannot physically support our team. It's very difficult because, you know, this emotional connection is very important."

The normalcy of seeing Shakhtar playing on the road has desensitised the footballing world to how difficult it has been for the team to just continue. This season, they have played 45 games in all competitions, with their campaign starting on July 10th, with a 6-0 win in the Europa League first qualifying round over Finnish side Ilves in Ljubljana.

18-hour home trip

Krakow has been their base throughout this Conference League run, playing there eight times, with Palace being their ninth opponent in Poland this season.

Although playing at the same place breeds familiarity, travel between Lviv - where they play their league games - and Krakow has also proven problematic, something that was seen most starkly when they faced Polish side Lech Poznan during the knockout rounds.

Palkin added: "I asked the President of Lech, ‘How much time did you spend travelling to our place in Krakow?’. He said, '45 minutes'. And we spent 18 hours, 18 hours.

"When you arrive at the final destination to play a game, our home game, in Krakow, after 18 hours, you should already understand that your opponent (is) much stronger, mentally and physically. But in any case, you should show results. You should show that we can compete."

Also on the call is Darijo Srna. A Shakhtar icon, the former Croatian international was part of the side that lifted the UEFA Cup in 2009, when they beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in the final.

He has a special bond with the club, and now, as director of football, he is at the heart of keeping the club alive away from home. In 2023, he was part of the decision to move the academy to his home country, to give them the best chance of developing away from war, and he believes the whole nation will be tuning in to support Shakhtar on Thursday night.

Asked whether the club had had messages of support from Ukraine’s president - and face of the nation - Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Srna answered: "I don’t hear from Zelenskyy, but I hear from the people around him.

"Of course, can you imagine what this means for Ukraine, for President Zelenskyy, for all the people, for all the fans, and for the other clubs.

"In the last three years, we made the biggest coefficient for our league and, of course, they support us, and I hope that if we get to the final, we can see President Zelenskyy in the stadium."

'Ukrainian football is alive'

Reaching the final of a European competition, with the horrors of war always on their minds, would be an incredible achievement for a club that, in Palkin’s words, had lost everything.

"When you have so many years of war in Ukraine, for all people living in Ukraine, having 95% of all news, it's almost negative news.

"And they're living on the big emotional pressure. And for us to go to the semi-final, it means we can give them some kind of positive emotion, you know, something to understand that we are alive, we can continue to compete on this high level. And for us, it's very important because we give some belief to our people that Ukrainian guys can do something crucial, crucial in life."

First, they have to deal with Crystal Palace. The South London side were touted as pre-tournament favourites, and still look odds-on to lift the trophy in Leipzig at the end of May.

Srna wants his team to show the same mentality that has got them this far over the two legs.

"We don't have experience, but we have spirit. With this spirit, we fight until the end. We respect Crystal Palace, of course, the coach, they won the FA Cup last year. 

"They have amazing players, (Jean-Philippe) Mateta, (Ismaila) Sarr... Oh, they are very good, very fast, very strong. But we must respect ourselves. For me, our chance is 50/50."

The return of the Brazilians

Shakhtar’s other calling card over the years has been the recruitment of young Brazilian talent from South America, improving them, before selling them on for large profit.

Players like Fernandinho, Willian, Fred and Douglas Costa have come through before moving on to bigger things, but that pathway, understandably, stopped at the start of Russia’s invasion four years ago - part of a mass exodus of professional players following the start of the war.

Now, it is back, with 14 Brazilians on the books, and they are making an impact. Eguinaldo is their top scorer in the league this season with seven, whilst the 20-year-old Alisson scored a brace to help dispatch AZ in the Conference League quarter-finals.

"We have a big trust from Brazilian players,” says Palkin. “When they come to Shakhtar, it’s a platform to grow, a platform to play in European competitions and a bridge to go to top European leagues.

"That is what they understand, and they believe in our project, and when we are negotiating with them, we are not selling comfort, because everybody understands war.

"...I think they want to come here because they need this step between Shakhtar and the top clubs."

The reintroduction of Brazilian talent back into their side is a sign that Shakhtar are returning to their roots. A Conference League triumph would hark back to the days of Srna and their UEFA Cup triumph 17 years ago.

The good old days will never return for the club until they step foot inside the Donbas Arena once more, but despite the darkness that has enveloped them since 2014, the future, although fragile, remains bright.

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