Episode One: We believe in miracles

In this episode, The Athletic’s Adam Crafton speaks to Taras Stepanenko, the captain of Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk, as he and his young family take refuge in an underground shelter when war breaks out in Ukraine.  Adam also meets with Shakhtar's Croatian head coach, Igor Jovicevic, who was separated from his family when Russia invaded.  Meanwhile, as the team prepares for their first match in Europe’s elite competition, the Champions League, we hear from Shakhtar midfielder Ivan Petryak, who lost a family member to the war with Russia. With all the odds against Shakhtar, can the Ukrainian club pull off a shock victory against the German club Red Bull Leipzig? Credits Presenter: Adam Crafton Producers: Adam Crafton, Abi Paterson, Mike Stavrou Sound mixing: Ollie Bellwood Featuring footage from: The Daily, AP, ABC News, Sport BILD, DW News, Al Jazeera, and BT Sport

Om Podcasten

The Athletic is given inside access to leading Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk as they compete against the world's best teams despite being unable to play at home - in their own stadium - due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Joey D'Urso travelled with the team to gather first-hand accounts of the extraordinary challenges in the lives of players and staff as they compete against the world's best players on the biggest stage under unprecedented, ever-changing circumstances.