Chygrynskyy: It’s like we were defending our country, our independence

Shakhtar defender Dmytro Chygrynskyy before the game against Barcelona in the Champions League spoke to The Athletic about the difficulties that the Donetsk team encountered on the way to Hamburg, where the match took place.

The players of Shakhtar spent 12 hours on a bus and plane, including a three-hour wait at the Polish border. All of it just to get to their "home" Champions League game in Germany.

“It’s a challenge for us because, in the end, things are not easy and this is our reality,” says the centre-back. “We’re Ukraine. It’s like we were defending our country, our independence.”

Chygrynskyy notes that it is difficult for him to be abroad while there is war raging in Ukraine.

“It’s really difficult to be abroad when you know that your country, your family, your friends, your loved ones are always in danger,” he says. “They were suffering from missiles, attacks, bombing and other nightmares of war”.

The game against Barcelona ended with a victory for Shakhtar Donetsk, with the winning goal scored by Danylo Sikan at the end of first half.