The Guardian's feature published on 14 October follows Shakhtar Donetsk's journey from the Lviv area to London for Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge. It describes the operational and personal demands of playing during wartime. It is not a report establishing a London match result.
A home fixture requires crossing a border
Unable to host European matches in Ukraine, Shakhtar have used venues in Poland, Germany and Slovakia before the move to England. On the observed trip, players and coaches travelled in smaller vehicles to the Polish border and then to Rzeszów airport for a flight to Britain.
They reached the airport about four hours after leaving Lviv. Border formalities on that occasion took roughly seventy-five minutes, and the journey lasted nine hours before arrival, followed by a transfer to their hotel. Those timings describe one observed expedition, not every trip.
Logistics accompany a demanding playing schedule
Sports-management director Vitaliy Khlivnyuk describes an accumulating mental burden from repeated travel. The feature recounts paperwork difficulties, including a last-minute entry-authorisation problem before boarding.
Arda Turan emphasises the team's connection while acknowledging that Stamford Bridge is not its real home. Darijo Srna identifies nine games in twenty-nine days, including three Champions League fixtures and return journeys.
Kauã Elias and Dmytro Kryskiv also discuss adapting to long trips. The programme described at the time included travelling back before a domestic match against Kolos Kovalivka. These are attributed experiences and plans within the feature, not conclusions about the conflict or confirmation of the AEK match outcome.