Team Resilience

The Sweden striker’s goals had inspired Sporting for two years but in Colombian Luis Suárez they have found an equally prolific target man In Portugal, two of the most familiar sayings claim that “green is the colour of hope” and that “hope is the last thing to die”. For Sporting, a club draped in green, those proverbs are not merely poetic – they are operational. After a humiliating 3–0 defeat in Norway by Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, logic suggested it was all over. Sporting disagreed. Backed by about 50,000 supporters, the team surged with belief and delivered a 5–0 victory that carried the club to their first quarter-final in the tournament in 43 years. Arsenal come next, as does an old question: is hope a cultural relic or Sporting’s most powerful ally?

Ahead of the UEFA qualifying playoffs, Rog sits down with Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson to discuss his team’s remarkable journey to and the belief growing within the squad. Hallgrímsson reflects on taking over an Ireland side in transition, why he saw parallels with his historic Iceland team, and how he’s built a harder, more resilient identity. He also breaks down striker Troy Parrott’s incredible goal-scoring run, including his dramatic winner in Hungary, and what it takes to deliver in the biggest moments. Plus, Hallgrímsson previews Ireland’s decisive playoff clash against Czech Republic and explains why this squad is learning to embrace the pressure of the occasion. Presented by Christopher Ward. To celebrate our partnership with Men in Blazers, Christopher Ward is giving one lucky soccer fan the chance to win any Trident watch of their choice. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Athletic has a brand new documentary series following Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk. Here is an introduction to the series. 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.