Ukraine beat Scotland 3-1 at Hampden Park to keep their World Cup dream alive in an emotional semi-final match in Glasgow.
Played against the backdrop of the ongoing war, the match began with a show of solidarity from Scottish fans as some of them joined the visitors to sing the Ukrainian national anthem before the start. .
Ukraine had the support of 3,500 fans and started with six players who have not played any competitive matches this year after the national league was halted by a winter break in December and never resumed after the invasion of Russia.
The visitors had the best of the first half, with 39-year-old Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon making several stops to keep the home team in the game.
However, West Ham striker Andriy Yarmolenko gave his side the lead in the first half and tightened their grip on the equalizer early in the second half, with Benfica’s Roman Yaremchuk making it 2-0.
Scotland scored with about 10 minutes to play, but Ukraine finished with a goal from Artem Dovbyk in added time to make it 3-1.
Full-time Ukrainian players celebrated with their fans, who hope their team can seal a place in Qatar 2022.
Ukraine will now play Wales on June 5 at Cardiff City Stadium for a place in the World Cup, and the winners will join England, Iran and the United States in Group B.
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After the match, Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko told Sky Sports: “Everyone knows the situation in Ukraine and every match for us is like a final.
“As a team, we dream of being in the World Cup and we have to win it, otherwise this game will mean nothing.”
He described the Wales party as a “mass party”.