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Ukraine defeated Scotland in a World Cup playoff match on Wednesday to maintain their hope of reaching worldwide soccer’s greatest event alive.

It was the primary aggressive recreation for the Ukrainian nationwide soccer crew since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, which has shut down the nation’s soccer league. Ukraine’s emotional 3-1 victory over Scotland means the gamers from the war-torn nation solely have to defeat Wales on Sunday to succeed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“I’ve no feelings, all feelings are overlooked on the pitch. This victory isn’t for me, not for our gamers however for our nation, so it was an enormous victory for Ukraine,” Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov stated after the sport.

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Petrakov, a 64-year-old native of Kyiv, stated the crew performed for these struggling and preventing again dwelling in Ukraine.

“They performed for these watching again dwelling, for the armed forces within the trenches, for these in hospitals. They are saying because of us and we return our gratitude to them,” he stated, including, “We performed for them, for many who combat with their final drop of blood, for many who undergo each day, we made child steps towards our nice purpose.”

Greater than 2,000 Ukrainian followers have been in attendance on the Hampden Park soccer stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, to cheer their facet on. Many within the crowd have been struggle refugees and a few have been orphaned youngsters who had been given tickets by the Scottish Soccer Affiliation, in accordance with ESPN. Followers waved Ukrainian flags, held up masks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s face, and displayed anti-Putin and anti-war indicators all through the match, which was initially scheduled to happen in March.

Amid the air raid warnings in Kyiv, some Ukrainians ventured into basement bars to look at the sport. At the very least one bar within the capital metropolis allowed followers to stay contained in the bar properly previous the tip of the sport as a way to keep away from being caught outdoors through the metropolis’s war-time curfew, the G3 Field Information reported.

“It appears like we’re having a lot of enjoyable however, truly, we aren’t,” Oleksii Safin advised the G3 Field Information in Kyiv. “We try to look regular, so far as we will, however we nonetheless keep in mind what’s going on out within the east.

Ukraine will play Wales on Sunday for a ticket to the World Cup this November. In the event that they win the match, the Ukrainian crew will face the USA, England, and Iran within the first spherical of the event.

G3 Field Information

“Now we have another and we have to win it — we have to take it or this would possibly not imply something,” star Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko, who performs for Manchester Metropolis of the English Premier League, stated after the sport.

“Everybody is aware of the scenario again in Ukraine, so it [Sunday] goes to be a large recreation for us. We have to present the perfect efficiency of our lives,” Zinchenko added.