“There are times when we don’t need many words, pride is enough. Thanks guys. It was two hours of happiness that we are no longer used to. They went, they fought, they persevered, they won. Because they are Ukrainians! We are all fighting, each one in front of him, for the same thing. For our blue and yellow flag, which cannot be silenced. We fought, we fought, we endured and we won.”
Following Ukraine’s victory over Scotland in the semi-final of play off of access to the World Cup in Qatar, Volodymyr Zelensky did not miss the fact that the team was one match away from qualifying and thanked the players and the coaching staff in one of the usual daily communications that he has made since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Last Wednesday, three goals from Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk and Dovbyk were enough to overtake Callum McGregor — and this Sunday Ukraine needed to do the same against Wales.
Yarmolenko took his hat off to those who fight for a country: Ukraine plays again, wins in Scotland and is 90 minutes from the World Cup
In Cardiff, with Yaremchuk, Yarmolenko and Zinchenko naturally in Oleksandr Petrakov’s starting eleven, Ukraine faced Wales with Bale, Daniel James and Aaron Ramsey. In the locker room, however, the Ukrainian players got a different boost: a country flag sent by soldiers who are fighting, something revealed by the coach himself. Petrakov, however, assured before the match that there was “no greater pressure” to guarantee qualification.
“I don’t communicate with the soldiers but my players wrote to them and received a flag, which will be raised in the locker room. What is happening in Ukraine is a very difficult situation and not everyone has the opportunity to watch football. We will try to concentrate and play a good game”, explained the coach. On the pitch, as had already happened against Scotland, the Ukrainian players came out again through the access tunnel to the field of play, wrapped in national flags.
the anthem of #Ukraine in the stadium #Cardiff! 2022 #FIFA World Cup qualifier begins Ukraine vs. #Welsh !
May the best team win!#football #WarUkraine #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia pic.twitter.com/mn777qIlzr
— Kiborgz (@Kiborgzzz) June 5, 2022
In the game itself, however, it was a misfortune that decided everything. Still in the first half, shortly after half an hour, a free kick by Bale was deflected by a header by Yarmolenko that betrayed Bushchan and dictated the final result (34′). Ukraine reacted in the second half, had a lot of possession and several opportunities to equalize but could not avoid defeat — and goodbye to the dream of the World Cup, where Wales occupies the last available place, in Group B and along with England, Iran and the United Statesabout the return of the Welsh to competition 64 years later.
The Ukrainian players fought, endured, persevered and were true heroes. However, none of that was enough to guarantee the passport to the World Cup. Something that in no way invalidates the fact that this Ukraine, Ukraine that went out into the field to fight on another front while the soldiers fight to defend the country, already be one of the most important teams in the recent history of football.
???? SofaScore #FIFA World Cup returns for the first time since 1958! #WCQ | @Cymru pic.twitter.com/KB1kml4LLK
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 5, 2022
Source: Observadora
