Oleksandr Petrakov hailed Wednesday's World Cup play-off win over Scotland as "a huge victory for Ukraine" and dedicated the victory to his compatriots who "fight with every last drop of their blood".
The 3-1 triumph at Hampden Park set Ukraine up for a showdown against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday for a place in the World Cup finals for just the second time.
Ukraine coach Petrakov said he had been left exhausted by the 90 minutes - the first competitive game his side have played since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
"I have no emotions, all emotions are left out on the pitch. This victory is not for me, not for our players but for our country, so it was a huge victory for Ukraine," he told reporters.
"It was a team effort, a team victory, team work, they did everything for the people they play for. They played for those watching back home, for the armed forces in the trenches, for those in hospitals. They say thanks to us and we return our gratitude to them."
The 64-year-old was in no doubt about the significance of a victory achieved in front of over 2,000 travelling fans from the Ukrainian diaspora and watched back home by millions on television.
"We played for them, for those who fight with their last drop of blood, for those who suffer every day, we made baby steps towards our great aim," he said. "Now we have the Wales game to come and we will do everything people expect us to do."
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko, Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbyk fired Ukraine to victory with Callum McGregor grabbing Scotland's goal on 79 minutes.
Petrakov said he had been overwhelmed by the way he and his team had been welcomed by the Scottish public ahead of such a vital game for both teams.
"In this difficult time, I want to extend our gratitude to the people of Scotland, this incredible hospitable place," he said.
"Walking on the street yesterday, people were coming up to us and wishing us all the best, it was incredible. Thank you Scotland, we will never forget that."
Scotland v Ukraine ratings
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SCOTLAND RATINGS: Craig Gordon – 6. Little he could do about the goals, but he made a host of great saves including one to stop Andriy Yarmolenko’s shot before reaching the ball ahead of Roman Yaremchuk. AP -
Scott McTominay – 5. Cheaply conceded possession in dangerous areas, while there were time he looked weak. His ball in led to John McGinn’s chance, and he put Georgi Bushchan under pressure for Scotland’s goal. Getty -
Grant Hanley – 6. Rose well for a header in the opposition box but couldn’t quite keep it down and headed wide later in the game. Kept Yarmolenko onside for the opener. PA -
Liam Cooper – 5. Lost Yarmolenko for the opener, though he did make a strong block to deny Ruslan Malinovskyi with the last kick of the first half. Put in a strong tackle on Yarmolenko. AP -
Aaron Hickey – 6. Showed intelligence in a lot of his play, though he could only head wide after rising well. Couldn’t do enough to stop Yaremchuk getting Ukraine’s second. Delivered a nice cross that nobody was alert enough to reach. PA -
Billy Gilmour – 4. Moved the ball fairly well at times but often cut an anonymous figure, struggling to make any substantial impact on the game. EPA -
Callum McGregor – 7. Had a combative start but accidentally touched the ball into Yarmolenko’s path for an early chance. Saw a decent shot blocked. Scored the goal that gave Scotland hope, and then made a superb tackle on Artem Dovbyk. EPA -
Andrew Robertson – 6. Played some nice crosses into the box and saw a shot blocked by Viktor Tsygankov after working space for himself brilliantly. Could have possibly done more to stop the opener. Getty -
John McGinn – 4. Smashed his best chance over the crossbar and had some good moments on the ball. Booked for a foul on Taras Stepanenko after a loose touch. Missed what should have been a simple header. Reuters -
Che Adams – 6. Held the ball up well at times and provided some nice link up play but never got any real opportunities in the first half. Hit a strong shot that was well saved in the second. EPA -
Lyndon Dykes – 4. Almost found Adams with a good header, but struggled to get into the game and was booked for catching Stepanenko with his elbow while going up for a header. Reuters -
SUBS: Ryan Christie (Dykes 45’) – 6. Scotland’s greatest source of creativity, doing well to release McTominay. AP -
Jack Hendry (Cooper 68’) – 5. Played Scotland into trouble with a poor pass that was intercepted, but then did well to stop Mykhailo Mudryk’s ball through. PA -
Stuart Armstrong (Gilmour 68’) – 5. Worked hard but lacked conviction in the final third, hitting a weak shot that was saved routinely. PA -
UKRAINE RATINGS: Georgi Bushchan – 4. Looked shaky, almost getting himself into trouble when his attempted clearance was blocked by McGregor. Lucky again when McGinn headed wide after his poor handling. After an unconvincing punch, he flapped at McGregor’s strike for Scotland’s goal. AP -
Oleksandr Karavaev – 8. Did enough to deal with Robertson with some help from his teammates in the first half and grew defensively. Delivered some nice balls into the box, including a brilliant cross for Yaremchuk to score the game’s second. Sent a well-hit volley over off target. EPA -
Ilya Zabarnyi – 6. Looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and was often solid when called upon defensively, making some good tackles in and around the box. Reuters -
Mykola Matviyenko – 7. Made some good headers and was effective in his general play, doing well to slide in and dispossess McGinn in his own box. Blocked shots from McTominay and McGinn. AP -
Vitali Mykolenko – 6. Challenged Hickey well to ensure the Scotsman couldn’t get a clean connection on his header from Robertson’s cross. Made a lung-bursting run to get around Tsygankov but couldn’t find Yaremchuk. Reuters -
Taras Stepanenko – 6. Always played with purpose, whether in or out of possession. Moved the ball well in the first half but gave it away cheaply at times in the second. Came desperately close to keeping McGregor’s shot out. Getty -
Andriy Yarmolenko – 8. Unlucky to see his shot saved by Gordon, but there was nothing the goalkeeper could do when he latched onto Malinovskyi’s pass before providing a wonderful touch and finish. Even made some telling defensive contributions, including cutting out a pass to Robertson in a dangerous position. EPA -
Ruslan Malinovskyi – 7. A bit overzealous at times in the opening minutes, getting booked for a challenge on Dykes. Though he provided some brilliant moments on the ball including a lovely flick to Tsygankov, and more importantly, the ball for Yarmolenko to run onto and open the scoring. Getty -
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 9. A reliable presence, getting a strong block in on McGregor’s shot. There was so much intelligence in his play, as he always seemed to be in a position to impact the game. Should have had an assist after dancing through Scotland and teeing up Oleksandr Zubkov and got it after cutting Scotland open with his pass to Dovbyk in the final seconds. Getty -
Viktor Tsygankov – 7. A real threat, having a nice shot stopped by Gordon and almost playing through Yaremchuk with a wonderful pass. Made a good block to deny Robertson. Danced into Scotland’s box well but hit a weak shot that was saved. AP -
Roman Yaremchuk – 8. Got an early booking for a late challenge on Gilmour, but provided plenty of intelligent movement to trouble Scotland’s defence. Held off Hickey and headed home clinically for Ukraine’s second. Had a good shot saved by Gordon. Getty -
SUBS: Mykhailo Mudryk (Tsygankov 72’) – N/R. Showed his talent, especially when he played an outstanding pass to Dovbyk on the break. Also worked hard for the team. EPA -
Mykola Shaparenko (Malinovskyi 72’) – N/R. Booked for a blatant foul on Christie and sprayed some nice passes. EPA -
Artem Dovbyk (Yaremchuk 78’) – N/R. Took far too long when played through by Mudryk, then made a complete mess of taking in Zubkov’s pass in the final moments. However, he coolly rounded off the scoring in the final seconds. Getty -
Oleksandr Zubkov (Yarmolenko 79’) – N/R. Missed the target from a golden opportunity, then played a pass behind Dovbyk when there was the chance to break. PA -
Sergiy Sydorchuk (Stepanenko 94’) – N/R. Came on for the final moments as Ukraine secured the win. EPA
