Shortly before kick-off at Hampden Park on Wednesday, air-raid sirens sounded in the Ukraine capital Kyiv. A warning that, although a distracting event, certain to capture widespread attention, was about to take place and bring collective joy to a nation at war, there could be no pause in the everyday vigilance that has become routine.
The citizens of Kyiv listened and watched their national team’s victory over Scotland in the semi-final of their World Cup play-off under curfew.
Only those who have left the country since the Russian invasion escalated in February could gather safely in large numbers to celebrate a 3-1 victory of exhilarating energy. There was a brief period of suspense in Glasgow, when Scotland reduced the arrears to 2-1 with 11 minutes left, but the night finished perfectly scripted for the away team, Ukraine’s third goal coming on the stroke of the final whistle.
That will be cherished as a sign of momentum going into Sunday’s final against Wales, the showdown for the last remaining European place in the Qatar World Cup.
If Ukraine are to be at football’s greatest festival, the most heartfelt hope would be that they do so as a nation at peace. If that is the case, the players will still be there as ambassadors for a country in need of international help in the post-conflict rebuild.
The win over Scotland was emotionally and physically draining. Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov left undisguised the fact that his players were engaging both with a determined - but outclassed - opponent on the pitch and responsibilities to compatriots at home and in difficult exiles abroad.
“We want to make Ukrainians proud,” said Petrakov. “You have to keep in mind what they are enduring: people are being killed. The players are playing for people back home, for our soldiers in the trenches and people in hospitals.”
Those thoughts will be carried to Cardiff this weekend, but a concern for Petrakov, even after the authoritative performance against the Scots, is fatigue. Apart from the psychological demands on the players, many have played very little competitive football for the past six months.
The Ukrainian league was suspended when the invasion escalated. Ten of the 15 footballers who took part in the semi-final at Hampden are employed by Ukrainian clubs.
Scotland 1 Ukraine 3 - player 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
Even some of those who aren’t had every reason for feeling rusty. Preparations for Wednesday were improvised at a temporary training base in Slovenia. Warm-up games consisted of friendlies against club sides from Germany, Italy and Croatia.
The higher-profile players joined in only after their domestic leagues finished, some in ordinary form. Andriy Yarmolenko started one Premier League match last season for West Ham United, where his contract expires this month.
Likewise, most of Roman Yaremchuk’s match action over the past six months for Benfica has been coming off the bench, and although he scored twice in the knockout stages of the Champions League, those were his only competitive goals of 2022, at least until his expert header put his country 2-0 up in Glasgow.
The outstanding Yarmolenko had looked like a model of sharpness with the delicate volley for Ukraine’s opener.
Equally reassuring for Petrakov was the impact, off the bench, of Artem Dovbyk, who struck the third goal, having come on to the pitch in the 78th minute, apparently picking up where he left off when his club season effectively finished with the Ukrainian season’s winter break in December.
Dovbyk, 24, had been in potent form for his club, Dnipro, hitting his eighth goal in six league games away at Mariupol, a club whose infrastructures now sit in ruins after sustained shelling.
Wales, for their part, can hardly expect match-fitness to be their special ally, even against Ukrainian players coming off interrupted seasons.
Gareth Bale at Real Madrid - in pictures
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Gareth Bale celebrates scoring for Real Madrid in their Champions League final win over Liverpool in 2018. Reuters -
Gareth Bale scores a spectacular overhead kick for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev. Getty -
Gareth Bale kisses the Champions League trophy after beating Liverpool in 2018. -
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale collects his medal after he was an unused substitute in their 2022 Champions League final win over Liverpool at Stade de France in Paris. PA -
Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring on his Real Madrid debut against Villarreal in 2013. AP -
Gareth Bale of Real Madrid lifts the Champions League trophy after his side beat Juventus 4-1 in the final in Cardiff in 2017. Getty -
Gareth Bale celebrates after scorng his second goal during the Champions League final win over Liverpool in 2018. AFP -
Gareth Bale after Real Madrid's Champions League final win over Liverpool on May 28, 2022. Getty -
Gareth Bale celebrates scoring his third goal against Kashima Antlers in the 2018 Fifa Club World Cup semi final at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, left, shakes hands with manager Santiago Solari after scoring a hat-trick in their 3-1 win over Kashima Antlers at 2018 Fifa Club World Cup. Reuters -
Gareth Bale scores for Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in 2014. AFP -
Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring Real's opening goal in their La Liga match against Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2015. Getty -
Gareth Bale scores for Real Madrid against Kashima Antlers in the 2018 Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring their second goal against Kashima Antlers in Abu Dhabi at the 2018 Fifa Club World Cup. Reuters -
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring a goal with Marco Asensio. Reuters -
Gareth Bale has ended his nine-year stay at Real Madrid. Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters -
Gareth Bale celebrates scoring for Real in the Champions League match against Legia Warszawa in 2016. Getty -
Gareth Bale celebrates Real Madrid scoring in the Champions League semi-final, second leg against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4, 2016. Getty -
Gareth Bale celebrates with Real Madrid teammates after beating Sevilla in the Uefa Super Cup in Cardiff in 2014. EPA -
Gareth Bale with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez after completing his move to Spain. AP
Their leading lights are approaching the fixture with little obvious momentum. Gareth Bale, whose nine years with Real Madrid have come to an end, was on the pitch for less than seven minutes of Madrid’s triumphant Champions League campaign and started only once since August in La Liga.
Aaron Ramsey made three starts for Glasgow Rangers, who he joined on loan from Juventus in January, across their league and long Europa League runs.
But Bale and Ramsey almost always up their game in the national jersey. This weekend they face a group of players for whom that is an absolute obligation.
