Ukraine, on the 103rd of the war, plays for a place in the World Cup

With the World Cup dream on the pitch, the Scots at Hampden Park didn’t boo the opposing team’s anthem. They applauded. Several rehearsed singing it.

Ukraine’s journey represents one of the most well-worn phrases in football. It’s much more than a game. Just over 100 days ago, the country was invaded by Russia and has been at war ever since.

“I’m Scottish and I captained this team. Every match I played I desperately wanted to win. What’s happening in Ukraine now transcends football. It’s life or death. FIFA has to send Ukraine to the World Cup, no matter what. Whatever happens. Put five teams in one of the groups, I don’t care. Ukraine has to go to the World Cup”, said ex-midfielder Graeme Souness, a member of the team in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, with emotion.

The Ukrainians beat Scotland on Wednesday (1st) by 3-1. This Sunday (5th), the 103rd of the war, they face Wales, in Cardiff, in the European play-off final. They are 90 minutes away from the spot in the tournament in Qatar. The start will be at 1:00 pm (Brasília time), with transmission by TNT Sports.

“Everyone is cheering for Ukraine. If they weren’t playing us, I would be too,” said Wales manager Rob Page.

If it wins, Ukraine will be (if the conflict continues until November) the first country at war to play in the World Cup since Iraq in 1986.

Because of the invasion, football in the country is paralyzed. The last game played in the national league took place on December 12, 2021. The competition was interrupted because of the winter and would resume in February, which was not possible. It was declared closed at the end of April, as there is no prospect of resumption.

From the list of 23 players called up for the repechage, 15 play in Ukraine. Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Taras Stepanenko has moved with his wife and three children to a war shelter in Kiev. Goalkeeper Georgiy Buschan was photographed at a subway station, seeking protection from bombings. Serhiy Sydorchuk, captain of the capital’s Dynamo, slept in his car with his children and pregnant wife in a parking lot.

Even players who play abroad said they were anxious because of waiting for news from family members who live in Ukraine. This is the case of Manchester City’s full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko and West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko (all England teams).

After the victory over Scotland, different photos and videos appeared of soldiers celebrating the result.

“It is not just a football game. We receive messages from our soldiers, and they have only one request: that we do everything to go to the World Cup. For the country and for them, it is a moment of hope”, defined Taras. Stepanenko.

To get some preparation before the playoffs, coach Oleksandr Petrakov took his players to a training center in the Slovenian Alps. It was a bus trip, which lasted 37 hours, along a route considered safe. The team played friendlies against Borussia Monchengladbach (ALE), Empoli (ITA) and Rijeka (CRO).

“I’ve been talking to people all over the world, I’ve been talking to Ukrainian children who don’t understand what’s happening and have only one dream: to stop this war. But in football, we have our own dream: we want to go to the World Cup. We want to give that incredible emotion to the Ukrainians because they deserve a lot”, said Zinchenko, before the match against the Scots.

Ukraine also need to overcome rival fans, as the road to Qatar is two matches away from home, against teams also desperate for classification.

Scotland haven’t played in the Cup since 1998. Wales’ last game in the tournament was in the 1958 quarter-final against Brazil, when Pelé scored his first goal in a World Cup.

The play-off dispute and the war further incited the nationalism of the Ukrainian team. Players no longer speak Russian, the first language many of them learned. Yaremchuk apologized for having posted a photo on social media with a rapper who in the past performed in Crimea, territory occupied by Russia. Now athletes listen only to songs by compatriot artists.

“The world needs to know the truth. This is my mission. You cannot describe this feeling unless you are in the same position we are in today. The things that happen in our country are not acceptable,” added Zinchenko.