Scotland vs Ukraine LIVE: World Cup play-off result, final score and reaction as Ukraine triumph
Follow all the updates from Hampden Park as both nations look to move one step away from the finals in Qatar at the end of the year
Ukraine kept alive their dream of reaching the World Cup finals, beating Scotland 3-1 in their play-off at Hampden Park in their first game since the Russian invasion of their country.
Ukraine will now face Wales on Sunday in Cardiff with the winner taking a place in November’s finals in Qatar. The loss means Scotland remain without an appearance at a World Cup since 1998.
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk had put a confident and dominant Ukraine 2-0 up before Callum McGregor pulled a goal back for the Scots in the 79th minute.
The goal injected some belief into Scotland who applied some late pressure but deep into stoppage time substitute Artem Dovbyk finished off a counter-attack to secure the victory.
Follow all the reaction below as Ukraine beat Scotland in the World Cup play-off semi-final:
Wales vs Poland
The winner of tonight’s game will face Wales in the World Cup play-off final on Sunday. Rob Page’s men are in action this evening as well and have just kicked kicked off their Nations League campaign with an away trip to Poland.
We’ll bring in the major beats and updates from the Tarczynski Arena, as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, and Joe Allen have all been rested ahead on Sunday’s big match.
Scotland vs Ukraine
Steve Clarke fully expects Ukraine to be ready for the match despite the war raging at home, with their players having spent the last few weeks training together.
"I said a long time ago that I hoped the game would go ahead in June because, if it did, the situation there would have improved," he adds.
"It hasn’t, but we’re still here and we always said we’d be guided by the Ukrainians and how they felt."
Scotland vs Ukraine
This is the first meeting of the sides since October 2007 in a European Championship qualifier, with the Scots winning 3-1 through goals from Kenny Miller, Lee McCulloch and James McFadden.
Ukraine’s sole victory over Scotland came in October 2006, Oleksandr Kucher and Andriy Shevchenko scoring in Kyiv.
How to watch Scotland vs Ukraine online and on TV tonight
Scotland will look to move one win away from a place at the World Cup when they face a Ukraine team who are making their competitive return after the country was invaded by Russia in February.
On what is set to be an emotional occasion at Hampden, Ukraine will receive an outpouring of support amid the ongoing conflict in the country but Scotland will need to remain professional as they host the play-off semi-final.
The match was postponed in March in the wake of the Russian invasion and with Wales already through to Sunday’s play-off final match, both Scotland and Ukraine are one win away from joining them.
Scotland have not qualified for a World Cup since 1998 and a place in Group B is up for grabs at the Qatar tournament, with England, the United States and Iran the other three teams in the group.
Here’s everything you need to know before the match:
Clarke ‘desperate to go to Qatar'
Former Scotland midfielder Graeme Souness has said he not only wants Ukraine to win at Hampden Park this evening but to go on to lift the World Cup as a message to Russia.
"Everyone has their opinion on the situation and every opinion will be different," responded Scotland boss Steve Clarke when told of Souness’ stance.
"But I’m desperate to go to Qatar with Scotland and my staff are desperate to go and most importantly our players are desperate to go to the World Cup finals and that’s what we focus on.
"Before the game, there will be a lot of emotion around the Ukraine and I’m sure the Tartan Army will applaud their national anthem and then sing their hearts out and get behind the team and it’s really important for us that they do that.”
Ukraine’s preparation
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country abandoned its domestic football. The league season was officially terminated in April after 18 games with the big two, league leaders Shakhtar Donetsk and defending champions Dynamo Kyiv, fighting for the title.
Around half of Oleksandr Petrakov’s national squad play for these two clubs which was an obvious problem for the head coach as he targeted tonight’s game at Hampden Park.
The home-based players were given special dispensation to leave the country and they then set up camp in Brdo, near the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
They have remained there as a group since the start of May and have played three friendlies against club sides in Germany, Italy and Croatia.
Scotland supports Ukraine
Scotland has shown their support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion. They raiseed £500,000 for the UNICEF campaign during the March friendly against Poland and up to 4000 Ukrainian fans are expected at Hampden Park tonight, including 65 orphans invited by the Scottish FA.
Scotland’s last World Cup play-off
This is Scotland’s first World Cup play-off since 1985, when they faced Australia for a place at the 1986 finals.
In the first leg, they won 2-0 at Hampden with goals from Davie Cooper and Frank McAvennie and drew 0-0 in Melbourne.
The clash with Ukraine will only be one leg, can the Scots win tonight and make it into the play-off final versus Wales on Sunday?
Scotland supporters looking for ‘bittersweet victory’ against Ukraine
For Scotland it is a game that could take the men’s team one step closer to the dream of a place in the World Cup finals.
But for opponents Ukraine, the match comes against the nightmare backdrop of war, following the Russian invasion.
The Tartan Army was originally set to play the Ukrainians in March, but after Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into the country in a failed attempt to storm its capital, Fifa agreed to delay the game until June.
Now with the rearranged match about to take place, Scotland fans will be hoping to cheer skipper Andy Robertson and his team on to a sensational victory – while at the same time realising that much of the rest of the world will want to see a Ukraine victory to provide some cheer to the Eastern European nation more than three months on from the Russian invasion.
Scotland supporters looking for ‘bittersweet victory’ against Ukraine
The Scotland men’s team take on Ukraine in a match which could see either team go on to qualify for football’s World Cup.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments