Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko says his side hope to do his country proud when they face Scotland in the semi-finals of next week’s World Cup qualifiers. Ukraine face Scotland at Hampden Park on June 1 in a match that has been postponed since March due to the invasion of Russia, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
“The first period, when it all started, it was so complicated to focus on football,” Oleksandr Zinchenko told the BBC. All my thoughts were with Ukraine, the Ukrainian people. I would say for everyone, for every Ukrainian footballer […]. This match is one of the most important of my life. The guys seem ready and there’s no need to talk about motivation.”
It will be Ukraine’s first competitive game since the invasion began in February. The Ukrainian Premier League season was scrapped last month. “Physical condition, obviously without games, it’s not easy to prepare for guys who haven’t played for a while,” said the Manchester City defender. In this case, there are no excuses and we must do our job as best we can.”
Football: Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko ‘disappointed’ by Russian players’ silence on war
“I can promise all Ukrainians that each of us will give everything to win the game and for them to be proud of us and just maybe for a few seconds we would like to give them that smile.” The winner of the qualifier will face Wales in Cardiff on June 5 for a place in Qatar later in the year.
