SportsSoccerFIFA World Cup

Ukraine a game away from FIFA World Cup after huge win over Scotland

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Jun 1 2022, 8:41 pm
Ukraine a game away from FIFA World Cup after huge win over Scotland
DAZN

Ukraine is one game away from qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after a 3-1 win over Scotland in the semifinal of the final round of UEFA qualifying.

Due to the ongoing international conflict with Russia that has decimated Ukrainian society, the match originally scheduled for March had been postponed until today.

Taking place at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Ukraine scored the first two goals of the match and didn’t look back from there.

West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 33rd minute, before Benfica’s Roman Yaremchuk doubled Ukraine’s lead four minutes into the second half. Scotland’s Callum McGregor cut the lead to one, but Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk scored with the final kick of the match to put the game to bed.

Twenty-nine teams have already qualified for the tournament, with the final European team to be decided over the weekend.

Ukraine will now face Wales in a one-game playoff this Sunday, with the winner advancing to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The winner will go on to Group B, which also contains England, Iran, and the USA.

Also remaining in the World Cup qualifying bracket are the final three matches of interconfederational playoffs taking place in Qatar from June 7 through 14.

The winners of UAE/Australia (playing in a semifinal match first) vs. Peru and Costa Rica vs. New Zealand will also advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Ukraine last appeared in the World Cup in the 2006 tournament taking place in Germany, their lone appearance since gaining independence in 1991.

Up until 1991, Ukrainian players competed as part of the Soviet Union, prior to the dissolution of the state.

ADVERTISEMENT