Oleksandr Zinchenko's two joyous moments as Fernandinho keeps all his kindness for Man City hero

Pep Guardiola was eloquent in describing the simple joys of football in his pre-match news conference for Manchester City’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win at Peterborough United.

“Football is so addictive, the ball is so attractive," he enthused.

It is endearing to think that professionals can still approach matches and daily training with such childlike excitement and innocence.

Unfortunately, the comments were part of a discussion about Oleksandr Zinchenko’s pending selection against the backdrop of the brutal Russian invasion of his homeland - a story of lost innocence, lost childhoods and unspeakable tragedy.

Guardiola cast football as an escape for his reliable utility man and that was certainly how Zinchenko played on Tuesday night.

He led City out as captain for the night, carrying a Ukrainian flag with Peterborough skipper Frankie Kent, and seemed determined to enjoy himself as much as was possible from the off.

Zinchenko is a measured, neat and tidy footballer with a cultured left foot. It was his lesser-spotted right foot to the fore in the early stages though as he played with a sort of giddiness any of the 2,500 in the away end might have shown given the same opportunity.

Never mind that he was playing at left-back, he fancied a goal. In the fourth minute, he shanked a shot wildly off target via his weaker foot.

Even if a man finds themselves wrapped in the sympathy and solidarity of all four sides of a stadium, they’re not beyond a big pantomime cheer for such an attempt.

Zinchenko duly received his stick but he was not put off. He lined up another wacky and wonderful strike in the ninth minute. It hit the roof and wasn’t too far from clearing the stand behind the goal.

Ukraine’s national team skipper then