Ukraine v Scotland: Fans soak up atmosphere at emotional World Cup qualifier

To compete against Ukraine in 2022 is a delicate thing. What is a worthy victory, and what is actually fair? The mammoth public vote for the Ukrainian Eurovision entry was one thing, but international football raises emotions (and tempers) to a whole other level.

Fortunately for Scotland, facing a World Cup qualifier against the Ukrainians, the atmosphere at Hampden Park was not pity, but joy.

Artem, a young Ukrainian who has lived in Edinburgh since long before Russia’s invasion, said the game means a lot more than simply proving that Ukraine and Ukrainians are surviving.

“Being in Scotland, there’s not been a lot of opportunities to celebrate being Ukrainian without the backdrop of the war,” he explains. “For example, there’s quite a lot of events, like demonstrations and protests and sort of gatherings, with a lot of refugees attending these in a few different cities in Scotland, just wherever they settled.

“But these are difficult to attend, not because of logistics, but because it’s mentally difficult to confront the reality of a lot of these people, and to process everything that’s happening. So a game like this is a great opportunity to celebrate being Ukrainian, and not necessarily forget about the war, but just be there.”

The war aside, this was still a football game, meaning joyful is as joyful does. A great prize dangles in front of Scotland - a win means they would only have to beat Wales on 5 June to reach their first World Cup since 1998 tournament, in which they managed two losses and a draw.

As far as Scottish football goes, that’s as tantalising a prospect as it gets. The taste of international competition Scotland enjoyed in last year’s Euros was brief but thrilling, in particular the chance to play