Ukraine can make nation proud in World Cup playoff, says Zinchenko
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[May 27, 2022] (Reuters)
- Ukraine full back Oleksandr Zinchenko
said his team hope to make their country proud when they take on
Scotland in a World Cup playoff semi-final next week.
Ukraine play Scotland at Hampden Park on June 1 in a match that was
postponed from March due to the Russia's invasion, which Moscow
calls a "special military operation."
"The first period when it just started, it was so complicated to be
focused on football," Zinchenko told
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/
61596231 the BBC.
"All my thoughts were with Ukraine, Ukrainian people. I would say
for everyone, for every Ukrainian footballer ...
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/May/27/images/ads/current/library_sda_PROM_2022.png)
"This game is one of the most important games in my life. The guys
look ready and it's not necessary to talk about motivation."
It will be Ukraine's first competitive match since the invasion
began in February. The Ukrainian Premier League season was abandoned
last month.
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![](../images/052722PIX/sports17.jpg)
Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko celebrates with the Premier
League trophy during the victory ceremony REUTERS/Phil Noble
![](../images/ads/current/graue_lda_2021.gif)
"The physical condition, obviously without the
games, it's not easy to prepare yourself for the guys that haven't
played for a while," Zinchenko said.
"In this case, there is no excuses and we have to do our job as best
as we can.
"I can promise all the Ukrainian people that every one of us is
going to give everything to win the game and to make them proud of
us and just maybe for a few seconds we would like to give them this
smile."
The winner of the playoff will face Wales in Cardiff on June 5 for a
spot in Qatar later this year.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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