Ukraine missed out on qualifying for the World Cup after the war-disrupted team was beaten 1-0 by Wales in the European playoff final for the FIFA football showpiece.
Andriy Yarmolenko inadvertently headed the ball into his own net on Sunday while trying to clear Wales captain Gareth Bale’s first-half free-kick.
While Wales heads to a first World Cup in 64 years – opening against the United States in November – this was an agonising end to Ukraine’s emotionally charged mission to qualify for Qatar while remaining under invasion by Russia.
The right leg of Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey kept out Viktor Tsyhankov’s poked shot 10 minutes into the second half as Ukraine searched in vain for an equalizer.
Artem Dovbyk’s header in the 84th minute looked destined for the corner of the net until it was pushed away by Hennessey’s left hand.
The Ukrainian players appeared heartbroken following the defeat, wanting to give their country a positive after it has endured three months of bombardment.
“The most important game of our lives,” Ukraine defender Oleksandr Karavayev said on Saturday.
