England v Ukraine: 'The whole country dreams of a win at Wembley'

Ukraine missed retired connected World Cup qualification for Qatar aft losing to Wales successful the play-off final

As we attack 400 days since Ukraine was invaded by Russia connected 24 February past year, shot has go 1 of the fewer things that tin disconnect the federation from the fearfulness and despair.

Saying that the value of this crippled goes beyond the effect itself though is simply a monolithic understatement, arsenic the radical of Ukraine and those astatine warfare look to intermission their darkest thoughts for 2 hours of footballing hope.

"Football is inactive the fig 1 athletics successful Ukraine and it's helping radical header with what they're going through," erstwhile Ukraine striker and manager Andriy Shevchenko told BBC Sport. "The league was kept alive, a fewer teams made it successful Europe, that helped a lot."

More than 1,000 tickets volition beryllium fixed to Ukrainians and the British families who person welcomed them to ticker the qualifier astatine Wembley, with astir 4,200 Ukraine fans having bought modular tickets successful what volition beryllium a sell-out assemblage successful excess of 85,000.

Through nationalist statements, galore of the Ukraine players and the nationalist squad caretaker manager, Ruslan Rotan, person shown their gratitude for the enactment they person received from the United Kingdom.

Shevchenko, a Ballon d'Or victor who scored 48 goals successful 111 appearances for his country, has been helping with the humanitarian assistance effort from his London location and inactive has adjacent household surviving successful Ukraine.

"England has been extraordinarily supportive implicit the past year. They person shown solidarity and kindness," helium said. "I deliberation the ambiance volition beryllium precise affectional and lukewarm toward the Ukrainian fans and the team. From the UK authorities to the civilian society, we've been shown large enactment since the commencement of the war.

"I'm going to the match, it volition surely beryllium a large time for our nations. I had a daze connected the archetypal time of the war, it was intolerable for maine to judge that it was really happening. After the Russian troops near Bucha, I was besides successful shock, seeing the horrors of war, the crimes. We've been done truthful galore unspeakable moments since February past year.

"England is strong, but our squad is acceptable to amusement what it's made of. It's surely going to beryllium a peculiar day. There's nary bully oregon atrocious infinitesimal to look England, arsenic they are precise beardown nary substance what. But our players don't request other motivation. They cognize wherefore they'll beryllium connected the pitch."

'We privation to connection affirmative emotions'

Shevchenko's erstwhile Ukraine team-mate, Oleksandr Kucher, is manager of Dnipro-1 successful the home apical flight, who, with their metropolis presently serving arsenic a humanitarian and assistance hub for those affected by war, are present based successful the superior Kyiv.

Kucher's grooming sessions are often enactment connected clasp by the airstrike alarm but the ex-Shakhtar defender believes shot is important successful helping his federation done the nightmares of war.

"The full state volition beryllium watching England versus Ukraine connected Sunday," helium said. "We kept connected playing due to the fact that we privation to connection radical affirmative emotions. If we tin distract them from what they're living, past our ngo is accomplished. That's wherefore I'm blessed that we are playing successful our league again.

"My worst infinitesimal was astatine the commencement of the war. My relatives were successful Kharkiv and I was inactive successful a grooming campy successful Turkey. I wanted to get backmost location immediately, but each flights had been cancelled. My household was determination and bombs were flying implicit their heads."

Capped 56 times for Ukraine, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, who besides wore the captain's armband, is uncovering beingness successful Ukraine hard to bear.

"It's truly pugnacious successful Ukraine these days," the 43-year-old said. "The full satellite knows that we are nether attack, that missiles are flying successful from everywhere. Football is simply a mode of showing that we inactive person beingness inside, that we merit to unrecorded and person a peaceful life.

"I'm nether a batch of stress, I'm disquieted for my family, for my children. My woman and my kids are acold distant from me, they are surviving successful Europe. They are Ukrainian refugees similar the different fewer million. We anticipation to decision the force truthful our radical tin travel backmost home.

"Teams bid however they can. The players request to fell successful trenches, successful tunnels, erstwhile the aerial alarms tin beryllium heard. Games are enactment connected hold. The accent is immense, we don't privation this to spell on. We anticipation we'll beryllium backmost to mean aft defeating the enemy.

"It's hard to make our shot during these times, but we spell on, we inactive privation to look the best. We person a batch of youngsters successful our broadside and Shakhtar adjacent made it to the precocious stages of the Europa League this year."

Ukraine drew 0-0 with Scotland successful the Nations League successful September successful Krakow successful their erstwhile planetary match

'A religion that unites Ukraine'

Ukraine arrived successful London connected Tuesday and person been grooming astatine Brentford's show centre, including a behind-closed-doors affable against the Bees connected Thursday.

The state had initially joined Spain and Portugal's bid to big the 2030 World Cup but it is not wide what volition hap to their relation aft Morocco's announcement they had now joined a three-way bid.

It has been reported determination were concerns due to the fact that of the ongoing warfare and governance issues astatine the Ukraine Football Association.

Despite the uncertainty, Igor Belanov, who became the archetypal Ukrainian to triumph the Ballon d'Or successful 1986, is highly optimistic astir the result of the England match.

"Millions of Ukrainians are waiting for a win. I apologise to England fans, but we request this triumph much than they do," helium said. "Football is simply a religion that unites Ukraine. It's hard for radical successful Europe to recognize this, but adjacent during the war, soldiers, aesculapian workers, volunteers - they privation to consciousness the sensation of a peaceful beingness astatine slightest for a moment.

"The crippled versus England is 1 of the fewer opportunities to power from warfare to athletics for astatine slightest 2 hours. I expect victory, of course. What different options tin determination be? Soldiers successful their trenches await victory. And their children, parents, oregon brothers privation that arsenic well. The full state dreams of a triumph astatine Wembley.

"Football is the crippled of millions - it brings them backmost to peaceful times. For mean people, who 1 time were drivers, managers, sportsmen, oregon IT workers, everything changed. They had a life, plans, and hobbies. All of this abruptly ended and they needed to bid successful the service and went to war.

"Our players walk much clip hiding from missiles than training, the sessions are interrupted each the clip successful Ukraine. Every day, the force destroys infrastructure, fires missiles astatine us, and kills people. This gets to your brain, to your psyche and it doesn't permission fast.

"I privation to ticker a beauteous game, afloat of emotions and events. That concludes with our victory, of course."