Andriy Yarmolenko headed the ball into his net by mistake, while trying to block a free kick from Wales captain, Gareth Bale, in the first half, to write a painful end to Ukraine’s emotionally charged mission, to qualify for Qatar, while his country remains under the fear of war.
The right leg of Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy saved Viktor Tsyhankov’s shot 10 minutes into the second half, as Ukraine searched, unsuccessfully, for the equalizer.
And Artem Duvbek’s header in the 84th minute seemed destined to turn the ball into the net, until Hennessy pushed it away with his left hand, according to the Associated Press.
Wales, for their part, are heading to the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, and will play the United States in November.
The match comes on the 102nd day of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which cast a shadow over the Welsh capital, with messages of peace written in English and Ukrainian on screens at Cardiff City Stadium.
Competitions were put aside, when the Ukrainian national anthem was played and the local fans praised it.
Of the 1,800 seats allocated to Ukraine, 100 have been given free tickets to refugees who have been forced to flee Ukraine since the start of Russia’s military operation in February, which led to Russia’s exclusion from the World Cup qualifiers..
And there were protests by the Russian Football Association, on Sunday, against the shirts of players in the Wales match, which showed Ukraine and its Crimea peninsula – which Russia annexed in 2014 – as part of its map.
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