Ukraine play their first football match of 2022 ahead of World Cup play-offs

The Ukrainian national team played for the first time in six months on Wednesday night as they took on Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Ukraine’s last game was in November and it was their first outing since Russia invaded the country in February.

Ukraine won 2-1 at Borussia-Park, where more than 20,000 fans were present.

The Ukrainian squad was made up entirely of players from Ukrainian clubs, who also haven’t played since the February invasion.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk and Dnipro’s Oleksandr Pikhalyonok scored for Ukraine, either side of a Conor Noss equalizer for Gladbach.

Free entry has been granted to Ukrainian nationals, while all proceeds from the game will be donated to charities supporting those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Apart from raising funds, the match had been organized to help the Ukrainian team prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifying play-offs.

Ukraine will face Scotland on June 1, with the winner taking on Wales four days later for a place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The game against Scotland was originally scheduled to take place on March 24 but was postponed due to the Russian invasion.