England and Ukraine players unite in emotional call for peace at Wembley

26 March 2023 , 17:12

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Players from both sides posed for a photograph with a Ukraine flag with the word Peace on

The players from both the England and Ukraine national teams sent a message to the watching world ahead of kick-off as both called for peace.

All 22 of the players starting stood proudly arm in arm with their opponents standing in front of a Ukraine flag with the word 'Peace' written across it. The gesture comes amid a backdrop of conflict back in Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country that first started in February of last year.

As well as the powerful gesture, more than 1000 Ukrainians and the families that welcomed them into their homes were also invited to watch the game at Wembley. All of those invited are special guests of the FA and Wembley Stadium as part of a thank you to the host families.

Before the game, England boss Gareth Southgate insisted that while tributes would be paid to their opponents ahead of kick-off, there was little room for any sentiment once the first whistle had been blown.

"We all want to pay our respects and show our support — and that’s important," he explained. "But as soon as they enter the competition, they want to go through and it’s game on. So in a football sense we need to do what we need to do to win the game.

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“They are very proud. We saw that right at the beginning of the war when they went to Scotland for the (World Cup) play-offs and Wales.

England and Ukraine's players stoof proudly together for a picture (AP)

Three Lions goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was of a similar mindset when asked about the emotion of the fixture, as he added: "It’s tough for them as a nation. It’s a massive game of football first and foremost in the qualifying group.

"That is a tough group for us to get out of. Obviously what they are going through is not very good for the nation. For us, it is a big step to qualify for the Euros in Germany."

Ukraine captain and Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has discussed at great length the impact the horrors going on in his home country have had.

The 26-year-old spoke scathingly of Russia in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, admitting he wishes to forget the time he spent plying his trade there.

"I am grateful to FC Ufa for everything they've done for me. But since the terrorist invasion, I don't want to have any memories of that time," Zinchenko conceded.

"Honestly I don't want to hear anything about this country. Because every single day Ukrainian people are dying because of them, because of their bombs."

Josh O'Brien