Along sections of Ukraine’s frontline, more trivial concerns could take hold for an hour or two. When Taras Stepanenko checked his phone after anchoring the midfield masterfully at Hampden Park, one of the first in more than 100 messages was from a close friend who has been serving in the army since Russia invaded.
The soldiers had been able to find a screen and the muscle memory of football fans kicked in again when Callum McGregor briefly gave Scotland hope of a comeback. “He is at a difficult point, fighting every day,” Stepanenko said of his associate. “He told me the army at the border didn’t think the ball had crossed the line.”
