Ukrainian Natalia Fisher and husband Peter will celebrate their first wedding anniversary by cheering her country on at Hampden tonight.
Football mad Natalia is now settled with Peter in Boddam, near Aberdeen, after being caught up in the terror as Russia invaded Ukraine.
She had travelled from Scotland to her homeland for a visa then became trapped when the Russians invaded.
Her nightmare journey back to safety featured in the Daily Record in March.
Last night Natalia, 39, told how she hopes her nation can bring some cheer to lift morale by pipping Scotland - then Wales on Sunday - to a World Cup place in Qatar.
Natalia, a fan of home city team FC Dnipro, said: “I’ll be rooting for Ukraine but I’m also wishing good luck to Scotland.
“Before the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine in 2014, I often went to the Dnipro stadium.
“I hope that many Ukrainians will come to the stadium to support our team. But I’m pretty sure that our team will receive support from the Scottish people too.”
Natalia admitted that it had been a bewildering and strange first year of marriage.
She said: “It has been a crazy first year of marriage but then we actually met during covid so it has always been slightly difficult.
“But the war is something we - and most of the world - didn’t see happening. In some ways it has made us strong as a couple but we both hope one day we will be together without other things to worry about.
“We are also happy to have met each other considering we are both from different countries and yet to have so much in common so we consider ourselves that way to be very lucky.”
Peter, a driver and fitter for Autoglass, and Natalia met via online agency International Cupid in July 2020.
They connected right away and, after romantic meetings in Turkey, Ukraine and the UK, they wed in Odessa in June last year.
Peter said: “I’ve been here a few years now and although I was born in England I am an adopted Scot. But the guys at work have been asking if that’s me gone Ukrainian now.
“Natalia really wanted to go to the match, so we applied for a couple of tickets. It has massive symbolic significance for her country and I don’t feel I’m in a position to do anything other than shout on Ukraine.
“It’s a highly unusual situation, where most of the world will be wanting Ukraine to win because of everything that has happened to the country.
“I know just about everyone in Scotland will still be desperate to do it and we certainly wouldn’t begrudge a Scotland win. We’re hoping it’s a good game.”
He added: “We both feel lucky that we are able to celebrate our anniversary in Scotland because we could never have imagined the first year of marriage would turn out the way it did.
“Natalia has settled in now but she has to live with the constant worry about what is happening with her family in Ukraine. We just want an end to this war as soon as possible.”
Natalia became trapped in Ukraine after the Home Office advised her to go there to get a spouse visa.
War broke out two days after she arrived there.
She spent two weeks trying to get out, eventually meeting Peter in Budapest before the couple travelled back to Scotland.
The winner of the play-off match between Ukraine and Scotland goes on to a final qualifier against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.
That would open the door to the World Cup finals, which kick off in Qatar in December.
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