It took almost three days for the Ukraine national team to escape a war zone to get to Turkey for their game against England. Unbeknown to them, they almost stumbled into another one.
While they were tackling border controls, trains and planes to make it to Antalya, the world had changed.
The US attack on Iran and subsequent acts of retaliation threatened to destabilise neighbouring countries’ safety. Yet Ukraine turned up with only one thing on their mind – to show the world they belong at the top end of European football.
A stubborn and disciplined first-half performance showed just that. They went into the break drawing with the back-to-back European champions.
Although the following 45 minutes didn’t go to plan, the joy Yana Kalinina felt when she scored was clearly shared by the whole team.
After the game the Ukraine players shared stories, shirts and selfies with the England players. The Lionesses said they wanted the game to unite; it definitely did.
The escalating situation in the Middle East meant almost all UK media decided against sending staff to a country bordering the area.
The day before the game an unmanned Iranian drone hit an RAF base in Cyprus, around 180 miles from England’s hotel.
So when Sarina Wiegman and Georgia Stanway came to speak to the media the day before the game they were greeted by two cameras and me, the only reporter in town.
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Sarina Wiegman and Georgia Stanway give their views after England hit six in the second half against Ukraine in their opening World Cup qualifier
For years the number of journalists, personalities and influencers covering the squad has been growing as the success of the team increased.
To say it felt surreal is an understatement but Wiegman, Stanway and the rest of the team persevered with the same pale, bald man asking question after question in interview after interview.
By the time the game came around independent journalist Sophie Downer had doubled the press pack to two but it still felt odd.
Georiga Stanway was one of three England players to net doubles
Not even the crew broadcasting the game on TV could get permission to leave the UK, which meant our Sky camera operator had to step in to help with match coverage and I did all the interviews for domestic and international TV.
A colossal effort was put in by those in Antalya and the teams working in the UK to make sure the Lionesses got the coverage they deserve with scant resources available.
Credit must also go to the 250-plus England fans and a couple of dozen Ukraine supporters that came out to a remote stadium on the outskirts of Turkey’s eighth most populated city.
Alessia Russo also scored twice for England
As soon as the final whistle went, the England team made a concerted effort to show their appreciation to the traveling group that risked uncertainty. It’s far to say the Turkish hosts were expecting a very different crowd, though.
Seventy-five police officers with riot gear and 50 stewards lined the fans’ side of the pitch, manned the entrances and watched the perimeter. By the end of the game they were also smiling with the fans and respectfully cheering when Jess Park beautifully curled in England’s sixth goal.
What Georgia Stanway said is true, I suppose; football really can unite.
