It was the result many neutrals were hoping for at Hampden Park, but that will be little consolation for Gilmour and his international team-mates as their chances of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1998 came to a close.

The strength of feeling inside the stadium was clear before kick-off, with all thoughts on those suffering as a result of the war in Ukraine as their players walked out draped in the flag before joining the 3,500 visiting supporters in singing the national anthem.

However, any thoughts the pre-match solidarity would result in anything other than a fiercely competitive match between two teams desperate to reach the World Cup was soon dismissed, when Roman Yaremchuk was booked for a late challenge on Gilmour in the middle of the park after just five minutes.

It was a fairly even opening to the game, though, with Gilmour pulling the strings for Scotland from a deep position in midfield. Ukraine were gaining more control the longer the game went on, though, with the Chelsea man finding it harder to exert his influence on the game as Scotland’s share of possession diminished.

That pressure paid off just after the half-four mark, as Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko sprung the offside trap and lifted a shot over goalkeeper Craig Gordon to give his side the lead. Scotland manager Steve Clarke – a former player and assistant coach at Chelsea – made changes at half-time, with Gilmour playing a more advanced role, but before he could make an impact there Yaremchuk held off two defenders to head in a second Ukraine goal four minutes after the break.

It had been questioned whether Ukraine might start to tire as the game went on, with six domestic-based players in their line-up playing their first game of football this year, and Scotland did start to gain more of a foothold later in the second half, but John McGinn inexplicably headed wide with from six yards after a goalkeeping error.

Gilmour was then withdrawn with a little over 20 minutes remaining as Clarke threw on fresh legs and another fumble from the keeper opened the door 10 minutes from the end, as a hopeful ball into the box slipped out of his grasp and just crossed the line. However, that was the last time he was tested and Ukraine netted again through Artem Dovbyk to make it 3-1 with the final kick of the game.

They will now face Wales for a place at the World Cup in the play-off final in Cardiff on Sunday. The Welsh are expected to have Ethan Ampadu in their starting line-up for that game, after he was one of several regulars rested on the bench for their 2-1 Nations League defeat away in Poland tonight.

Back in London, Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri were both in Italy’s starting line-up for the Finalissima, between the Euro winners and South American champions Argentina. It wasn't a happy return to the scene of last summer's triumph for Italy, though, as despite an even start Argentina took control for large spells and their attacking quality proved to be the difference as Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala all found the net at Wembley in a 3-0 defeat for Italy.

In Africa, Baba Rahman featured throughout at left-back as Ghana began their African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign at home against Madagascar. It was a frustrating first half for the hosts, as they completely dominated but failed to reflect their advantage in the scoreline. That changed after the break, though, as two quick goals but them in front and a late third gave them a deserved 3-0 victory.

At youth level, Bryan Fiabema was also in action against Ukraine as Norway’s Under-19s opened their European Championship qualifying group in the Netherlands. Fiabema led the attack throughout and provided an injury-time assist in the 95th minute, but it was too late to salvage anything from the game as they suffered a 3-2 defeat.