Ukrainian coach Sergey Nagornyak evaluated the first half of the UPL season, the performance of Ukrainian teams in European cups, and also the results of the draw for the Ukrainian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
— Sergey Nikolaevich, how do you evaluate the results of the first half of the UPL season?
— At the start of the season, it was assumed that the leaders would be “Shakhtar” and “Dynamo”. But “Alexandria” surprised pleasantly. “Dynamo” is going in the Ukrainian championship with minimal loss of points. And “Shakhtar”, of course, surprised as well. They are seven points behind the first place in terms of points lost. But the question here is who prepares better for the second half of the season. It should be noted that the only surprise is “Alexandria”.
— What do you think is the highlight of “Alexandria”?
— The coach plays, of course, a very important role in the progress of the team. They have gathered a good collective! Before the start of the season, they were reinforced by Filipov and several other players. If last season they had a long winless streak, then in this campaign, I think, the Alexandrians are playing very decently. Even their coaches say that the team exceeds expectations. “Alexandria” surprised pleasantly! And I particularly admire the way the Alexandrians play.
— Which other teams pleasantly surprised you?
— I was pleasantly surprised by “Veres”. We played against them for the right to compete in the UPL. They showcased decent football even against “Epicenter”. They managed to deliver an unbeaten streak of 11 matches this season, including the cup match. Within the UPL, they have not lost 10 matches in a row. “Veres” is performing quite well this season. And, to be honest, I expected more from “Polesie”.
— But still, the Zhytomyr team won twice against “Shakhtar”!
— Yes, indeed. But the players of “Polesie” understand that victories over “Shakhtar” earn them three points just like victories over other opponents. However, for the Zhytomyr team, the most important thing was that they managed to come out of that crisis and broke a streak of 9 matches without a win in the UPL.
— What can you say about the top scorers in the UPL? Currently, they are Vanat with 10 goals and Hutsulyak with 9 goals.
— Yes, Vanat has started scoring and, as a result, he leads the scoring race. Now, if we talk about Hutsulyak and Nazarenko, these are the two strongest actors of “Polesie”. A lot depends on the performance of both, especially Hutsulyak. In crucial matches, when it was needed, he scored important goals. Hutsulyak and Nazarenko are two of the best acquisitions of “Polesie” to date. They are national team players! They must deliver such results!
— Regarding the performances of Ukrainian teams in European cups, we can count the victory and draw of “Shakhtar” and the goal by “Dynamo” against “Victoria”. What do you think about these results?
— Concerning “Dynamo”, the coach should probably deal with their performances. It's hard to say why the Dynamo players performed the way they did. As for “Shakhtar”, more was expected, but they faced serious opponents in “Bayern”, “Arsenal”, “PSV”, and “Atalanta”. “Shakhtar” still has games to play against “Borussia” (Dortmund) and “Brest”. About “Brest”, I will say right away that it is a very tough opponent. It will be interesting to watch this match. I am following this team. And I can say that “Brest” has very good team play.
Do you know what the difference is between “Shakhtar” this season and last season? This campaign is being carried by Ukrainian players. We got used to the fact that for 15 years “Shakhtar” primarily had a Ukrainian defense, while their attack was represented by legionnaires. This was a scheme built by Mircea Lucescu. And now in “Shakhtar”, the foreigners are of a different level. There's nothing to hide. Although the price tags for legionnaires are not small, the key roles are played by our players.
— Who would you specifically highlight?
— The same Sudakov and Bondarenko, on whom a lot depends. Some players perform well in the Ukrainian championship but show nothing in European cups. But, unfortunately, we have to state that this is not the best time for our football. Although the Ukrainian championship is interesting! There are many unexpected, unpredictable results in matches. But still, our benchmark has always been the European cups. This is a season that, to put it mildly, is not very successful for Ukrainian teams. That's why Ukraine is dropping lower and lower in the coefficient table. And next season, Ukraine will have only one team in the Champions League.
— You said that “Shakhtar” will have tough matches in the Champions League in January. What can you say about “Dynamo”’s opponents, namely “Galatasaray” and RFSh?
— “Dynamo” needs to at least beat someone in this season of European cups. They might manage to play against “Galatasaray”. Yes, it will be difficult with them, but it’s a team of spirit. They score a lot, but they also concede a lot.
— What do you think about the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification cycle? Ukraine drew Iceland, Azerbaijan, and the winner of the Nations League tie between France/Croatia!
— Of course, I would prefer Croatia as an opponent for the Ukrainian national team. The French can gather two national teams. And the Croats are in a generational change. Yes, it will be tough against the Balkans, but, as for me, there are chances. In principle, it will be difficult with all teams. The Icelandic national team is again starting to improve its level of play! It will be very tough against these opponents. We have good players, but so far in games for the national team, they do not fully justify the hopes placed on them.
Andrey Pisarenko