Legendary defender of Kyiv’s Dynamo, Stefan Reshko, shared his expectations for the match of the 2nd round of the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup in Group D between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Ukraine, which will take place today in Baku.
Stefan Reshko— I know Azerbaijani football well from my games with Dynamo. I remember the first game of the USSR championship in 1971 against Neftchi in Baku. At that time, high-class masters such as Banishevsky and Markarov played in that team. Five years before that, in the 1966 season, both significantly contributed to winning the third place and bronze medals. They were national team players and set the tone for Baku’s game.
Back then, we played in a line in defense — just like they do now. Our senior coach, Alexander Sevidov, told me: “When Neftchi attacks and is approaching the goal, you take Banishevsky under your wing, and Sosnikhin will cover you.” And guess what — in Baku during the season opener, we played 1:1. That was my first official game for Kyiv’s Dynamo. It has been 54 years since, but I remember everything as if it were yesterday.
— What do you say about modern Azerbaijani football?
— Speaking about the current Azerbaijani national team, football is currently developing in this country, just like everywhere else in the world. As you can see, this is happening on different continents — in Africa, in Asia. More and more, we see teams from different countries of these continents performing well in the World Championships. Football is a sport that, thanks to its popularity, is constantly progressing. It is loved by fans and appreciated by people. We have learned to play everywhere, and Azerbaijan is no exception.
— In the first match of the qualifying group, Azerbaijan lost to Iceland with a crushing score of 0:5, which cost the Portuguese Fernando Santos his coaching position. How might this affect the game with Ukraine?
— A change of coach always has consequences. Usually, after the resignation of a coach, positive changes occur in the team’s performance because every player strives to prove their worth to the new coach. Therefore, I assume that it will not be easy for the Ukrainian national team in Baku. But, regardless, Azerbaijan is an opponent from whom our national team must take points.
