Former defender of the Ukrainian national team Sergiy Zadorozhny shared his impressions of the match of Serhiy Rebrov’s team against the Azerbaijanis in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which ended in a draw — 1:1.
«The Ukrainian national team needed to win in Baku to keep their chances of continuing the fight for a spot in the final part of the World Cup. However, it seemed that for our guys, the main goal was not to lose. This applied both to the choice of the starting lineup and to the gameplay, which was not focused on attack.
Although there was a game advantage, ball control did not raise doubts, it could not bring our team significant dividends due to monotonous rotations in the midfield. The hosts had plenty of time to reorganize and cover the free zones that occasionally appeared in their defensive ranks.
Of course, if the guests had utilized long shots, the hosts would have had to press them higher, creating space; but our arsenal lacked this formidable "weapon". Therefore, the final draw cannot be called accidental.
In the two opening matches of the qualifying cycle, Serhiy Rebrov’s team disappointed. By the way, in recent years, they often create problems for themselves and then exert titanic efforts to catch up. They do not always succeed.
By the way, the fate of the second place in our group may be decided as early as October. Much will depend on how the Ukrainians play in Iceland. We need to win, but the hosts will set the same goal for themselves, as they have gradually improved their game. We are still just searching,» said Zadorozhny.
