Former forward of the Ukrainian national team Ivan Getsko shared his conclusions on the results of the World Cup 2026 qualifier match Azerbaijan — Ukraine (1:1).
Ivan Getsko— At the end of the match, I caught myself thinking that even if we had won, there would have been no pleasure from what was seen in Baku. Unfortunately, I have to state that there was no game from Sergey Rebrov’s team, neither in the match against a top national team — France, nor against outsiders — the Azerbaijanis.
— How do you explain this?
— Something inexplicable is happening inside our national team. It seems there are no random people in it, many have million-dollar contracts, as they say, life is good. But when it comes to defending Ukraine’s sporting honor, it’s nothing but disappointment. I repeat, this applies to both foreigners and representatives of the UPL, whose level is very low.
There’s an impression that the defeat to the French was taken calmly, the opponent truly had every player as a "star". But in the confrontation with the Azerbaijanis, we were considered the favorites, unfortunately, only on paper. Because even when we took the lead immediately after the break, instead of increasing the intensity, scoring a second time, and settling the question of the winner, for some reason, we slowed down, allowing the hosts to recover.
I agree, the goal conceded from a penalty is an unfortunate incident, but the fact that we did not demonstrate our "trump cards" to tip the scales in our favor is a fact.
— After the score became a draw, there was still enough time to snatch a victory.
— The players who came on as substitutes didn’t improve the game. That’s why the hosts earned a bonus in the form of the point they gained for their effort.
— After another setback, do the Ukrainians still have chances to take second place in the group and continue the fight for a ticket to the final part of the World Cup?
— They say hope dies last, but the situation for our guys is critical. For starters, in October, it’s desirable to win against Iceland away. To be honest, with such a game, that seems unlikely.
Andrei Pisarenko
