Vitaliy Ponomaryov: “We Cannot Lose to Iceland”

Head coach of Cherkasy LNZ Vitaliy Ponomaryov spoke about what he expects from the upcoming matches of the Ukrainian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament — against Iceland (October 10) and Azerbaijan (October 13).

Vitaliy Ponomaryov. Photo — LNZ FC

— Of course, I want the national team to win these two matches, and we have a very good chance of qualifying for the World Cup. I hope our footballers approach these matches fully prepared and achieve the best possible result.

— Will these two games be decisive in terms of the Ukrainian national team’s prospects for qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, in your opinion?

— In my opinion, yes. We cannot lose to Iceland. Therefore, I think this will be a very important period for our team.

Dmytro Vienkov