Former head coach of the Ukraine national team and Kyiv’s Dynamo Leonid Buryak shared his impressions of the 3rd round match of the WC-2026 qualifier Iceland vs. Ukraine (3:5), which took place last Friday in Reykjavik.
Leonid Buryak. Photo — fcdynamo.com— This match will go down in football history — for the execution of moments, — noted Buryak. – As they say, don’t look for logic in football… In fact, we faced a very good team, and the fact that we managed to win by scoring five goals is very good, God rewarded us.
Throughout the match, the Ukrainian national team showed excellent dedication. Besides that, before the break, Rebrov’s team played quite well in defense. And of course, the execution. Three shots on Iceland’s goal frame — and three goals. Overall, we defended slightly worse on the right flank, where Konoplia played, and better on the left, where Mykolenko played.
— But Ukraine’s national team traditionally tested our fans' nerves...
— Yes, they allowed the Icelanders to come back with two goals. But I’ll repeat: we were opposed by a very quality, young, and talented team. I really liked the Iceland national team, despite such a defeat. The Ukrainians, after the score became 3:3, managed to honorably emerge from such a situation. I was pleasantly surprised by the play of Mykolenko, Zabarnyi, and Malinovskyi, whom I especially want to highlight. To return to form after a serious injury, receive a call to the national team, and score two goals — that’s worth a lot.
I want to separately mention the criticism of Serhiy Rebrov. Let’s take a calmer attitude towards his work. He played at the highest level and understands football well. There aren’t many experts of such a level in Ukraine, so everyone needs to calm down and trust Rebrov, not slander him.
— Ukraine scored four goals like a carbon copy. Why couldn’t the Icelanders close the central defense zone and allowed the visitors to literally shoot at their goal?
— I think the weather made important adjustments. Under different conditions, the ball might not have flown into Iceland’s frame as many times. The first goal scored by the Ukrainian national team was still logical — after a combination, while the others were a reward for frequently shooting at the opponent’s goal. To score and win, you need to shoot a lot. To beat the home team, a high-level team, 5:3 — such things happen once in a hundred years… Especially since a 3:3 score was ideal for Iceland from a tournament standpoint.
— Didn’t the loss of Sudakov affect our team’s game?
— Besides him, there are many adult and responsible people in the team, there was someone to replace and compensate for the loss. However, I am worried about Sudakov. Dislocating a shoulder is an unpleasant injury. God grant him health. He is a key performer for the Ukraine national team, who we shouldn’t lose.
— Such a victory should inspire Ukraine’s national team before the match with Azerbaijan...
— Of course, it’s good spirits and emotions, a solid compensation for fatigue, as our team’s players ran a lot. The match with Iceland will provide a lot of information to the coaching staff of the Ukrainian national team. I don’t even recall such matches for the 'blue-yellow' before. I’ll note that poise and skill in the team’s actions were contributed by our legionnaires, which is very positive. Now it’s important to recover and approach the meeting with Azerbaijan in good condition.
Oleh Semenchenko
