Icelandic fans are not so much disappointed by their national team’s defeat to Ukraine (3:5) in yesterday’s World Cup 2026 qualifier, as they are surprised by the national team’s play, which very rarely concedes many goals (the last time Iceland conceded five goals was against Spain in 2022). They admit that Ukraine deservedly won, but also note that the guests were very lucky as almost all their shots ended in goals.
Also, Icelanders remark that Serhiy Rebrov has a lot of luck in matches against Iceland, as he scored against this team as a player and now has beaten them for the second time as a coach. Nevertheless, Icelanders believe that their national team will eventually be able to secure the second place.
Sveinn: A crazy game! Both teams played terribly in defense and somehow scored more goals than they created chances. Especially lucky were the Ukrainians, whose every shot on target practically ended in goals.
Gummi: It was a tough night for us. We must not underestimate the power of solid defense. The team had many good moments in attack, and we shouldn’t play without thinking about defense. We need a good performance against France and to win the next two matches. It’s very difficult, but not impossible.
Heiorun: Where was our defense today? How did we manage to concede five goals from such a weak team, which couldn’t do anything against Azerbaijan? Today was Iceland’s worst day in the last 3−4 years. We haven’t played this badly in a long time.
Sigurdar: Serhiy Rebrov is a man in the melting snow (as they say about cool people in Iceland, — ed.). He constantly gave us trouble as a player, and now he consistently spoils our mood as a coach. Maybe it’s some kind of mystique. The team that played poorly before scored five goals against us.
Dottir: All is not lost yet, so let’s not criticize the team too harshly. I can’t even say we played much worse than the Ukrainians. It was just a strange day for us and a very good day for Ukraine. I don’t think this will happen again in the return match.
Valgeir: I wouldn’t be surprised if Ukraine drops points in the match against Azerbaijan. It seems they used all their luck in today’s match with Iceland. Two players scored their debut goals for the national team. This is extremely rare in football.
Aguist: All statistical portals show that Iceland created more chances but scored fewer goals. Ukraine didn’t even create very dangerous moments. They just shot from all positions at the goal and somehow miraculously scored goals!
Gisle: Interestingly, our media wrote that Serhiy Rebrov could be fired from the national team, and he himself wanted to leave for a Greek club. Yesterday the fans hated him, and now he is a hero to them. It’s completely the opposite for us. Yesterday everyone praised the coaching staff, and today everyone writes about the poor work of the coach, with whom we allegedly can’t achieve anything.
Sverris: Don’t be too upset about this result. It’s bad that we lost, but it was a fantastic match for Ukraine, and they are unlikely to repeat it. Once the score was 3:3, I was sure Iceland would snatch victory. And then that crazy goal from the guy with the beard (referring to Kalyuzhny, — ed.) who scored his first goal for the national team.
Magnusson: Serhiy Rebrov is nothing but trouble. I still remember how he scored against the Icelandic national team as a player. Last year he was lucky to defeat us in the playoffs. Now again, another incredible victory in a match with us. What can you do?
Olafur: Ukraine scored three goals with long-range shots outside the penalty area! I’m not sure they’ve ever scored that many goals this way. All the shots were such that it’s impossible to blame the goalkeeper, and it’s hard to make claims to the defense.
Bjorgvin: Two players scored debut goals for the Ukrainian national team. Three goals were scored with long-range shots. Ukraine didn’t create chances today; they just scored goals out of nothing. What incredible luck. But why does it always happen in a match with us?
Gislad: I’d like to say Ukraine didn’t deserve this victory, but if we allowed them to shoot from long distances all match, then it’s our own fault. Perhaps the Ukrainians couldn’t repeat those shots another 100 times, but what does it matter now? They won and deservedly celebrate.
Poor: I think the coaching staff didn’t prepare well for this match and didn’t make the necessary changes at halftime. It was clear after the first half that we needed to close the defensive midfield and not allow shots after rebounds. It was obvious, but we let the Ukrainians do it again and lost. The Ukrainians deserved the three points.
Olaf: With such defense, there’s no point in going to the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Any strong national team will score as many goals against us as Ukraine did today. I like Iceland’s attacking play, but we can’t lose our heads and forget about defense.
Yngvi: It seems to me that without star players, Ukraine plays even better than with them. When Ukraine had players like Shevchenko or Mudryk, everyone knew whom to hold back. And whom to hold back now? It turns out that each Ukrainian national team player poses a danger to the opposing defense.
Petir: It’s not just disappointing that we lost today, but HOW we lost. We conceded many silly goals, managed to equalize, and were close to snatching victory, and then conceded two silly goals again. I’m speechless.
Saemund: Well, the fight for second place in the group is just beginning. Now we’ll resolve everything in the final rounds and believe that Iceland can overtake Ukraine. It’s unlikely that Azerbaijan will intervene in this fight.
Friorik: If Ukraine beats Azerbaijan in the next round, and we lose, the situation will become very difficult for Iceland. Then we will have to win the last two rounds. And hope that Ukraine won’t be able to beat France, which by then will have already secured first place in the group.
Steinar: I liked Ukraine’s fighting spirit. They came as underdogs; no one believed in them. The coach was on the verge of dismissal, and many star players were injured or suspended. I won’t even mention that Ukraine is constantly under missile attacks. Nevertheless, they rallied and showed character. Our players should take their example.
Orest Petruskiv
