The former forward of Kyiv «Dynamo» shared his impressions of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of Iceland and Ukraine (3:5).
Alexander Prizetko
— We all expected a win, and the fact that the Ukrainian national team showcased such fiery football was a pleasant surprise! With this victory, Rebrov’s team shed all the previous negative weight, temporarily protecting themselves and the coach from earlier deserved criticism. Scoring five goals against such a solid team as Iceland, and beating them on their own turf, is doubly pleasant! In such games, the result comes first, followed by the quality of football, but we got both. Yes, there were some minor errors, but the guys bravely overcame difficulties.
— The players showed great desire to win, they came out from the first minute with burning eyes, something we hadn’t seen before.
— There was nowhere to retreat. Only forward, only towards victory—that must have been their motto on the field. A loss would have dashed all hopes of progressing further. The goal of the national team is the final part of the 2026 World Cup. With this game, the team showed they can play quality football and achieve results. It brought only positive emotions, both to the fans and to themselves.
— Despite the good game, there were some downsides. They conceded two goals from the central defensive zone, right in the center of the penalty area.
— Yes, there were some errors and mistakes. But I repeat: the result was paramount. They conceded three, but scored five, the result was achieved. All the goals were earned, to everyone’s taste, two from a distance. The coaching staff will understand and analyze all the mistakes.
— One goal was scored due to luck, when an Icelandic player swung and missed the ball right in front of the goal, gifting it to Gutsulyak.
— Without our attack, without pressure, this mistake wouldn’t have occurred. With their active actions, they forced the opponent to commit such a childish blunder. They led by two goals, then allowed the score to draw level, and it seemed the hosts could press for the win. They created difficulties for themselves but managed to overcome a difficult period of the match. The guys fought until the end, they didn’t sit back in defense, found the strength to make a final push, scored two beautiful goals, and deservedly won.
The team played as a single unit. After some absence, Malinovsky and Mykolenko fit in well. The latter pushed forward on his flank, was active, and participated in the first goal. A quick goal boosted the confidence of our team, freed up the players, and in the end, everything worked out. Malinovsky orchestrated many attacks, scored two goals, especially the beautiful one with a strike from the right into the top corner, even though he’s left-footed.
Voloshyn was beneficial as a substitute, played productively, offered himself, and broke into free zones with the ball. Also, Ocherezhko came on as a substitute and scored, putting an end to such a tense match, finally depriving Iceland of any hope for at least a draw. The team showed character. The main thing now is to go out with the same mindset against Azerbaijan, and then everything will work out. There will be both result and victory.
Serhiy Shebek
