Ukraine’s national team midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi commented on the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Krakow (2:1).
’I am tired, of course, as I haven’t played two days on the third for a very long time. Besides, the flight from Iceland wasn’t easy. I gave it my all and I’m very happy for the team. I think that in the first half we created many chances, but we lacked a bit of final touch or the final pass. Perhaps we made some mistakes that we don’t allow in other matches. But the most important thing is the result was achieved.
We see that currently all opponents know how to play football, and Azerbaijan is no exception. It was a tough game, but the main thing is we have the victory. We will prepare for the next matches.
When was the last time I scored in two consecutive matches? Probably at Atalanta. There was a period when I scored and assisted in nine games in a row. But scoring in two consecutive matches with the right foot never happened. This is the third time overall — the first was against Juventus. It’s great to score, but I repeat, the main thing is our victory.
All the goals took a lot of energy, in Iceland the pitch was hard, and the ball moved faster on it. In Krakow, the grass is softer. I felt even during training that my legs were 'sitting', muscles working differently. It wasn’t easy,' said Malinovskyi.
