Former Ukrainian national team forward Andriy Vorobey commented on the victories of the Ukrainian national team over Iceland (5:3) and Azerbaijan (2:1) in the qualifying stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Andriy Vorobey— Andriy, considering the two matches of the Ukrainian national team, namely against Iceland and Azerbaijan, were Malinovskyi and Hutsulyak among the brightest players in the 'blue and yellow' team?
— In the first and second matches, these two players practically made the entire game. It’s no wonder Malinovskyi received the 'Lion of the Match' in both games. They deserved this recognition. It’s evident that Malinovskyi hasn’t played for the national team for a long time. Ruslan missed it. Malinovskyi’s attitude and character played a positive role in these winning matches.
— It was evident that Malinovskyi was charging the team with his attitude! Was that what the team needed?
— Yes! He hasn’t played for the national team for a long time. Clearly, Ruslan missed matches at this level. It coincided that he became the leader of the Ukrainian team in these games. All hopes were on Malinovskyi. And he met those expectations.
— Does experience in playing for 'Genk', 'Atalanta', 'Marseille', and now for 'Genoa' help Ruslan in such national team matches?
— Now Ruslan is in playing shape and has practice. When Malinovskyi is in shape, he is a very good player with excellent field vision. Ruslan has many positive qualities. He has a good shot and pass. He is someone who is not afraid to play and make mistakes. One can say that he is almost the only player in the Ukrainian team right now who can make some unconventional decision. Ruslan, when in shape, shows his best qualities. This was evident in these two matches.
— In Europe, there are clubs, such as 'Inter' and 'Barcelona', that invite top players over 30 when they reach the peak of their form. Is it possible that Malinovskyi will continue his career in one of these teams?
— Anything is possible in football. But you need to focus on performing for your club. Anything can happen in life. And you can move from an ordinary club to a top club. That’s life. Anything is possible. No one rules out such a possibility. But, I think, right now Malinovskyi needs to focus on performing for 'Genoa' and the Ukrainian national team, and we’ll see what happens!
— What can you say about Hutsulyak? 'Shakhtar' will play their next match against 'Polissya'. Has the Donetsk team already started thinking about playing against the Zhytomyr club, for which Oleksii plays and is in great form?
— 'Polissya' is playing well right now. This is expected from the Zhytomyr team. 'Polissya' has both results and play. This is important. 'Polissya' has improved its play. They have a visible style of play. For about a month, 'Polissya' is probably one of the most consistent teams. 'Shakhtar' will have a tough time playing against this team. It will be a head-on game.
— Can anyone else be highlighted in these national team matches?
— The main thing is that the national team won. The main thing is that they got six points. And I liked the play pattern in these two matches. I especially liked the character. I liked that the players are not just controlling the ball for passing but are also shooting on target. This is very important for the fans and the result. Character showed in these games. There is hope for a positive result.
— What can you say about the players from the Premier League, namely Yarmolyuk and Mykolenko?
— The fact that Mykolenko scored an own goal is pure chance. Overall, Vitalii played the match well. Yarmolyuk pleasantly surprised us. It’s not even that he surprised, but he showed good football in the match against Azerbaijan. I believe that practically all the legionnaires, and the same Zabarnyi and Trubin, essentially played at a good, decent level. A lot was expected from Dovbyk. But somehow, maybe something is not working out right now. I think in the future, if he continues to work hard, everything will work out.
— Is it significant that Ukraine defeated Iceland, while France ended in a draw with them? Or did the French not really push for a winning result?
— The French are French. They are people too. They are not robots. What’s the point of fearing them? We can play with them. Iceland showed that we can play against any team. I think we can play against the French. It’s football. You can defend the whole match, score before the final whistle, and win the match! Football is unpredictable. Anything is possible in football. I think it’s too early to write off Ukraine in the upcoming match against France.
— Can you expect a positive result in the away match against France?
— Yes! You can and should play against any team. And if we want to achieve some big goals, then we should already be showing good football and results in matches like those against France, and so on.
— So, are we expecting good results from the matches against France and Iceland?
— I would like the attitude that was in these two matches to transfer to the next games. God willing, this attitude will remain for the next matches!
Dmytro Kotkov
