In the last two qualifying matches of the 2026 World Cup, the Ukrainian team achieved maximum results and now aims not only to fight for the second place in the group, which grants the right to participate in the play-off matches, but also to look at the top step of their group after France’s draw in Iceland. Renowned domestic coach Vitaliy Kvartsyany spoke about the prospects of the «blue-and-yellow» in the decisive matches against France (November 13) and Iceland (November 16).
— Vitaliy Vladimirovich, before the start of the qualifying tournament, Ukraine’s team was considered a competitor to Iceland for second place in the group. What are the prospects for the «blue-and-yellow» with two rounds remaining until the end of the competition?
— At one time, Serhiy Rebrov played in the national team under Oleg Blokhin, who said before the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament that the team would qualify for the World Cup from first place. The coach fulfilled his promise, and this, in the end, became the highest result in history. We then entered the top eight national teams in the world.
Surely the current coach remembers Blokhin’s maximalism, so why not aim to win their qualifying group and directly qualify for the World Cup, since these play-off matches do not always work out for us.
France had a tough time in two matches against Iceland (2:1 and 2:2). These results suggest that we can play against the French and win.
— But after Ukraine, Didier Deschamps' team will play against the group’s outsider.
— Azerbaijan is rebuilding after Fernando Santos' departure, who, in my opinion, did not understand the mentality of the Azerbaijanis, so they did not give their best in the lost match with Iceland (0:5). Southern footballers are always known for handling the ball well, and now, with Ayhan Abbasov at the helm, it is clear that this team has a future; they played interestingly against Ukraine.
— Has the criticism of Serhiy Rebrov’s team decreased after two victories?
— Our team, one can say, got a second wind, confidence. We are capable of scoring from long-range shots; we are able to net goals from set-pieces. We just need to adjust our defense play. And here Trubin comes first. He is a good goalkeeper, but diplomatic. He needs to be tuned to anger, sporting arrogance in the box, he should be like a tiger in a cage. Anatoliy must anticipate more, guide his teammates.
— But, for example, in the match against Azerbaijan, was it hard to quickly react to the situation in their goal?
— Someone needed to give a hint and sort out the right flank of the defense, we had problems there in the last two matches. If Hutsulyak has a goal-scoring instinct and he scored, such a player is always in high esteem, but Oleksiy hasn’t done enough defensively.
And Konoplya was frequently joining the attack but didn’t perform his main functions as qualitatively as he should have. Not because he didn’t want to; I think Yefim lacks athleticism, maybe one step to prevent such cross-passes from opponents. And there Trubin should manage all these processes, like a master of ceremonies, read the game ahead. He must lose his voice but correctly prompt his partners, so the opponent’s attack does not end with a shot, or even worse, a goal. This reliability will definitely add confidence up front. Our defenders perhaps are waiting for this, as there we have total calm, a whisper.
— In World Cup qualification, if points are tied, goal difference is counted first, not head-to-head results with a competitor. And regarding this, we do not have the best situation, right?
— That’s why I’m talking about reliability in defense and effectiveness in attack. We beat Iceland — 5:3, but we needed to win — 5:0, which was actually feasible.
— So, you are optimistic and believe that Ukraine can overtake France in the final stretch?
— Yes. But again, you just need to pay attention to these mistakes, they are minor, but ultimately can lead to irreparable consequences. We need to concentrate, muster all our strength, just two matches remain, and in them, we need to deliver two victories, and then you can confidently say: Good afternoon, America!
Sergiy Boychenko