The midfielder of the Italian club 'Genoa' and the Ukrainian national team, Ruslan Malinovskyi, commented on the victory over Iceland in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match on the broadcaster’s air.
Ruslan Malinovskyi (photo: uaf.ua)— What are the emotions from this victory?
— The emotions are the best — positive, victorious. From the fan’s perspective, it looked simply «wow» with the team’s dedication and energy. And that was the most important thing today: dedication, energy, discipline. I think we played well in the first half, but lacked finishing. As always, small details decide the outcome. When there’s little time left and the opponent goes very deep, finding space between the lines becomes difficult.
— How important was the contribution of the players who came on as substitutes?
— Very important. The guys who came off the «bench» strengthened the game. Hutsulyak made the pass, Zubkov scored — everyone was very happy. At the end, the opponent started to waste time, but overall, everyone worked 100% today. I congratulate all the fans — the atmosphere was wonderful. Congratulations on the victory to all of Ukraine.
— How was it for you to stay on the bench and follow the game from the side?
— Honestly, it wasn’t easy. There was a bit of anger because there were moments where we could have «squeezed» more. But that’s football. The field was difficult — even with «iron» studs, it was sometimes slippery. The main thing is that we won. They said they came for the victory, but in fact, they played on the counterattacks, and at times it worked for them. But the result, as we see, was not in their favor.
— Today the national team gave Ukrainians a victory and emotions. How did you feel knowing that people would go to sleep happy?
— It’s very pleasant. Although, as always, everyone was worried at the end — someone was drinking Corvalol, someone something else (smiles). When we scored the second goal, it immediately became calmer, everyone relaxed. Now ahead are the playoffs. We end the year with a victory, and I think we had a very good game and deserved it.
— There are still two finals ahead. Good luck to you!
— Thank you! We will fight.
