Viktor Tsyhankov: «It’s great that we have such a goalkeeper...»

Ukrainian national team midfielder Viktor Tsyhankov commented on the victory over Iceland in the 2026 World Cup qualifier during the broadcast.

Viktor Tsyhankov (left; photo: uaf.ua)

It seems fans will remember the match for a long time. The emotions were phenomenal. Yesterday was your birthday, and today you and the team gave a gift to yourself and all Ukrainians. What are your feelings?

— First and foremost, it’s for the people. As I said, we must be united. Today, the support was incredible, and I am sure that those watching on TV supported us just as much and were waiting for this victory. I am incredibly happy that it ended like this, and that our people can look to the future with smiles.

What is the secret to the team’s readiness for today’s match? It seemed like you just overpowered the opponent and left them no chances.

— In fact, this is how we should always play. It’s the national team, after all. We understood perfectly well that this match was decisive for us — for us and our people. These are very difficult times, and with our game, we wanted to give emotions that are so lacking. I am very glad we succeeded.

Anatoliy Trubin reacted very modestly to that save at 0:0. How do you assess that episode?

— You said it correctly: he kept us in the game. Trubin did his job 100% today. We are very grateful to have such a goalkeeper — he can truly save us in the toughest moments. We thank him for that.