On Sunday, November 16, in the match of the final, 6th round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament, the Ukrainian national team defeated Iceland with a score of 2:0 and, finishing second in group “D”, secured a spot in the playoffs to qualify for the World Cup finals. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov.
— Until the 69th minute of the match, you didn’t make a single substitution. Why? Were you satisfied with your team’s play?
— Not everything was satisfactory, but we had chances to open the score, we were the team that understood how to do it. Today almost everyone in the starting lineup were fresh players, and the first we substituted was Yarmolyuk, who played both against France and today, and did a lot of work in both matches.
The players who came on as substitutes at the end of the match refreshed the game, and as a result, we had very good moments at the end of the match, two of which we converted.
— What was the turning point?
— As I said before the match, the Icelandic team did not play as they did in the home match against us. But I believe it’s our merit: we pressed and showed that we wanted to win. The opponent defended very tightly, and it was difficult to find space — we only had chances from long-range shots.
When we made substitutions, the players who entered the field pressed more, loaded Iceland’s penalty area more, and achieved the result. But it’s everyone’s achievement: today, from the first to the last minute, everyone without exception played to their maximum.
Serhiy Rebrov. Photo — A. Popov— Your emotional run on the football field was impressive.
— When «Dynamo» defeated «Shakhtar» in the Ukrainian Cup final, losing by two goals in a penalty shootout, I ran a bit faster. The fourth referee today said that I ran faster today than when I played for «Tottenham.» (Smiles). These are emotions, you would have run too in my place if you had the chance.
— If we qualify for the World Cup...
— I will run again.
— Evaluate Zubkov’s game.
— Today he did not play in his usual position. But he can also play in that capacity, as he proved today. Zubkov did everything for the victory, gave his all. He scored a very important goal. If you remember, the game in Azerbaijan was also very tough, and Zubkov then scored too — Sudakov finished his pass.
In general, I can say that I have no complaints about any of the guys who come to the national team — everyone works to the maximum. Today, there was really a team on the field, and I don’t want to say that one was the best.
— For Yarmolyuk, this is the first qualifying cycle with the Ukrainian national team, but it is already difficult to imagine the team without him. How do you evaluate his game?
— I am pleased with his progress. And we are all pleased with his game. He has been getting more playing time at «Brentford.» He constantly starts in the lineup and plays almost all matches without substitution. That’s why he has such progress. Indeed, he is becoming an important player for our team.
Today Yegor played slightly in a different position — a bit higher, but he can play in any midfield position, and today he proved it.
— Today your team was truly charged. Is this the result of your motivation, or is there some other explanation?
— You worked as motivators. I’m talking about the hype, «haters,» all that happened on social networks. The guys read all of this. Someone was probably offended by something, and maybe someone, on the contrary, wanted to prove that this team has a chance to qualify for the World Cup. So thank you for helping us.
Oleksandr POPOV from Warsaw
