Former striker of Donetsk «Shakhtar» and the Ukrainian national team Oleksiy Belik — about the Ukraine-Iceland match and the team’s performance in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Oleksiy Belik— What were you thinking when you looked at the standings of our group before the final match, where Ukraine needed only a win?
— Objectively speaking, it was hard to imagine anyone could overtake the French national team over the distance. However, we were favorites for the second place in the group, in my opinion. Of course, we wished to take the second place calmly, without nerves, as they say. But we all understand the difficult situation our country and our football are in. Regarding the opponent, the Icelandic national team is a worthy opponent. Overall, I expected to see an evenly matched game. We complicated our lives by losing two points in Baku. A draw in Warsaw suited the Icelanders, and they had already chosen their tactics for this match based on their capabilities.
— One of the discussed topics before this game was Serhiy Rebrov’s decision to field a less than optimal lineup for the match in Paris against France. Did our coaching staff do everything right by not fielding our best forces for such a prestigious match?
— I would say only the head coach sees in the training process who looks how on a given day. Certain tests can be conducted to understand who among the players is in the best physical condition. The strategy for that or another match is planned accordingly.
Let’s speak honestly — even with the most battle-ready lineup, we couldn’t confidently say we could win in Paris. It’s like in a casino where you can bet on red or black. As we later saw, Serhiy Rebrov did everything right by giving some players a rest. Moreover, we know well how players of «Dynamo» and «Shakhtar» tire, covering hundreds of kilometers after each game. Logistics during the war is simply terrible.
— Let’s move directly to the match between Ukraine and Iceland. Why was the first half so uneventful?
— We perfectly understood that the guests would close down at their goal — a draw suited them. Who could completely outplay Iceland? Only France, probably. We attacked with great strength, but besides Viktor Tsyhankov’s dangerous strike in the 24th minute, there’s nothing to remember. So, I agree — the first half was quite even.
— It was clear that our guys needed to take risks to win. However, it’s hard to remember us pushing an opponent so hard in such an important match.
— Yes, this is a new feature in our footballers' game. We openly started to take risks, the coaching staff brought on as substitutes three creative players — Hutsulyak, Shaparenko, and Yaremchuk. The most interesting part of this meeting started from the 70th minute. Both teams' players started creating moments. How did Trubin pull out the ball in the 77th minute when Paulsson was heading freely at close range? Had the guests scored in that moment, it would have been almost impossible to count on a win.
And yet we had more personnel capacity to translate our playing advantage into goals. And if the guest goalkeeper Olafsson still made two saves in two seconds after Yaremchuk’s strikes in the 82nd minute, then a minute later Zubkov finally scored precisely into the corner of the goal. His strike was not technically perfect, but the goal was very important.
— Who did you like in the game of the Ukrainian national team?
— First of all, I want to note the game of the two flank players — Tsyhankov and Zubkov — they were very productive throughout the meeting. Of course, the entry of Oleksiy Hutsulyak as a substitute should also be noted. He both provided an assist and scored himself in added time.
— As a result, our national team took second place in the group and advanced to the playoff round of the World Cup. Do we have a chance to overcome this barrier?
— Evaluating the game of the Ukrainian national team, it’s worth noting that the second place in the group tournament is quite deserved — we beat the Iceland national team twice, our main competitor. As for the playoff games, it’s hard to say what will happen at the end of March next year. Besides, we need to wait for the draw. Who we play against is very important. Of course, every national team wants to play in the World Cup, and everyone will give their all to achieve this. It will be interesting.
Maksym Molchanov
