The well-known commentator Ihor Tsyhanyk commented on Ukraine’s national team’s victory over Iceland in the WC 2026 qualifiers.
Ihor Tsyhanyk— I want to sincerely congratulate everyone. Ukraine’s national team managed to take second place in their qualifying group and reach the playoff round in the fight for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. I don’t want to reflect now on where we struggled, where we could have played better — that’s not so important. The main thing is that we have progressed. And we did this, in particular, thanks to two goals scored in the last minutes. This is already becoming a trademark of Rebrov’s team: remember how we scored against the Bosnians, against the Icelanders in the previous qualifiers. And now — again. In a crucial match, we snatched the necessary victory precisely at the end.
I especially want to highlight Tsyhankov. He became one of the heroes of this match because it’s been a while since we’ve seen Viktor in such form. He took the initiative, created chances, delivered passes, shot, and earned set pieces. Remember the shot that hit the post — after this episode, it seems the whole team believed even more that they could press the opponent. Overall, Tsyhankov was one of the few in the national team constantly looking for one-on-one situations and wasn’t afraid to take risks, cutting in with both his left and right foot. Initially, he shot with his left — then the ball hit the crossbar. Later, he made deliveries and shots with his right, almost scoring again. This is undoubtedly individual skill. And, to be honest, Rebrov was lucky. But, as we know, luck comes to those who work and believe until the end, said Tsyhanyk.
