Iceland National Team Defender: 'The Ukraine National Team Is No Better Than Our Team'

Iceland national team defender Sverrir Ingason reacted emotionally to his team’s defeat by Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

Vladyslav Vanat and Sverrir Ingason. Photo: EPA

’It’s horrible. That terrible corner kick... We defended brilliantly from corners throughout the qualification. Zubkov received a pass and scored a header, and when we had a similar moment, their goalkeeper saved them. It’s just a 50−50 game, and today, everything turned against us.

We had chances to score. In the second half, I felt like we were in control. They didn’t create anything except for those moments we lost the ball to counterattacks. In every other aspect, we looked very good. It’s very hard to accept because I felt the team deserved much more.

The Ukraine national team is no better than our team today. We have a young team and we just need to keep working. Most of these guys are 20−22 years old, and they will be with the national team for another 10−15 years. I hope they will still make it to major tournaments because they deserve it,' Ingason is quoted by Visir.is.