After the 2026 World Cup qualifier match against Iceland in Reykjavik (5:3 in favor of Ukraine), head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, answered journalists' questions.

— Congratulations on the win. The first question is about personnel — how does Georgiy Sudakov feel after being substituted? Also, Anatoliy Trubin needed medical assistance as well.

— In that situation when we were down to ten men, it was necessary just to clear the ball, and Anatoliy did that. As for Sudakov — this is a loss for us. I hope he will recover in time for the next game, but right now I don't have any information from the doctors.

— Today's match was nerve-wracking — comment on how events unfolded.

— I think all our matches are very tough. Before each training camp, we have a lot of injured players, unfortunately. But I am grateful that today the boys understood for whom they were playing and gave everything on the field. It's always very difficult to play against Iceland. I watched many of their games. Especially at home, they play very strongly and give a lot of fight. And today it was very important to win this battle. You need to look at the statistics, but I believe that the players really gave themselves.

After the score became 3-3, we did not try to maintain this result; we pushed forward and worked for a victory.

— Today substitutions were effective: Ocheretnyk's debut goal, Bondarenko's assist, Velentiy's debut...

— You see, we have a young team. Many young players who truly deserve to be called up for the national team. Not because they are injured. When they arrive at the training camp, I really see their great desire. All those you mentioned understand for whom they play and work very hard. And today I was confident in those players who came on as substitutes. They truly added to the game. After substitutions there was more intensity from our side. So I congratulate the boys, Vlad Velentiy with his first appearance, Artem Bondarenko with his first assist, and Oleh Ocheretnyk with a very important goal.

— What instructions did you give your team after the first quick goal?

— We had to work more intensely and actively. But I think today the Icelandic national team controlled the ball very well. After conceding a goal, they pressed hard and equalized, but we scored twice more afterward. We hoped and agreed with the boys to play more intensively, but the opponent did not allow us to do that.

— Did the return of an experienced player like Ruslan Malinovskiy help the team not only with goals but also with experience?

— I believe players like Yarmolenko, Malinovskiy, and Stepanenko are very important for the national team. And now I see that young players need to become leaders. We give them a chance, but time is needed because international matches are top-level games with top players. If you don't play at your maximum here, it's very hard to expect results.

— How would you evaluate the support from Ukrainian fans during this match?

— Super. We are very grateful. We felt their support even when the score was 3-3, everyone cheered and it was pleasant. Wherever we play, there is always support from Ukrainians. But we hope to return home and play for our fans in Ukraine.

Recall that the next qualifier match for the 2026 World Cup will be held on October 13th in Krakow against Azerbaijan (kickoff at 9:45 PM Kyiv time).