Ukraine's half-back Ruslan Malinovsky commented on the World Cup 2026 qualification match against Azerbaijan in Krakow (2:1).

In this game, Malinovsky scored a goal and provided an assist, becoming the winner of the prestigious "Man of the Match" award for the second time in a row (55% of fans' votes).

After the match ended, the half-back shared his impressions with the press service of the UAF.

"I was tired, of course, as I hadn't played in two days for a third time. Also, there was a tough flight from Iceland... I gave everything and am very happy for the team. I believe that in the first half we created many opportunities, but it just wasn't enough: here - one touch short, elsewhere - the final pass. Perhaps we made some mistakes that we don't usually make in other matches. But most importantly, there is a result.

We see that now all opponents know how to play football, and Azerbaijan does too. It was a tough game, but the main thing is that we won. We will prepare for the next matches."

When did I last score in two consecutive games? Probably at Atalanta. There was a period when I scored and assisted nine games in a row. But scoring in two consecutive games with my right foot never happened before. This is only the third time - the first one was for Juventus. It's great that I scored, but let me repeat, the main thing is our victory.

Scoring all these goals took a lot of energy. The field in Iceland was tough, and the ball moved faster on it. In Krakow, the pitch is softer. Even during training, I felt that my legs were 'sinking', muscles worked differently. It was tough," — said Ruslan Malinovsky.