On October 10, a thrilling match took place in Reykjavik for the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers between Ukraine and Iceland. After only earning one point in the previous two matches, the Ukrainian team found themselves in a must-win situation. Following a disappointing performance against Azerbaijan, the pressure was on.
ICELAND — UKRAINE — 3:5
Iceland: Olafsson, Palsson, Ingasen, Gretarsson, Elertsson (G.Tordarsson, 87), A.Gudmundsson, Johannesson (Willumsson, 86), Haraldsson, Magnusson (Tomasson, 69), A.Gudjohnsen (Anderson, 86), Thorsteinsson (Hlynsson, 69). Head Coach: Arnar Gunnlaugsson.
Ukraine: Trubin, Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko, Kalyuzhny, Malinovskyi (Bondarenko, 87), Shaparenko (Ocheretko, 70), Hutsulak (Veletien, 87), Sudakov (Voloshyn, 39), Vanat (Dovbyk, 70). Head Coach: Serhiy Rebrov.
Goals: Elertsson (35), Gudmundsson (59, 75) — Malinovskyi (14, 45+5), Hutsulak (45), Kalyuzhny (85), Ocheretko (88).
This match marked the return of Ruslan Malinovskyi and Vitaliy Mykolenko, who were key players throughout the game. Anatoliy Trubin took the goalkeeper position, while Illya Zabarnyi and Mykola Matviyenko formed the central defense. Kalyuzhny, Malinovskyi, and Shaparenko dominated the midfield, with Vanat leading the attack.
Ukraine scored from their first meaningful attack. Mykolenko joined the attack, evaded two defenders, and set up Malinovskyi for the opening goal - 1:0.
However, Iceland quickly equalized. Elertsson found the net in the 35th minute - 1:1.
Just before halftime, Hutsulak put Ukraine ahead again, scoring from a setup by Voloshyn - 1:2.
The second half began with Malinovskyi scoring again, but Gudmundsson matched him with two goals for Iceland, leveling the match at 75 minutes - 3:3.
Despite the pressure, Ukraine didn’t falter. Kalyuzhny scored a fantastic long-range shot in the 85th minute, and Ocheretko sealed the victory with a strike from outside the box - 4:5.
In the end, Ukraine achieved a vital win despite the challenges faced during the match.