Photo: EPA
On Sunday, November 16, Ukraine’s national football team defeated Iceland 2-0 in Warsaw in the final round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Going into the decisive match, both teams had seven points, but Iceland led Ukraine on goal difference. Ukraine needed a win to secure a spot in the playoffs, while Iceland could advance with a draw.
The first half was dominated by the Ukrainians, who created more attacking opportunities. Viktor Tsyhankov of Girona came close to opening the scoring, but his shot from the right flank hit the crossbar.
In the second half, Ukraine continued to press, while Iceland attempted to defend and hold for a draw. Goalkeeper Heorhiy Trubin made key saves to deny Iceland on two occasions.
Ukraine intensified their attack late in the match and broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute when Zubkov converted a corner at the far post. In stoppage time, Hutsuliak sealed the victory on a counterattack, with a fortunate deflection helping him score the second goal — 2-0.
This was Ukraine’s first clean sheet in a competitive match since October last year.
Ukraine 2–0 Iceland
Goals: Zubkov 83’, Hutsuliak 90+3’
Ukraine lineup: Trubin; Mykolenko, Matvienko, Zabranyi, Konoplya; Zubkov (Svatok 87’), Yarmolyuk (Shaparenko 69’), Kalyuzhnyi, Malinovskyi (Hutsuliak 77’), Tsyhankov (Nazaryna 87’), Vanat (Yaremchuk 69’)
Iceland lineup: Olafsson; Ellertsson (Thomasson 86’), Magnusson, Ingason, Paulsson; Gudmundsson A., Jougannesson, Haraldsson, Thorsteinsson (Gudjonssen D. 86’), Gudjonssen A., Villumsson (Gudmundsson Y. 65’)
Yellow cards: Malinovskyi, Konoplya — Jougannesson
With the win, Ukraine finished second in their group and will compete in the playoff round for the 2026 World Cup. France claimed first place and a direct spot in the tournament. The playoff draw will take place on November 20 in Zurich, Switzerland.
