Ukraine is Azerbaijan, UAF photo October 13 2025, 23:42

The October Qualification Cycle to the 2026 World Cup for the National Team of Ukraine was an extremely important stage, as its opportunities to lose precious scores somewhere in September were shaken by Sergei Rebrov’s team. Now “blue and yellow” themselves have been forced to live in realities, when the rights to the mistake do not remain, and the struggle for the second stage, as not for the first, is only exacerbated with every tour.

The components of our negative experience in September included a draw in the tank against the Azerbaijan national team, which had to be avoided at any cost, but our team did not manage this team-1: 1. This is what caused all these experiences about our speeches in the future. So when we met with the Aikhan Abbasov team again, but now Krakow’s conditionally home conditions, the victory was the only acceptable result for us. And it is desirable – even with a good difference of heads for the future.

It can be immediately evidenced that the last moment we were forced to forget about the last moment, because the opponents were just as reliable in terms of playing in defense as a month ago. The only difference – goal points in Ukraine was still much more this time, which allowed us to experience even the most intense moments of this game with optimism. As, for example, Akhundzade’s exit in the fourth minute almost on a date with Trubin, which ended with a seve from our goalkeeper.

However, in the state of shock we were not able to introduce us also because in response, almost immediately, a moment with the participation of Malinovsky, which from the flank feed of hemp failed to take a cloth in the fall of the goalkeeper of the rivals, and Yarmolyuk struck the pace of attack in the block. Subsequently, Ruslan began to check his gun, but even the hemp, whose account of the crossbar in the central zone for 17 minutes, was better answered for a long-range weapon this evening.

In general, the pressure from the Rebrov team was almost always present, and eventually led to a logical conclusion. In the 30th minute, Malinovsky scored as an assistant when his flow from the left flank, which was again similar to a powerful blow, flew exactly into the head of Hutsuliak in front of the gate, and from Alexei the ball was already in the net. The protection and the goalkeeper simply watched this stunning moment, because in the dynamics few people could see the ball.

And well, they were scored in the first half, but it is bad that even before the break, this advantage could not be conveyed. Already, the compensated time, as our team, after two of the moments of Dovbik in another’s penalty area, made mistakes in a simple situation on the right flank of defense, and so it turned out that the rebound from the head of the Zabarny from the central line launched Jafuliiv, which then shot.

This uncertain effect in the protection in the future spoiled all the impressions of the second half, because again there was a bunch of moments in Ukraine at other gates, although the main danger came only after the distant blows, but it was necessary to score the second ball, and it was already necessary to evaluate each other. However, here he managed to be distinguished in the middle of the half, when Voloshin from the left flank transferred to the far side of the penalty for Hutsuliak, who in the fall dropped to Malinovsky into the center, and he shot the gate. Some fabulous return of Ruslan to the national team in October is released.

Next, this advantage had to be maintained on the second attempt. This time – it was possible. Not without nerves, but otherwise our national team just can’t. They gave the ball to the opponents again, so we had to get nervous during each gear in the direction of our penalty, but somehow managed to reflect on troubles. And then to score the third goal by the efforts of Voloshin and his impact in the far from the right flank of the penalty area, and if it were not for Bondarenko’s foul in his own half in that attack, then perhaps could not be nervous in the last seconds.

Ukraine: Trubin – Konoplya (Mikhailichenko, 46), Zabarny, Matvienko, Mykolenko – Yarmolyuk (Kalyuzhni, 84), Ocheretko (Bondarenko, 71), Malinovsky (Shaparenko, 71) – Hutsulak (Bondar, 85), Dovbik, Voloshin.

Azerbaijan: Magomedaliyev – Huseynov, Krivotsuk, Mustafazade, Badalov, Jafuliyev – T. Bayramov (Ahmedzade, 85), Hybulaev (Khacayev, 90+2), Makhmudov, A. Nuriev (Gurbanla, 61) – Ahundzade.

Warning: Malinovsky, Mikhailichenko, Bondarenko – Magomedaliyev