The rain brought some changes to the game's flow: both teams tried to use this factor, and when they had an opportunity, they finished their attacks with shots. The blue-and-yellow team opened the score before the end of the first quarter of play. Vitaliy Mykolenko raced down the left flank, assessed the situation, and passed comfortably into the penalty area for Ruslan Malinovskiy, who prodded it in — without a chance for the goalkeeper. 0:1. Later, a mistake by the defenders led to an acute attack from Vanat, who broke through on the left side, but his pass did not reach Gutcyla.

The Icelanders relied on quick counterattacks with long passes and set pieces. The first alarm sounded in the middle of the half: Gudmundsson after a long pass found himself in an attacking position and shot powerfully from a sharp angle — Anatoliy Trubin's crossbar saved him. But the second moment for Icelanders proved to be successful. Erlingsson on the left flank outmaneuvered the defenders and accurately scored into the near corner — 1:1.

Before halftime, due to an injury, Georgiy Sudakov was forced to leave the field — he was replaced by Nazar Volosin. The newcomer quickly joined the game and took part in two goal-scoring attacks before halftime. In the last minute of the half, Volosin delivered a sharp cross from the left side; defenders did not allow Vanat to shoot, but the ball reached Gutcyla, who turned around and scored accurately with his right foot. And in injury time, the same Volosin again passed the ball for Malinovskiy's shot from distance, which doubled the lead of the blue-and-yellow team — 1:3!

The second half began with a sharp moment for Volosin, but an attack could not be developed. Icelanders added to their game and thanks to Albert Gudmundsson's brace equalized the score: first he scored with his head after a cross from the right flank, then finished off a teammate's pass from the left.

But in the time that remained, Ivan Kaluzhnyi was the first to arrive at the ball and scored accurately with his long-range shot. Three minutes later, Oleksandr Ocheretyko also scored from distance after receiving a pass from Artem Bondarenko. 3:5 — the blue-and-yellow team secured an away victory in Reykjavik!

This win allowed the team of Serhiy Rebrov to accumulate four points after three matches and take second place in Group D. The next qualifier for the 2026 World Cup will be played on October 13th against Azerbaijan in Krakow (kickoff at 4:45 PM Kyiv time).

World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. European Zone. Group D

Iceland — Ukraine — 3:5 (1:3)

Goals: Erlingsson (35), A. Gudmundsson (59, 75) — Malinovskiy (14, 45+5),  Gutcyla (45), Kaluzhnyi (85), Ocheretyko (88).

Iceland: Olafsson, Palsson, Ingasson, Gretarsson, Erlingsson (G. Thorardsson, 87), A. Gudmundsson, Johansson (Villumsen, 86), Haraldsson, Magnusson (Tomasson, 69), A. Gudjohnsen (Anderson, 86), Thorstensson (Hlinsson, 69).

Substitutes: Valdimarsson, Einarsson, Helgason, S. Thorardsson, Gunnarsson, Bjarkason, D. Gudjohnsen.

Coach: Arnar Gunnlaugsson.

Ukraine: Trubin, Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko, Kaluzhnyi, Malinovskiy (Bondarenko, 87), Shaparenko (Ocheretyko, 70), Gutcyla (Velyten, 87), Sudakov (Volosin, 39), Vanat (Dovbik, 70).

Substitutes: Bushchan, Ryzhnik, Mykhaylichenko, Svatos, Bondar, Brazhko, Nazarenko. 

Coach: Serhiy Rebrov.

Yellow Cards: Gudjohnsen (41) — Matviyenko (65), Konoplya (68), Ocheretyko (90+2).

Referee: Sven Jabolonski (Germany).

October 10. Reykjavik. Leidargardsvollur Stadium.

France — Azerbaijan — 3:0

Standings