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

In this game, Malinovskiy scored a goal and provided an assist, becoming the recipient 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 three consecutive matches. Also, 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 just missed them here with one touch, there with the last pass. Perhaps we made some mistakes that we don't usually make in other games. 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 with my right foot in two consecutive games has never happened before. This is 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. In Iceland, the field was hard, and the ball moved faster. In Krakow, the grass is softer. Even during training, I felt that my legs were 'sinking,' muscles worked differently. It was tough." — said Ruslan Malinovskiy.