On October 10, a significant match took place in Reykjavik as Ukraine faced Iceland in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. After earning just one point in previous games against France and Azerbaijan, the Ukrainian team found themselves in a must-win situation. Following criticism for their poor performance against Azerbaijan, the team had to redeem themselves.

ICELAND — UKRAINE — 3:5

Iceland: Olafsson, Palsson, Ingason, Gretarsson, Elerthsson (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, Malinovskiy (Bondarenko, 87), Shaparenko (Ocheretko, 70), Hutsulyak (Veletien, 87), Sudakov (Voloshyn, 39), Vanat (Dovbyk, 70). Head Coach: Serhiy Rebrov.

Goals: Elerthsson (35), Gudmundsson (59, 75) — Malinovskiy (14, 45+5), Hutsulyak (45), Kalyuzhny (85), Ocheretko (88).

In this match, the return of Ruslan Malinovskiy and Vitaliy Mykolenko from injuries proved crucial. Anatoliy Trubin occupied the goal, while Ilya Zabarnyi and Mykola Matviyenko played in defense. Yukhym Konoplya and Vitaliy Mykolenko filled the flanks. In midfield, the trio of Kalyuzhny, Malinovskiy, and Shaparenko created opportunities, while Sudakov was again positioned as a left winger. Hutsulyak played on the right, with Vanat leading the attack.

The first goal came from the Ukrainians on their initial good attack, with Mykolenko assisting Malinovskiy, who scored to make it 1:0.

However, after taking the lead, the Ukrainians failed to hold on. Gudmundsson equalized in the 28th minute, and Elerthsson scored again in the 35th minute to make it 1:1.

Before the end of the first half, Sudakov got injured and was replaced by Nazar Voloshyn, who improved the wing's performance with two goal-scoring opportunities. Hutsulyak scored once again at the end of the first half, making it 1:2.

In the second half, Malinovskiy scored a brace, but Iceland replied quickly with Gudmundsson's double, leveling the score at 3:3.

In the final moments, Ukraine reclaimed the lead. Kalyuzhny scored from long range in the 85th minute, and Ocheretko finished off a set piece in the 88th minute — 4:5.

Thus, despite some issues in their game, Ukraine secured a vital victory.