After losing to Sweden, the Ukrainian national team will miss its fourth consecutive World Cup.
Kyiv • UNN
The Ukrainian national team lost to Sweden with a score of 1:3 in the semi-finals of the qualification play-offs. The team lost all chances of reaching the final part of the World Cup.
On March 26, the Ukrainian national team played a semi-final play-off match of the 2026 World Cup qualification against Sweden. The match took place at the "Estadio Ciudad de Valencia", where a journalist from UNN was working.
Details
The Ukrainian team suffered a 1:3 defeat and ended its fight for a place in the World Cup.
The match started unsuccessfully for Ukraine. Already in the 6th minute, Viktor Gyökeres took advantage of defensive errors and opened the scoring. After conceding a goal, the Ukrainians tried to level the game, but Sweden played confidently, controlling the tempo and not allowing dangerous moments to be created.
In the first half, the Ukrainian national team was practically unable to organize systematic pressure on the opponent's goal. The Swedes, in turn, played cautiously, maintaining their advantage and not forcing events.
After the break, the situation did not change dramatically. In the 52nd minute, Gyökeres scored a brace, increasing his team's lead. Sweden continued to play pragmatically, taking advantage of Ukrainian mistakes.
In the 72nd minute, the Swedish national team's forward converted a penalty and brought the score to 3:0, completing a hat-trick.
Ukraine was only able to respond at the end of the match. In added time, Matviy Ponomarenko scored a consolation goal, which did not affect the final result.
The stars of the Ukrainian national team – Zabarnyi, Tsygankov, Sudakov, Yarmolyuk, who were supposed to be the team's attacking force – completely failed the game.
Illia Zabarnyi, a player for Parisian "PSG", was particularly disappointing, making catastrophic mistakes, after which the Swedes scored, and in another moment, a penalty occurred, which the opponent was able to convert. The final score was 1:3.
Despite the unsuccessful result, the match was held with the active support of Ukrainian fans. A significant part of Valencia was filled with fans from Ukraine, who then supported the team throughout the match at the stadium.
Following the match, Sweden advanced to the play-off final, where they will play against Poland. The Ukrainian national team lost its chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Thus, the Ukrainian team will miss its fourth consecutive World Cup. Ahead for the national team is a new cycle of preparation and the next opportunity to compete for a place in a major tournament – the 2028 European Championship.