Ukraine secured a vital three points in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan in Krakow, following up on their win against Iceland earlier this month.

Head coach Serhiy Rebrov had been warned about the so-called "second match syndrome" – a tendency for his team to underperform after initial success. And for long stretches of this game, that concern looked justified. Azerbaijan, surprisingly resilient, gave Ukraine a real scare and could have easily come away with a point.

End-to-End Start in Krakow

The match got off to a lively start. Artem Dovbyk fired Ukraine’s first warning shot after connecting with a clever diagonal from Vitaliy Mykolenko. Moments later, Rahil Mammadov broke through at the other end, only for Anatoliy Trubin to disrupt the shot, allowing Mykola Matviyenko to make a dramatic goal-line clearance.

Despite Azerbaijan’s early threat, Ukraine dominated possession and kept their opponents pinned back in their own half. The breakthrough finally came in the 30th minute. After striking the crossbar earlier through Yukhym Konoplia, the home side made a set-piece count. Ruslan Malinovskyi whipped in a dangerous ball from the left, and Oleksandr Hutsulyak rose highest to head home into the top corner – 1:0.

Shock Equaliser on the Stroke of Half-Time

But Ukraine’s habit of letting leads slip reared its head again. In first-half stoppage time, Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev launched a long ball forward. A misjudged header from Illia Zabarnyi landed kindly for Rustam Jafarquliyev, who surged into the box and squared it for Rahil Mammadov to finish from close range – 1:1. A bitter blow right before the break.

To make matters worse, news came through that Iceland were leading France 1-0 at half-time in their parallel qualifier – a result that piled extra pressure on Ukraine to win. As Rebrov had said pre-match, anything less than three points against Azerbaijan would render the Iceland result meaningless.

Malinovskyi Steps Up Again

Ukraine pushed forward after the interval but struggled to break down a disciplined Azerbaijani defence. Dovbyk and Malinovskyi both tested Magomedaliyev, who stood firm between the sticks. But the deadlock was finally broken in the 64th minute. Hutsulyak squared the ball from the right, and Malinovskyi hammered home from close range to make it 2-1 – his third goal in two October qualifiers.

Nervy Finish, Vital Points

The closing stages were tense. With Iceland eventually holding France to a 2-2 draw, Ukraine knew a single lapse could undo all their efforts. But the defence held firm, and the Blue and Yellows ground out a result that leaves them second in the group heading into the November international window, three points clear of Iceland.

Check all 2026 World Cup qualifying tables and fixtures here.

FIFA World Cup 2026, Qualifiers

Ukraine - Azerbaijan 2:1 (1:1)
Goals: Hutsuliak, 30 (1:0); Akhundzade, 45 (1:1); Malynovskyi, 64 (2:1)

Ukraine: Trubin; Matviyenko; Konoplya (Mikhaylichenko B., 46); Zabarnyi; Mykolenko; Malynovskyi (Shaparenko, 71); Ocheretko (Bondarenko A-m, 71); Yarmoliuk (Bondar V., 85); Voloshyn N.; Hutsuliak (Kaliuzhnyi, 85); Dovbyk
Substitution: Mikhaylichenko B. (from 46); Bondarenko A-m (from 71); Shaparenko (from 71); Bondar V. (from 85); Kaliuzhnyi (from 85)
Bench: Bushchan; Riznyk D.; Svatok; Brazhko; Nazarenko Ol-r; Veleten; Vanat
Yellow Cards: Malynovskyi 45; Mikhaylichenko B. 50; Bondarenko A-m 92

Azerbaijan: Magomedaliyev; Krivotsyuk; Mustafazada; Huseynov Ab. (Aliyev G., 85); Badalov; Khaibulaev (Khachayev, 92); Jafarguliyev; Makhmudov E.; Bayramov T. (Emreli (Madatov), 85); Akhundzade (Akhmedzade, 86); Nuriev A. (Qurbanly, 61)
Substitution: Qurbanly (from 61); Aliyev G. (from 85); Emreli (Madatov) (from 85); Akhmedzade (from 86); Khachayev (from 92)
Bench: Bayramov A.; Jafarov; Haciyev F.; Dasdemirov R-n; Huseynov J.; Abdullazade
Yellow Cards: Magomedaliyev 45