Sergey Rebrov: "It was difficult for us to beat Azerbaijan"

A press conference of the head coach of Ukraine, Serhiy Rebrov, was held after the match against Azerbaijan as part of the DÇ-2026 qualifying round. Sport24.az reports that the specialist commented on the 2:1 victory. Later, he answered questions from journalists.

"I am happy that we achieved this result. As you saw, it was a serious game. Both teams wanted to win. But we won. Five of our players were not in the match. It was difficult for us to beat Azerbaijan. Many players were missing. We tried to show a good game in the first half."

- Why is Ukraine having difficulty against Azerbaijan? You had difficulty both in Baku and in the match in Poland. After all, the pitch of the Krakow stadium was at a better level. However, the Ukrainian press claimed that the reason you could not win in Baku was the grass cover...

- I don't think Azerbaijan is weak. I have never said such a thing. The result you showed in the game against Iceland was not your strength. Why doesn't Azerbaijan value its national team? After all, Azerbaijan has a team playing in the Champions League. Azerbaijani players were well prepared for this match. We had conversations with our players.

- A draw was recorded in the Iceland - France match. Do you think Ukraine can take first place in the group?

- I am waiting for five of my players to return from injury. The Ukrainian national team is always focused on winning and wins. We expect that after our injured players return, we will achieve even better results.

- You have won the last two matches. How do you feel?

- I like hearing good comments from journalists. That's why we will try to please you.