Anatoliy Trubin made four crucial saves but couldn't prevent Ukraine from losing their opening World Cup 2026 qualifying match against France. Serhiy Rebrov's team showed two completely different faces during the game - struggling significantly in the first half before mounting a surprising comeback attempt after the break that ultimately fell short.
"We wanted to test our capabilities against a high-status opponent in a situation where the result wasn't putting pressure on us," Rebrov mentioned after the match, explaining his tactical approach.
The game served as a reality check for Ukraine, who found themselves outplayed for large portions of the contest. Illia Zabarnyi, who received the "Lion of the Match" award sponsored by "Lvivske" from the previous Belgium game, had a challenging evening despite some solid defensive contributions. The defender struggled notably in a one-on-one duel with Mbappé that resulted in France's second goal.
Ukraine's attacking opportunities came primarily in the middle of the second half. Kaluzhnyi hit the post in a promising position, while Dovbyk had an attempt cleared off the line. Substitute Vladislav Vanat nearly scored a consolation goal but fired his shot at the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
Oleksandr Zinchenko earned one of the highest ratings (6.5/10) among Ukrainian players, successfully neutralizing Ousmane Dembélé who was substituted at halftime largely due to Zinchenko's effective defensive work. The Arsenal player also created a significant chance for Dovbyk that was cleared off the goal line by Konaté.
Interestingly, the match featured several debuts for Ukraine, with Oleh Ocheretko, Artem Bondarenko, and Nazar Voloshyn all getting their first caps for the national team. Bondarenko particularly impressed, nearly providing an assist despite only touching the ball five times during his brief appearance.
For Rebrov's team, the challenge now shifts to their next qualifier, where they'll need to show more consistency than the drastically different halves displayed against France. With Kaluzhnyi's underwhelming performance (rated just 4.5/10), we might see Ocheretko starting the next match. Can Ukraine bounce back and keep their World Cup qualifying hopes alive?
