The teams were not harnessed for a long time. Akhundzade sharply responded to Dovbik’s shot above the goal, but after his lunge Matvienko cleared the ball from the goal line. Next, the goalkeeper of the Caucasian team reacted to Malinovsky’s shot.

Soon another blow from the veteran went wide. And in the 17th minute, Konoplya shook the crossbar from outside the penalty area. The “blue-yellows” took the lead to the 30th when Malinovsky hit Gutsulyak’s head in front of the goal from a free kick.

Ukraine continued to attack. Before the break, Dovbik missed two opportunities - missed the goal and saved the keeper. But the Azerbaijani team unexpectedly scored a goal in the locker room. It was Akhundzade who made contact with Jafarguliyev's cross.

The second half started on a collision course. Bayramov, after a defensive error, shot close to the post, and Magomedaliev coped with Dovbik’s shot from range. Subsequently, the goalkeeper parried Zabarny’s long-range shot.

Malinovsky had to get down to business. First, the midfielder tested the goalkeeper with his trademark shot from distance. And already in the 64th minute he found himself in the arms of his partners. Malinovsky avoided offside and took advantage of Gutsulyak's pass.

However, the last third of the fight turned out to be nervous. The Ukrainian national team controlled the ball, but the guests constantly put pressure on the “blue-yellows” and tried to escape into counterattacks. Sergei Rebrov’s team could resolve all issues in the 88th minute.

Ukraine's lightning attack ended with a goal from Voloshin, who calmly dealt with the keeper from outside the penalty area. But VAR intervened in the course of events. And if there was no offside, then Bondarenko’s foul at the initial stage was.

In the end, Rebrov’s team kept the winning score. The Ukrainian team scored 7 points and remained second in Quartet D. The next match is November 13 against France away.

Statistics of the match Ukraine - Azerbaijan 4th (8th) round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup Ukraine - Azerbaijan - 2:1 Goals: Gutsulyak, 30, Malinovsky, 64 - Akhundzade, 45+3 Ukraine: Trubin - Konoplya (Mikhailichenko, 46), Zabarny, Matvienko, Mikolenko - Yarmolyuk. Bayramov (Akhmedzade, 85), Khaibulaev, Makhmudov, A. Nuriyev (Gurbanly, 61) – Akhundzade (Emreli, 85) Warnings: Malinovsky, Mikhailichenko, Bondarenko – Magomedaliev Problems for Azerbaijan - the defender will miss the game with Ukraine News on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels https://t. me/korrespondentnet and WhatsApp Author: 1.