As reported by the UAF press service
The head coach of the Iceland national football team, Arnar Gunnlaugsson, commented on his team’s 0-2 defeat to Ukraine in the decisive group-stage match for qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
According to an official press release, the coach acknowledged that the team loses concentration in the closing stages of the game.
The coach’s reaction and next steps
From the opponent’s perspective, those were beautiful goals, but from Iceland’s perspective they were terrible. Of course, I can say there is a problem in Icelandic football when we lose concentration in the last minutes. Today that happened.
I am not only talking about the second half. I also saw how we lost concentration in the final minutes of the first half. But this is football. Today I congratulate Ukraine on the victory and advancement to the playoffs. We must accept this result. Of course, losing is painful. Tomorrow we will wake up stronger and move on
– Arnar Gunnlaugsson
This result underscores the competitiveness of Group D, where the race for a playoff spot continues until the final round.
In the group’s final match, Ukraine defeated Iceland 2-0 in Warsaw, which allowed the Ukrainians to take second place in the group and continue their journey to the World Cup through the playoffs.
Other news you may find interesting: