Ukrainian ex-Benfica man on Trubin: "He made football history..." | OneFootball

Ukraine do not expect an easy task against Sweden, but Roman Yaremchuk believes he has the formula for success. Ahead of one of the clashes that will determine the team’s place at the 2026 World Cup, the former Benfica striker - who is preparing three renewals - believes that Anatoliy Trubin could be the solution to make that happen.

"I’ve already said that if we have problems scoring goals, we can even put Trubin up front, it won’t hurt," said the Lyon forward, speaking to the 'sport.ua' portal. He was referring to a historic day, when Benfica goalkeeper scored against Real Madrid to seal the Eagles’ place in the Champions League play-off for a spot in the round of 16.

Recalling the goal, Yaremchuk said: "He made history in Ukrainian football by scoring a header against a team like that [Real Madrid]. We congratulated him." The compatriots now come together to try to win the World Cup qualifying play-off match this Thursday, a game Yaremchuk expects to be difficult.

"Sweden are the strongest team we could face in the play-off. I think we tend to play better against stronger teams, and we do not do well against opponents who defend in a low block and create a defensive wall," assessed the 30-year-old forward.

"This will be a decisive game, because we remember how our last trip to Wales ended, it was very painful. It was one of the toughest defeats of my career," added Yaremchuk, referring to a 2022 match in which the Ukrainians lost 1-0 to the Welsh and, as a result, missed out on the World Cup in Qatar.

It should be noted that, on March 31, the winner of this match will face the team that wins the tie between Albania and Poland, with direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, at stake.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.