Zabarnyi and Maldera commented on the clash after the match against Hungary

The Ukrainian national team defeated Hungary 1-0 in the first round of the 2026/27 Nations League. The winning goal was scored by Danilo Sikan, and after the final whistle, a clash broke out on the field involving players and coaching staff representatives. Earlier, we reported about the coach of the Ukrainian national team.

This was reported by Sport RBC.UA citing comments from Andrea Maldera and Illya Zabarnyi.

How the clash occurred after the Hungary vs Ukraine match

Tension on the field increased during stoppage time after Alexander Nazarenko was sent off for a second yellow card. When the player was leaving the field, a verbal dispute arose between Dominik Szoboszlai and Viktor Tsyhankov. Subsequently, Hungarian defender Milos Kerkes pushed Tsyhankov, and Mykola Matviienko stepped in to defend his teammate.

The assistant coach of the Hungarian national team was also involved in the scuffle: he pushed Valerii Bondar. Andrea Maldera pulled the opposing representative away from the Ukrainian player. The referee showed yellow cards to Szoboszlai, Kerkes, Tsyhankov, and Matviienko.

The head coach of Ukraine emphasized that he was outraged by the involvement of a coaching staff representative in the conflict, although similar emotional episodes happen in football.

«I saw that someone from the opposing staff touched my player with their hands. I don’t like it when staff members get involved in this. However, these are game moments; such things happen,» Maldera explained.

What Zabarnyi said and when Ukraine will play next

Illya Zabarnyi shared that he tried to calm his teammates. Earlier, we wrote about how Maldera took charge of the national team.

«These are emotions; everyone wants to win. But for me, the main thing is to show professionalism and treat everyone with respect,» said the defender in a comment to the Zorya Londonsk project.

Ukraine's next match will be on September 28 away against Georgia. The team will then play at home against Northern Ireland on October 2 and will meet Hungary again on October 5. In November, the Ukrainians will have matches against Northern Ireland and Georgia. Details about the national team's calendar can be found in the previous article.