Zinchenko makes history, surpassing Rebrov in Ukraine's lineup
Oleksandr Zinchenko (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine national team defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has achieved a new career milestone. The 28-year-old footballer started in the World Cup 2026 qualifier against Azerbaijan, playing his 76th match for the national team.
Zinchenko surpasses the current coach
This game allowed Zinchenko to surpass the national team's head coach, Serhii Rebrov, who played 75 matches.
The player now shares 11th place on the list of players with the most appearances for the blue-and-yellows.
One step higher is central defender Mykola Matvienko, who has currently played 78 matches for the national team.
Ukraine national team leaders by number of matches
The absolute record holder is Andrii Yarmolenko, who has played 125 matches for the country's main team.
Next come the legendary Andrii Shevchenko and goalkeeper Andrii Pyatov. Ruslan Rotan and Oleh Husyev are also among the top 100.
The top ten includes:
- Andrii Yarmolenko – 125 matches
- Andrii Shevchenko – 111
- Andrii Pyatov – 102
- Ruslan Rotan – 100
- Oleh Husyev – 98
- Oleksandr Shovkovskyi – 92
- Yevhen Konoplyanka – 87
- Taras Stepanenko – 87
- Mykola Matvienko – 79
- Oleksandr Zinchenko – 76
Debut in 2015
Oleksandr Zinchenko made his debut for the Ukraine national team back in 2015. Since then, he has become one of the key players of the squad.
The Ukrainian will now play for Nottingham Forest, where he has moved on a one-year loan from Arsenal.
Draw with Azerbaijan
Ukraine's second-round World Cup 2026 qualifier against Azerbaijan ended in a 1-1 draw.
Heorhii Sudakov scored for Ukraine in the 51st minute, but the opponents managed to equalize with a precise strike by Emin Mahmudov in the 72nd minute.
Earlier, we reported why Oleksandr Zinchenko was left out of Nottingham Forest's Europa League squad.
We previously reported that the Ukrainian secured victory for Barcelona in the youth club World Cup
