Anatoliy Trubin defended after Ukraine's Belfast defeat

Anatoliy Trubin left Northern Ireland vs Ukraine with a 0-1 defeat in Belfast on 14 November 2026, but he was still voted man of the match by 67 percent of Ukrainian fans. The Benfica goalkeeper made four saves, completed 80 percent of his passes and still came out as the most discussed player on the losing side.

Maldera's defence of Trubin

Andrea Maldera said Ukraine defended set pieces well and suggested Trubin did not see the ball leave before the goal. Speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "In my opinion, we defended set pieces very well. The ball circulated outside the box, the goalkeeper did not see it leave and we ended up conceding the goal."

That explanation fits the match data more neatly than any rush to pin the loss on the keeper. Terry Devlin scored Northern Ireland's goal in the 68th minute after a corner kick, and Trubin's 7.3 rating was the highest among Ukraine's players.

Why Trubin still stood out

Oleg Fedorchuk was just as direct in his backing. Speaking to A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese, he said: "He is, currently, the number 1 of the national team. The goalkeeper position is very sensitive in football. Goalkeepers are under enormous emotional pressure, few people live that experience. Trubin did not have a fantastic game, but he was at a good level."

It was a fair summary of the night. Trubin was not faultless, but he was busy, and the voting reflected that. The 67 percent fan vote matters because it came in a defeat, not a home win or a comfortable clean sheet. Ukraine now play Georgia on Tuesday in Kosice, Slovakia, and Trubin will go into that game with the same basic status he had in Belfast, first choice and under scrutiny only because the result went against him.