The blue-and-yellows beat the Faroe Islands in the second round of qualifying for the 2026 European Championship
Head coach Ukrainian national handball team Vadim Brazhnik commented on the victory over Faroe Islands in the second round of the third stage of qualification for European Championship 2026.
“We are satisfied. Many thanks to the Faroes, this is a very good match. We have two points, but everything continues, we move on and wait for the next rounds.”
“We said that there might be a lag during the match, during preparation for the game, we moved according to our plan and there was no panic, no fire. Yes, we lost by six goals, but we went according to our plan. In modern handball this is a small difference. It can be played very quickly. We moved confidently and with small steps we caught up and won this game.”
“A big thank you also to the goalkeepers, of course. Because three reflected seven-meter shots and the last saves helped us a lot. Nowadays it is very difficult to win without a goalkeeper. It doesn’t matter if they’re throws from 9 or 6 meters.”
“Of course, Igor Turchenko is the leader of our team, everyone knows this and the teams are set up for him in a completely different way, so it’s very difficult for him. But we have 16 players. Everyone has their own role on the team. Turchenko is a very good player, but it is impossible to win a match alone. The team wins. This is what happened today.”
“The most difficult thing was to contain the opponents in a one-on-one game, so we, as you saw, replaced the central defenders around the 15th minute. Instead of Burzak and Ilchenko they put Zakharov and Onufrienko. We were preparing for the fact that it would be difficult for our big defenders. And – the little ones, such as Zakharov and Onufrienko, I think, managed it. Maybe not 100%, but they coped with their task.”
“There is only one way out against such an attack – goalkeepers. Because in any case, the opponent will play out to some good situation. It’s 7 vs 6. And I think our goalies handled it today. And we also said this before the match.”
“We don’t want to rely on someone, to hope for third place. We want to enter the Euro confidently – from second place or to encroach on first place. It’s possible. We have a home game with the Dutch which we can play the same way. But we still have Kosovo ahead, where we need to be very careful, because it is a Balkan state and they know how to play handball. But, for example, I don’t want to wait to get out of third place. I want to come out of second or first place.”
The Ukrainian national team won its first victory at the third stage of qualifying for Euro 2026. Let us remind you that in the opening match the blue-yellows lost minimally to the Netherlands (39:40). Hawkmoth’s team is in second place with two points; the Netherlands are in the lead with three points.
The Ukrainians will hold their next qualifying matches in March 2025, the blue-yellows will meet twice with the Kosovo national team. Ukraine will play the final two matches against the Netherlands and the Faroe Islands in May 2025.
The teams that take first and second places in the groups will receive tickets to the European Championship. The top four third-place teams also qualify.
The 2026 European Championship will be held in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The host teams of the tournament, as well as the current champion France, automatically qualified for the final round.
Source: Sportarena
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