Kosenko – about the defeat from Brazil: I liked that even with the score 0:5 we did not give up, but continued to play

Head coach of the Ukrainian national futsal team Alexander Kosenko commented on the defeat from Brazil (2:7) at a friendly tournament in Lithuania.

“I wouldn’t say we played two different halves. It’s just that the Brazilians immediately punished for mistakes. Three mistakes. Immediately punished. High skill – individual, team. They press well. I thought it was a very rewarding game and we looked pretty good at times. The most important thing is to analyze and prepare further. And so – I think it’s better to play such a game. We showed ourselves very well at times, so we move on.”

“What surprised you in this fight? The fact that the guys played with desire. Sometimes they combined well, but somewhere in the end there was not enough execution. If they had scored when the score was tied… There were moments… When we missed one or two goals, there were moments. And there were very good moments in the first half. They just didn’t score. But I liked that even with the score 0:5 we didn’t give up. We continued to play because it was a friendly match and we wanted to win the second half so that it would benefit us. I think we succeeded, despite the score, I’m happy with the way we played today.”

Ukraine takes third place at the tournament in Lithuania with 3 points. In the final match, Kosenko’s team will play against France on April 16, kick-off at 17:00.

Competitions in Lithuania are one of the stages in the preparation of the Ukrainian national team for the 2024 World Cup, which will be held in Uzbekistan from September 14 to October 6. Kosenko’s team qualified for the tournament by beating Poland (5:3) in the decisive match of the elite round of qualification. The draw for the 2024 World Cup will take place in Tashkent this summer.