The head coach of Ukraine's futsal team, Oleksandr Kosynko, commented on the match result against the Netherlands and shared expectations for the elite round of the 2024 World Cup qualifiers.

The Ukrainian national futsal team secured first place in Group 11 of the main round of the 2024 World Cup qualifiers and advanced to the elite round. The draw for this stage will take place on July 5.

The head coach of the blue-and-yellow team, Oleksandr Kosynko, commented on the result of the last match against the Netherlands (1:1) as well as shared his plans for the future. His words are quoted by the press service of the Ukrainian Futsal Association.

— Oleksandr Petrovych, what impressions did you have after the match against the Netherlands?

— We really wanted to win because we wanted to cheer our fans. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. We created enough opportunities that needed to be converted. However, the opponent also had its chances. Overall, the match was interesting. The game did not decide anything for us from a tournament perspective, but it's a pity that we only managed to earn one point.

— What is the reason behind the experiment with changing the playing quartets?

— We decided to try out these combinations of players. In fact, we used similar quartets in the second half of the first match against the same Netherlands team. The third quartet can be called completely new. Overall, we decided to try playing this way. The boys showed themselves quite well.

— How do you think the matches in the first and second rounds against the Dutch national team differed?

— In Latvia, everything was unclear from a tournament perspective. Our team needed to win to finish the opening round in first place. As for the second match, it was more important for the Netherlands team because they could have qualified directly to the elite round if they had won three points in their last game. We also wanted to win to gain additional confidence for the future, but in the end, both teams drew.

— During matches against Poland and the Netherlands, the coaching staff gave equal time to goalkeepers Yuriy Savchenko and Oleksandr Sukhov. How satisfied were you with their performance?

— The goalkeeper position in Ukrainian futsal has always been quite strong. Yuriy and Oleksandr confirmed that they are currently at approximately the same level. It's good that both boys are now in great shape, so the choice was not easy. Therefore, we decided to give them each half of the game in every match. They deserve it.

Photo by press service of AFS

— During the broadcast and on social media, you could see a large number of fans with Ukrainian flags. What does this support mean to you?

— Ukrainian flags in the stands in the Netherlands added strength and confidence to our team. We really wanted to give the fans a victory. It was indeed very pleasant for us. Believe me, these are not empty words. The boys felt the support and warmth from our fans after the match.

— On July 5, the draw for the elite round of European qualifiers for the World Cup-2024 will take place. What are your team's future plans?

— We will wait for the draw and look for opportunities to play friendly matches. We understand that in the elite round, we will face opponents at the level of the European Championship.

— In April, there will be playoff games in the main round. Surely, you can also watch potential opponents?

— Yes, certainly. We will watch the matches of the playoffs because one of these teams may end up in our group. Moreover, it's interesting to watch the matches as a fan. The games are played under a knockout system where there can be no draws. I would like to note that the level of European futsal is rising. We see more and more interesting teams. Just take Sweden for example, which recently drew 7-7 with Italy! Scoring seven goals against Italy's national team is worth its weight in gold. And this is just one example. Therefore, it's quite difficult to predict the course of matches in the knockout stage.

It should be noted that in the main round, 36 teams were divided into 12 groups of three teams each where home and away games took place. The 12 group winners and four best second-placed teams advanced to the elite round. The other eight second-placed teams will participate in the playoff stage of the main round, where they will play for four more spots.

Playoff stage: Belgium — Hungary, Netherlands — Moldova, Sweden — Germany, Czech Republic — Lithuania.

Advanced to the elite round: Spain, Georgia, Armenia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Romania, Finland, France, Serbia, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia.

2024 World Cup. European Qualifiers. Format

Qualification in Europe takes place over five stages: a preliminary round (mini-tournaments), the main round (groups with home and away games), playoffs of the main round (home and away games), an elite round (groups with home and away games) and playoffs of the elite round (home and away games).

Main Round. Group 11

September 18, 2022

Netherlands — Kosovo — 2:1

October 7, 2022

Ukraine — Kosovo — 3:1

October 11, 2022

Ukraine — Netherlands — 4:2

November 9, 2022

Kosovo — Ukraine — 2:5

March 3, 2023

Kosovo — Netherlands — 3:3

March 8, 2023

Netherlands — Ukraine — 1:1

Final standings

Main Round Playoffs

Matches: April 10—19, 2023.

Eight teams were divided into four pairs and will play home and away matches. The winners advance to the elite round.

Elite Round

Draft: July 5, 2023.

Matches: will be completed by December 20, 2023.

Twenty teams will be divided into five groups of four teams each and play home and away matches. Five group winners advance to the World Cup-2024. Four best second-placed teams advance to the playoffs of the elite round. If the European association is chosen to host the final tournament, only two best second-placed teams will advance to the playoffs of the elite round.

Elite Round Playoffs

Draft: January 25, 2024.

Matches: April 8—17, 2024.

Four teams will be divided into two pairs (if only two teams participate in the playoffs, a draw will determine the order of matches), and play home and away matches. The winners advance to the World Cup-2024.