Oleksandr Kosenko: "Could have made a positive handicap for ourselves, and we had all the grounds to do so"

Head coach of Ukraine's futsal team Oleksandr Kosienko commented on the loss to Poland (2:3) in the elite round of the 2024 World Cup qualification.

Oleksandr Kosenko: "Could have made a positive handicap for ourselves, and we had all the grounds to do so"

Press service photo of AFC

The head coach of Ukraine's futsal team, Oleksandr Kosyenko, commented on the loss to Poland (2:3). The words of the blue-and-yellow team’s leader are provided by the press service of the Ukrainian Futsal Association.

"We have three points, but we should have had more in my opinion. Unfortunately, we did not win. We put in maximum effort, created opportunities, but conceded goals that we could have avoided. But this is futsal, you need to prepare for it; this is just the beginning. Anyway, everything will be decided at the end of the tournament. Yes, we had the opportunity to create a positive handicap for ourselves and had all the reasons to do so. But unfortunately, we did not win. Nothing can be done about it now, we will continue preparing.

So everything is ahead of us; we will prepare with a fighting spirit, only like that, we will prepare to beat Serbia in our next matches,"—said Oleksandr Kosyenko.

2024 World Cup. European Qualifiers. Elite Round. Group V

15.09.2023

Belgium — Ukraine — 2:10

Poland — Serbia — 1:2

20.09.2023

Ukraine — Poland — 2:3

Serbia — Belgium — 3:3

Tournament Table

 

M

W

D

L

Pts

GD

1. Serbia

2

1

1

0

5—4

4

2. Poland

2

1

0

1

4—4

3

3. Ukraine

2

1

0

1

12—5

3

4. Belgium

2

0

1

1

5—13

1

06.10.2023

Poland — Belgium

Serbia — Ukraine

11.10.2023

Ukraine — Serbia

Belgium — Poland

15.12.2023

Ukraine — Belgium

Serbia — Poland

20.12.2023

Belgium — Serbia

Poland — Ukraine

UEFA Elite Round for the 2024 World Cup in Futsal

Group A: Kazakhstan, Romania, Azerbaijan, Netherlands.

Group V: Ukraine, Poland, Serbia, Belgium.

Group C: Croatia, Slovakia, France, Germany.

Group D: Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic.

Group E: Portugal, Georgia, Armenia, Finland.

2024 World Cup European Qualifiers

Elite Round

Matches: 11—20 September, 2—11 October, 11—20 December 2023.

Twenty teams are divided into five groups of four teams each. Matches will be played home and away. The five group winners will qualify for the World Cup. Four best second-placed finishers will advance to the elite round play-offs. 

Elite Round Play-Offs

Drawing: 25 January 2024.

Matches: 8—17 April 2024.

Four teams will be drawn into two pairs, matches will be played home and away. The winners of the pairs will qualify for the World Cup.

The World Cup will take place in Uzbekistan from September 14 to October 6, 2024.