The head coach of Ukraine's futsal team, Oleksandr Kosenko, commented on the draw against Serbia (1:1) in the elite round of qualification for the 2024 World Cup. The words of the national team’s coach are provided by the press service of the Ukrainian Futsal Association.

— Did Ukraine fail to win? Was it because Serbia played better, or did Ukraine play worse compared to the first match?

— We were playing against a completely different opponent — one who was more motivated, in my opinion. This was a very tough game, and Serbia understood that a loss would almost eliminate them from the competition, so they were highly motivated. We knew this and prepared for such a game. The boys understood it and played quite confidently, there weren't many opportunities for Serbia. A very difficult game, and I thank the boys for their character, for fighting until the end. In such a game, we drew level with them. As I said, everything is in our hands now, and we need to keep playing.

— The goalkeeper of Serbia's national team said that playing against Ukraine was the hardest for him. Which team in this group can you name as the strongest and toughest opponent for Ukraine?

— We need to respect any opponent because if you underestimate your adversary, it will be difficult to play against anyone. So I wouldn't want to single out anyone. Everyone wants to win and qualify for the World Cup. We focus more on our game, while all opponents are worthy. Every team has its strengths and weaknesses.

— If we don't consider the score, which team's performance did you like better?

— A draw is a logical result of this game. As for the performance, it would be good to look at it because this game was more closed and not as open as in Serbia. We needed to break through a tight defense, which is difficult to do. The floor wasn't fast either, so we lacked quick passes and breaks, making the opponent quite different.

2024 World Cup European Qualification. Elite Round

Group B

15.09.2023

Belgium — Ukraine — 2:10

Poland — Serbia — 1:2

20.09.2023

Ukraine — Poland — 2:3

Serbia — Belgium — 3:3

06.10.2023

Serbia — Ukraine — 1:6

Poland — Belgium — 7:2

11.10.2023

Ukraine — Serbia — 1:1

Belgium — Poland — 1:3

Tournament Table

15.12.2023

Ukraine — Belgium

Serbia — Poland

20.12.2023

Belgium — Serbia

Poland — Ukraine

Futsal World Cup 2024. UEFA Elite Round Qualification

Group A: Kazakhstan, Romania, Azerbaijan, Netherlands.

Group B: Ukraine, Poland, Serbia, Belgium.

Group C: Croatia, Slovakia, France, Germany.

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

Group E: Portugal, Georgia, Armenia, Finland.

Futsal World Cup 2024. European Qualification

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 take place home and away. The five group winners will qualify for the World Cup. The top four second-place finishers advance to the elite round play-offs. 

Elite Round Play-Offs

Drawing: 25 January 2024.

Matches: 8—17 April 2024.

Four teams will be divided into two pairs, and matches will take place 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.