Ukraine futsal national team wrapped up Lithuania tournament with draw against France

16.04.2024 18:48

Today, on April 16th, Ukraine's futsal national team concluded their participation in the international tournament in Lithuania with a match against the French team.

Previously, the blue-yellow squad secured a victory against the hosts (5:2) but suffered a defeat to Brazil (2:7). Now, under the guidance of Oleksandr Kosenko, they faced France, who had clinched two victories.

The blue-yellow team took the lead as early as the 2nd minute with a successful play from Abakshyn. Our players continued to create chances, but the French goalkeeper stood firm. The real danger near our goal arose only in the 10th minute. Then both teams exchanged opportunities. Melnyk doubled Ukraine's advantage in the 15th minute after a counter-attack, but shortly before the break, Bendali reduced the score.

The second half began with a missed opportunity for the French, and in the 23rd minute, Mykytyuk scored the third goal for the blue-yellow team after a corner. Later, Shved initiated a counter-attack and passed it to Korsun, who increased our team's lead. France immediately switched to a fifth-field player and quickly scored two goals.

Subsequently, the Ukrainians failed to capitalize on several good chances, and in the 34th minute, the opponents managed to equalize. Towards the end of the match, both teams attempted to secure victory, but the score remained unchanged — 4:4. Thus, Ukraine's national team concluded the tournament in Lithuania, earning four points and securing third place.

International futsal national teams tournament

April 13, 2024

Lithuania - Ukraine - 2:5

Brazil - France - 2:3

April 15, 2024

Ukraine - Brazil - 2:7

France - Lithuania - 5:0

April 16, 2024

Ukraine - France - 4:4 (2:1)

Goals: Abakshyn (2), Melnyk (15), Mykytyuk (23), Korsun (26) — Bendali (19), Zakei (27), Belkhadj (28), Ture (34).

Ukraine: Savenko (Guiwan, 21) — Melnyk, Zvarych, Abakshyn, Semenchenko; Shoturma, Cherniavskyi, Fareniuk, Korsun, Mykytyuk, Lebid, Shved, Pedyash.

Lithuania - Brazil - 0:8

Standings

It's worth noting that Ukraine's futsal national team is preparing for the final tournament of the World Cup, scheduled from September 14th to October 6th in Uzbekistan. The team secured its spot in December last year after defeating Poland (5:3) in the elite round of qualification. Coached by Oleksandr Kosenko, Ukraine topped its group and earned a direct ticket to the World Cup. Alongside Ukraine, Europe's qualifiers include Kazakhstan, France, Spain, and Portugal. The remaining two slots will be decided on April 17th after playoff matches between the Netherlands and Finland, as well as Poland and Croatia. All participants of the final tournament will be known by April 24th, following the conclusion of regional qualifying competitions. The draw will take place in Tashkent in the summer, with the exact date to be announced later.

2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup

Final Tournament: September 14 - October 6

24 participants

Host country: Uzbekistan

Europe: 7 slots (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, France, Spain, Portugal, two playoff winners to be decided on April 17th)

South America: 4 slots (Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay)

CONCACAF Zone: 4 slots (winners to be decided on April 17th)

Asia: 4 slots (winners to be decided on April 24th)

Africa: 3 slots (winners to be decided on April 17th)

Oceania: 1 slot (New Zealand)