The head coach of Ukraine's women's beach soccer team, Yuriy Klimenko, commented on the performance of our girls at the qualifying stage of the EuroLeague-2025 Super Final.

At the tournament in the Spanish town of El Puerto de Santa María, Ukrainian players secured third place overall and qualified for the EuroLeague-2025 Super Final. In the group round, blue-and-yellow team lost to Spain (2:4) but defeated England (5:1), securing second place in Group 1. In the knockout stage match, Ukraine's national team overcame the Czech Republic (4:3).

The head coach of the Ukrainian team, Yuriy Klimenko, summed up their performance at the tournament.

"We are satisfied with our performance and have accomplished our main goal - qualifying for the Super Final in Italy. The qualification tournament was challenging because we were in a very strong group. In the first match, we played on equal terms with Spain for two periods but fell behind physically in the third one, which affected the final result. Unfortunately, we lost more due to our own mistakes.

Therefore, we approached the next game against England, which became a true match of the season for us, with maximum preparation and taking into account all the errors from the previous encounter. We correctly chose tactics for the game, knowing the playing style of the English team, and the girls fulfilled their instructions to achieve such an important victory. Our newcomers also showed themselves in the best light during this meeting.

And then came the third match, directly securing our place in the Super Final, which was also very responsible. Although the Czech national team technically and tactically yielded to us, they were well prepared functionally. The Czechs maintained the pace throughout all three periods, while some of our players lagged behind due to acclimatization issues. Therefore, the main challenge for our team was to physically endure this match. We started poorly but eventually managed to take control of the game. The most significant contribution to the final victory came from the five most experienced girls, with newcomers supporting their pace. Overall, we achieved our goal and reached the desired result.

I want to highlight the selflessness of our soccer players; everyone was united by one goal - to qualify for the Super Final. Focusing on this, we worked as a single football family. A big thank you from the coaching staff to the girls for this result and these positive emotions.

I also want to mention the excellent organization of the tournament. The matches were held at an arena where bullfighting takes place, so there was a special tension on the field. There were many spectators in the stands, and we are very grateful to our fans who supported us in all three games. After the matches, there were hugs and photo sessions, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

Regarding preparations for the September Super Final, we already have plans. This includes the Ukrainian student championship, the national championship itself, and the tournament in memory of Anastasiya Babenko. Plus, our team has been invited to friendly matches by the Czech Republic; we hope they will take place. It would be good to hold a week-long training camp in Prague before the Super Final, play a couple of sparring games, and then head to Italy from there. But as it goes - we'll see," said Yuriy Klimenko.

As a reminder, the EuroLeague-2025 Super Final is scheduled for September 9-14 in Viareggio, Italy.