In the quarterfinals of the 2022 European Championship, Ukraine overcame Kazakhstan with a score of 5:3. For the first time since 2005, the Ukrainian national team made it to the top four in continental competition. After the match, head coach Oleksandr Kosenko commented on this success.

— What are your emotions after advancing to the semifinals of the European Championship?

— It's hard to express now. I want to thank the boys, it's their victory, their achievement. I am proud of our team — not just the futsal players but everyone who did this work. We've made it to the semifinals and will prepare and adjust.

Of course, the emotions are positive. Advancing to the semifinals is already a great achievement for us. Today we'll enjoy this victory, and tomorrow we'll start preparing, watching our opponents' match. It's good that we have an extra day of recovery. This day is necessary because the players had a very heavy workload. The main task now — to enjoy the victory and recover for a successful performance in the semifinals.

— You managed to stop Kazakhstan. What was the secret?

— There was no secret. The boys did their job, gave 200%, luck turned our way, we scored goals, Kazakhs didn't capitalize on some of their chances, Kirill Tsypun helped us — all this together brought us the victory.

— When did you believe that Ukraine's national team would make it to the semifinals?

— When you're worried about the boys and the result, you don't even think about such things. We were leading 3-0, then the score became 3-2 — there was no time to think about anything. Even with a three-goal lead, we asked the boys not to think they had already won. In futsal, everything can happen, there are many examples of scoring two goals in ten seconds.

— How difficult is it to select lineups considering that players keep flying out?

— Some adjustments have to be made. Thank God, the first lineup stayed intact and so did the second with minor changes. We make one or two changes. We try different combinations, especially in friendly matches, because we understand that anything can happen during a match. Someone gets injured, someone doesn't enter the game… Of course, there are inconveniences, but it's not the main thing, as all players want to fight. I want to say that I am proud of our team that brought this victory to Ukraine. They earned it with their self-sacrifice. We're not going to stop here.

— Who would you like to see as your opponent in the semifinals?

— As history shows, when you choose an opponent and they win exactly who you didn't want to face, there's a certain lack of preparation and other issues. We won't pick anyone or feel sorry for someone, but we'll just watch the match. The whole team will watch this game, analyze it, and prepare for our next opponent.

— Are you already thinking about the final and the title?

— No-no, we're still in the tournament. When we were traveling to the Netherlands, we agreed that we would take it step by step. We don't look far ahead or make loud statements but want to do everything gradually. Right now, we're only thinking about the semifinals.