The head coach of Ukraine's under-19 national futsal team, Vitaliy Odegov, has summed up the team's performance in the final stage of Euro 2022 and the entire three-year preparation period.

Recently, the blue-and-yellow team participated in Euro 2022 (U-19), which took place in Jaén, Spain. In group matches, Ukrainian boys secured victories over Croatia (6:4) and Romania (5:2), as well as drew with Spain (2:2), after which they lost to Portugal in the semifinals (1:4).

With this, a three-year cycle of preparation for Ukraine's under-19 national futsal team has come to an end. The head coach of the team, Vitaliy Odegov, summed up its results in an interview with the press service of the Futsal Association of Ukraine.

— Mr. Vitaliy Oleksiyovych, the Ukrainian youth team improved their three-year record and reached the semifinals stage. How would you generally sum up the team's performance in the final stage of Euro 2022?

— Indeed, we did improve our results. Overall, I can say that the team played quite well at the championship. This is primarily about the quality of play and the results demonstrated by the team during the group stage. The emotions from Euro 2022 remained positive because we won in the group stage without suffering any defeats, and under certain circumstances, we had a chance to advance with first place. In such a case, it's uncertain how our semifinal match against Poland would have turned out. On the other hand, you always strive for more. Both the boys and the coaching staff wanted to win medals. I believe that our team could have reached the final. Unfortunately, we lacked emotions. Without them, our team still cannot play well. To face top teams back-to-back for two days requires a lot of emotion. For me, a break between the last group match and the semifinal would have been more important. This could have contributed to better performance from our team. Everyone dreamed of reaching the final!

— Our team went through the group stage on one breath. What factor mostly influenced the loss to Portugal? Did we lack strength or emotions?

— This is a combination of factors. Indeed, we lacked strength due to physical fatigue and players committing individual errors. All four goals were conceded through individual mistakes. The opponent did not put in much effort in these instances, while we helped them. These mistakes were quite critical and noticeable. What was the cause? Primarily, it was physical fatigue. When this aspect is missing, emotional elevation kicks in, allowing one to play at maximum potential and be focused on results. Unfortunately, our team lacked this after the match against Spain. The team did not have enough for a game against Portugal. I can say unequivocally that we were not afraid of the opponent. In fact, I could even claim that the opponent played with some fear in the first half of the match. The Portuguese remembered that we beat them last November and analyzed our match against Spain, which was evenly matched. Unfortunately, mistakes helped the opponent secure a victory.

— Were the key emotions that helped Ukraine's team overcome the group stage on one breath — the comeback in the match against Croatia?

— Yes, of course. This match could have either dashed all our hopes for continuing in the tournament or given an emotional boost. The team understood that everything depended on them. They simply had to keep going forward, which is what eventually happened. The first half was quite unsuccessful. Boys lacked confidence. New conditions significantly differ from those we trained under. Most of the things boys are capable of did not work due to a different ball movement speed. Gradually, the team adapted and started feeling comfortable. It's good that players found strength and emotions within themselves. They demonstrated true character and managed to secure this victory.

Photo uefa.com

— During the last two matches, the team frequently used a "5 on 4" tactic. How satisfied were you with your players' actions in this numerical advantage?

— I was about 90% confident when our team went onto the court in a numerical advantage that boys would not make mistakes. I expected it to bring us certain benefits. When we played "5 on 4," we pursued various objectives. In some instances, the team had to defend. Also, one of the strategies was to move the game to the opponent's half and force them to move while under our ball control.

— According to the tournament regulations, there was no match for third place. How disappointing is it that Ukraine's team did not have a chance to compete for bronze medals?

— This practice has been in place for two consecutive youth European championships. Such questions arose not only from our side but also from other participating teams. It depends not on the teams that qualified for the final stage, but rather on the tournament organizers. Young boys would have found it interesting to play one more match at this level. This game would have been very important. Teams would have had great motivation in the battle for another set of medals.

— Preparation for Euro 2022 through the pandemic lasted almost three years. What results can you share with the team from this period?

— I would like to thank all boys for their work and attitude towards it. All members of the team were always maximalists and set ambitious goals for themselves. It's pleasant that our team demonstrated such a result and recorded it in Ukraine's futsal history. I wish each futsalist to continue progressing and at least reach the level of national team representatives.