The blue-and-yellow team started the European Championship with a loss to Italy (1:2), but in the next match, they confidently defeated Slovenia (4:2). The head coach of Ukraine's young players, Igor Moskvin, commented on the game against the Balkan team as reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Handball Federation.

— Igor Evgenyevich, congratulations on your victory. How did this match differ from the one against Italy?

— I'll say right away that it was harder against Slovenia. As I said beforehand, starting around the fifth minute, we dominated the Italians throughout the game. With Slovenia, it was the opposite. The first few minutes were ours, and we scored a quick goal. But then came difficulties in play because we had to figure out how Slovenia plays. Their two 'pillars' grab every ball, making it very tough. Additionally, fast players coming from deep created danger for us. However, our boys managed anyway, and I believe the score reflects this.

— There were changes in your starting lineup. Specifically, Dyachenko replaced Belimov in goal, and Rybitsky came on instead of Tyutyuray. Regarding Rybitsky, can we say that he was missing against Italy if we look at the game with Slovenia?

— Of course, he was missed. I'll say this is the first match in nine months where we played with an optimal lineup. That's to say, someone has always been missing due to not being called up, injuries, or suspensions. This time, for the first time, we played with our current optimal lineup. We made one attacking quartet that was supposed to develop the result further. The second quartet, let's say, had to provide some resistance in defense. So our plan worked out. The main quartet scored all the goals, but every player who came onto the court fulfilled their task for this game.

— Regarding the second quartet. During the match, you made adjustments by bringing Prihodko on for Eliseev. What was behind that substitution?

— Prihodko came out in the first quarter against Italy and added sharpness and activity to it. Against Slovenia, we decided to bring him into the second quartet, wanting to strengthen it. However, this time it didn't quite work out.

— Are you confident that you can maintain this spirit in your next match against Finland?

— Of course. We've been working towards this for a long time, dreaming of being in the final stage of Euro. So the boys are geared up for maximum results.

2023 Euro (U-19) Handball Championship Final Tournament

Group A: Croatia, Portugal, Spain, France.

Group B: Ukraine, Finland, Slovenia, Italy.

Round 1

03.09.2023

Ukraine — Italy — 1:2

Finland — Slovenia — 2:4

Portugal — Spain — 5:3

Croatia — France — 6:6

Round 2

04.09.2023

Slovenia — Ukraine — 2:4

Italy — Finland — 5:0

Group B. Tournament Table

France — Portugal — 1:5

Spain — Croatia — 3:3

06.09.2023

Ukraine — Finland (14.00)

Slovenia — Italy (16.30)

Spain — France (19.00)

Croatia — Portugal (21.30)

08.09.2023

Semi-final 1 (18.30 or 21.30)

Semi-final 2 (18.30 or 21.30)

10.09.2023

Final (21.30)

Match times are in Kyiv time.