Oleksandr Kosenko: "A very useful game, and we looked pretty decent at times"
Head coach of the Ukraine national futsal team Oleksandr Kosienko commented on the loss to Brazil in an international tournament in Lithuania.
Press service photo of AFC
Today, April 15, the blue-and-yellow team continued their performance at an international tournament in Lithuania with a match against Brazil (2:7). The post-match comments by the head coach of the Ukraine national team, Oleksandr Kosenko, are provided by the press service of the Ukrainian Handball Federation:
— I wouldn't say that we played two different halves. The Brazilians simply punished us for our mistakes right away. Three mistakes. They punish immediately. Mastery is high – both individual and team. They press well. I think this was a very useful game, and at times we looked quite decent. Most importantly — analyze it and prepare further. Overall, I believe that playing such a match is better. At times, we showed ourselves pretty well, so we move forward.
What impressed me in this match? That the boys played with desire. Sometimes they combined well, towards the end there was a lack of realization. If we had scored for an equal score... There were moments... When one or two goals were conceded — there were moments. And in the first half, there were very good moments. We just didn't score. But I liked that even with a 0:5 score, we didn't give up. We continued to play because it was a friendly match and wanted to win the second half for our benefit. I believe we managed to do so despite the score, I am satisfied with how we played today.
International Tournament of National Teams
13.04.2024
Lithuania — Ukraine — 2:5
Brazil — France — 2:3
15.04.2024
Ukraine — Brazil — 2:7
France — Lithuania — 5:0
Tournament Table
|
|
Team |
M |
W |
D |
L |
Pts |
GF-GA |
|
1 |
France |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8—2 |
6 |
|
2 |
Brazil |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
9—5 |
3 |
|
3 |
Ukraine |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
7—9 |
3 |
|
4 |
Lithuania |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2—10 |
0 |
16.04.2024
Ukraine — France (17:00)
Lithuania — Brazil (19:30)
Match start times are in Kyiv time.
Recall that the Ukraine national handball team is preparing for the final tournament of the World Championship, which will take place from September 14 to October 6 in Uzbekistan. Our team secured their qualification license last December after defeating Poland (5:3) in the elite round of qualifications. The players of Oleksandr Kosenko took first place in their group and earned a direct spot at the World Cup. Along with Ukraine, Kazakhstan, France, Spain, and Portugal also secured their spots from Europe. Two more lucky winners will be determined on April 17 after playoff matches between the Netherlands and Finland, as well as Poland and Croatia. All tournament participants will be known by April 28, following the completion of regional qualification tournaments. The draw will take place in Tashkent this summer; a specific date will be announced later.
Handball World Cup 2024
Final Tournament. September 14—October 6
24 participants
Host country — Uzbekistan.
Europe — 7 spots (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, France, Spain, Portugal, two winners to be determined on April 17).
Southern America — 4 spots (Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay).
CONCACAF Zone — 4 spots (winners to be determined on April 17).
Asia — 4 spots (winners to be determined by April 28).
Africa — 3 spots (winners to be determined on April 21).
Oceania — 1 spot (New Zealand).
