— Of course, we hoped to start the tournament with a win. We knew it would be a tough game. That's how it turned out. So this victory becomes even more valuable. The boys showed character, but I think they were nervous in the first 15 minutes. Croatia played very well with the ball, and we couldn't take possession or control the flow of the match. Good stretches started for us in the second half of the first period and after halftime when the boys played as we had agreed. Our first goal from a corner kick — hard work, home preparation. And the other two goals scored are the result of individual skill. The goals are good, beautiful, but to be honest, that doesn't matter. What's important is that they were scored and brought us the win.

I think the boys' confidence in their abilities has grown significantly. We have a number of players born in 2008, and they've gained experience that they didn't have before.

— Sikut played his first official match at Euro. How do you rate his performance?

— Very well. He plays calmly with the ball, moves confidently. European style.

— How is Kokodyank feeling?

— That's a court matter. We had to work a lot without the ball. We've only been together for 10 days… So, I think the boys will add in physical readiness as the tournament progresses. Right now we are not ready at 100 percent.