Oleg Shaitanov: "The whole team dreamed of winning medals. I congratulate the girls, because they have done a great thing for Ukraine"

04.07.2022 11:14

Photo by uefa.com

The head coach of the women's futsal team of Ukraine Oleg Shaitanov commented on the victory of his team in the match for the third place at Euro-2022.

The blue-yellows completed their performance at the second European Championship in history, winning the match against Hungary (2:1) bronze medals. After the game, the team's success was commented on by its head coach Oleg Shaitanov, whose words he quotes the Futsal Association of Ukraine press-service reports..

— What are your first emotions after the match?

— The whole team dreamed of winning medals. Perhaps too much excitement did not allow to play at one hundred percent. But I congratulate the girls, because they have done a great thing for Ukraine. We understand that our country won Euro medals after a 20-year hiatus.

— Considering the war in Ukraine and the complexity of preparation, what for you does this victory mean?

— In previous interviews, I already said that Ukraine is strong. Our country fights and defends its independence. However, at the same time, she wins at Eurovision and wins bronze medals at the Women's Futsal Euro...

— How nice it was to see the Ukrainians уfans in the stands?

— This is really a very important support for Ukraine. Even ordinary passers-by on the streets in Italy and Portugal supported us. Instead, seeing familiar faces with the Ukrainian flag in the stands is simply incredible!

- Were there? in and ready for the game of the Hungarian national team with the fifth field?

— Yes, we were also preparing for such an option. However, the game always adjusts all plans. Not all components can be executed without errors. The most important thing is that we won.

— In the match for the third place, the same two players who three years ago they scored against Russia. You see в Is this a certain symbolism?

- Indeed, the symbolism is present. These girls had enough experience to find their moments and realize them. Fortunately, this time they were victorious.

— How did the team psychologically recover from the match against Spain?

— From the very beginning, the girls and I talked about the fact that the final four consists of two matches. They concentrated on the first match. We understood that it is very important. They tried to psychologically fail the wards so that they would not be afraid of the Spaniards. However, they suffered a painful defeat. Despite this, the girls understood that we have another very important match for medals. It's to their credit that they were able to switch and show the kind of futsal that helped us win.

— After the match with Spain, you emphasized that Viktoria Kislova should have played the full first match. Were you going to use exactly two goalkeepers at this Euro?

- I will be frank. We now have two strong goalkeepers. I don't know which one is stronger. Victoria Kislova played the first match, as she has significant experience of matches in the Spanish championship. I was hoping he would help. However, the mistakes we made did not allow us to miss at least a little. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Victoria Sahaidachna played with the Hungarians in goal. She played the match well. This turned out to be enough for victory.