Ukraine secures historic first bronze medal at Futsal World Championship

Ukraine's futsal team secured a historic bronze medal at the World Cup by defeating France in the third-place match.

Suspilne Sport writes, Rubryka reports.

In a decisive moment during the tenth minute, Ukraine took the lead: executing a successful interception, Ihor Korsun passed the ball to Ihor Chernyavskyi, who finished with a goal.

Additionally, during the first half, national team player Rostislav Semenchenko sustained an injury when elbowed in the throat by a French player. Despite calls from Ukraine's coach Oleksandr Kosenko to review the incident for a red card, no such action was taken against the opponent.

Early in the second half, the Ukrainian team extended their lead to two goals. Daniil Abakshyn passed to Semenchenko, who then assisted Mykhailo Zvarych with a header.

However, just a minute later, the French responded with a goal: Sukhov came out of goal to intercept the ball, but Girio assisted Saadaui, who capitalized by scoring into an empty net.

In the 27th minute, Yevhenii Zhuk received a pass from Nazar Shved and skillfully turned between several French defenders to slot the ball home under the far post. Less than a minute later, Zhuk scored again: after Melnyk's shot was initially saved by the goalkeeper, Zhuk pounced on the rebound to score.

With 12 minutes left in the match, France opted for a fifth field player to increase pressure near the Ukrainian goal. However, Ukraine capitalized on the goalkeeper's absence a minute later: Sukhov passed to Abakshyn who scored.

France continued to press near Ukraine's goal, with Sukhov making three consecutive saves. In the 30th minute, Abakshyn cleared the ball from the penalty area, resulting in a goal for Ukraine.

Three minutes later, Abakshin completed his hat trick. He intercepted the ball after a French attack, evaded Muhudin, and confidently slotted it into the goal.

The match concluded with a resounding 7-1 victory for Ukraine, securing the team the bronze medal. This achievement marks Ukraine's first medal in team sports at the world championship level since gaining independence.

This was Ukraine's second time competing for third place at the World Futsal Championship. In their debut World Cup in 1996, the national team reached the bronze medal match but was narrowly defeated by Russia with a score of 2-3.

Earlier in the tournament, Ukraine's national futsal team triumphed over Venezuela in the quarterfinals.

The 2024 Futsal World Cup marks the 10th edition of the tournament, held every four years among men's national teams of FIFA member associations. This year, the competition is taking place in Uzbekistan, making it the first FIFA tournament ever hosted by both Uzbekistan and a Central Asian country.

After being delayed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament has returned to its regular four-year cycle.

About Futsal

Futsal, also known as "indoor football," is played by two teams of five players, one of whom is a goalkeeper. Unlike other types of soccer (like turf soccer or showball in Latin America), futsal is played on a hard surface marked by lines without the use of boards or shields. The game features a smaller, less bouncy ball compared to regular soccer. Futsal focuses on improvisation, creativity, technical skills, ball control, and passing in tight spaces. The rules of futsal closely resemble those of football and mini-football.

Futsal originated in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930 when Juan Carlos Ceriani developed this version of soccer for competitions at the YMCA.

Recent Ukrainian highlights

• Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk has been included as a contender for the "Golden Ball 2024," making him the first Ukrainian since Andriy Shevchenko to receive this honor.
• Ukrainian goalkeeper Andrii Lunin, who plays for Real Madrid, has been nominated for the title of Best Goalkeeper of 2024.
• Ukraine recently concluded its performance at the XVII Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, France. With 140 athletes competing in 17 sports—a record for Ukraine at the Paralympics—the country achieved its fourth-best result in Paralympic history in terms of medals won.