The Ukrainian futsal team concluded its journey at the 2026 European Championship in the quarter-finals. In a tense match against France, the "blue and yellow" failed to maintain their lead in extra time, losing to their opponents with a score of 2:4. Despite an active fight and a penalty kick converted in regular time, fatal errors and an excess of fouls in overtime prevented Oleksandr Kosenko's team from reaching the semi-finals. This is reported by UNN.
Details
The first half of the match was a cautious struggle with no goals scored, although both teams had chances: Oleksandr Sukhov saved the Ukrainian goal after his own mistakes, and Vladyslav Pierveiev failed to beat the French goalkeeper Francis Lokoku. The score was opened only in the second half - Amin Heddoura put the French ahead.
The turning point came in the 30th minute, when after a video review (challenge), the referee awarded a penalty to France for a handball and sent off the opponents' leader Abdessamad Mohammed. Yevhen Zhuk clearly converted the shot, equalizing the score. Regular time ended in a 1:1 draw, which sent the game into overtime.
Fatal Overtime: Double Penalty and Empty Net
In extra time, the advantage shifted to the French national team. Already in the first minute of overtime, Ukraine committed its sixth foul, for which a double penalty was awarded, which Souheil Mouhoudine converted. Soon after, the French scored again, and then took advantage of the Ukrainians playing with a fifth field player, hitting an empty net. Ihor Korsun's goal in the 46th minute only reduced the deficit, but did not save the situation.