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Portugal have monopolised the sport over the last few years. They conquered the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ in 2021, have won the last two UEFA Futsal EUROs, and overcame Spain in the first Finalissima. They were on a run of eight straight victories, during which time they scored 38 goals and conceded only five. Then they ran into Ukraine on Sunday.
Oleksandr Kosenko’s side sent shockwaves through the game with a 6-3 victory over Jorge Braz’s superstars on Sunday. Goalkeeper Kyrylo Tsypun believes they can use its momentum to challenge at Uzbekistan 2024.How did it feel to make your World Cup debut against Costa Rica in 2012?
Kyrylo Tsypun: For me it was a special game. I was young, it was my debut. The World Cup, whether it’s in futsal or another game, is the highest level. Everyone wants to play in the World Cup, to win something in it. The 2012 World Cup was a great experience, and I hope it helps us for this World Cup.
Portugal have dominated futsal over the last few years. How good did it feel to beat them 6-3?
Portugal are a great team, very strong, very difficult to beat. It’s a pleasure to play against Portugal, and a big pleasure to beat them. We won’t let this result go to our heads. Yes, we won, but I think there were a lot of things we could improve upon. We must work even harder. We want to win every game, whether it’s a friendly or in the World Cup. I think that beating Portugal has given us more confidence and power. It has shown we can beat the best sides in the World Cup.
First up for Ukraine is Argentina. What do you think of this Argentina team?
A very good team, one of the favourites to win the World Cup. They’ve been in the last two finals. But if we can beat Portugal, we can beat any team. Ukraine against Argentina will be decided by small details. We are preparing for this game and we must go out there and show what we can do.
How do you rate Nico Sarmiento?
What can you say about him? He was the best goalkeeper at the last World Cup. At the last two World Cups he’s been like an Argentinian wall, but I think we have players with the skill to knock through this wall.
Which players do you think they are?
We have really good players. Perhaps not all our players have experience of playing in the World Cup or other major tournaments, but all 12 of our [outfield] players can win a game. Overall, though, I think our strength is how we play collectively as a team. Our style is built on teamwork. I think our model allows every player to excel.
Have you managed to see much of Angola and Afghanistan?
I’ve watched some highlights. Every team that has qualified for this World Cup won a lot of games to get here. Every team will be well prepared, strong. Easy games don’t exist in the World Cup.
Ukraine reached the semi-finals at the last EURO, won the recent tournament in Viseu. What is your target at Uzbekistan 2024?
I like and dislike the question. I want to say that our target is to win everything. Our first target is to finish first in our group. Then we’ll give ourselves another target, then another, then another. We’ll take it step by step.
Is finishing first in Group C, as opposed to just going through from it, crucial?
Yes. I think it’s very important for two reasons. If you win your group, you play against a second-placed team or one of the best third-placed teams. But the most important benefit for me is the psychological one. If you finish first above Argentina, you know you can achieve anything you want, beat any team you come up against.
Have you trained penalties much?
When, not if, we reach the knockout phase, maybe we’ll train penalties before our games. But for me there’s not much value in it. Penalties in training and in games are two completely different things. In games you’re more tired, more concentrated, there are a lot of differences. For me penalty shootouts are more psychological.
Who do you see as the favourites going into Uzbekistan 2024?
The strongest teams are Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Spain, but they’re only the favourites on paper. In matches it comes down to approach, attitude, small details. I think in this World Cup, a lot of underdogs will cause upsets to the favourites on paper. I hope and I believe Ukraine will be one of them.
Finally, who do you rate as the best goalkeeper in the world?
I think the best goalkeepers are the ones who bring stability and are consistent. I think the best in the world is one of the Spain goalkeepers. I can’t choose between Didac Plana and Jesus Herrero. They’re both great and I think it’s one of these guys.
