Nazaretyan: “A very difficult game.” Armenia national team reaction after the draw with Lithuania (3:3)

The Armenia national futsal team finished the EURO 2026 group stage with a hard-fought 3:3 draw against Lithuania, after which team representatives shared their emotions and expectations ahead of the playoffs.

Although the third-round match no longer had tournament significance for Armenia, the game was intense and required maximum concentration. Ruben Nazaretyan’s side had already secured first place in Group B thanks to wins over Ukraine and Czechia, but they still had to work hard against the hosts.

Ruben Nazaretyan: “We wanted to win”

Armenia head coach Ruben Nazaretyan highlighted the difficulty of the match and noted lineup changes:

“This was a very difficult game. We made several changes to the squad. We wanted to win this match, but we couldn’t convert our chances. Looking back at the group stage, we played three very good games. We approach the match against Croatia in a very positive mood.”

Armenia finished the group unbeaten with seven points to take first place — especially significant given the team’s debut appearance in the final stage of the European Championship.

Gandilyan: “There are no easy opponents here”

One of the team leaders, Mikael Gandilyan, is already looking ahead to the quarterfinal against Croatia:

“Croatia are a strong and competitive team with tall and physically powerful players. In many ways they are similar to Lithuania. It will be tough. But at the European Futsal Championship there are no easy opponents. All teams here are strong.”

“No one believed we would finish first”

Gandilyan, who scored against Lithuania, also spoke about the emotional side of the game:

“I am proud of our country. No one believed we could get out of the group, and even more so in first place. I am very happy with this result. The last game was psychologically difficult because we had already secured first place. It’s not easy to approach such matches correctly. But we fought until the very end and gave all our strength. We always play to win.”

Armenia led twice against Lithuania, but the opponents managed to equalize. Still, the draw did not affect the group standings:
Armenia — 7 points, Ukraine — 6, Lithuania — 2, Czechia — 1.

In the quarterfinals Armenia will face Croatia, while Ukraine will play France. For Armenia, this is already a historic achievement — but the team’s ambitions are clearly growing. The matches will take place on January 31.