“We held on and won”: Petrosov on the match of his life and reaching the playoffs

The Armenia national futsal team continues to make history at EURO 2026. In the second round of the group stage, the team defeated the Czech Republic 5:4 in a dramatic match, securing first place in Group B and a spot in the playoffs.

One of the heroes of the match was Arsen Petrosov, who scored one of Armenia’s goals and became the second-youngest goalscorer in the history of the UEFA Futsal European Championships (19 years, 8 months). After the match, he gave an exclusive interview to Sportarn.com.

Interview with Arsen Petrosov

On the match against the Czech Republic
— What emotions do you have after the match? How did the game unfold?

— Only positive emotions after the match. We gave everything, left it all on the court. Against the Czech Republic, things didn’t go very well at the start. But the middle and the end of the first half were very high quality from us. At halftime we talked, shook off the pressure — after all, it was the most important game for reaching the playoffs. We played the second half with great energy and were really good. At the end we dipped a bit, conceded a few goals, but we held on, won — and now we’re in the playoffs.

On his personal historic achievement
— You became the second-youngest player to score at EURO. What do you feel?

— The feelings are special. At first I thought I was the youngest in history, many channels wrote that, but then I found out a Polish player scored yesterday and is two months younger than me. That made me a bit sad (smiles).

On dedicating the goal
— Who did you dedicate your goal to?

— To my girlfriend. She was very happy.

On a possible quarterfinal opponent
— Who would you like to face from Group A?

— Georgia. We recently played them in Yerevan in a friendly tournament, we know their strengths and weaknesses, and we managed to beat them then. Plus, it’s a Transcaucasian derby.

On preparation for the tournament
— How did you prepare for EURO?

— We had a short training camp in December, and in January we fully focused on preparing specifically for the European Championship. We studied our opponents, especially Ukraine — they were considered the strongest team in our group. We prepared very specifically for the first match against them and managed to win in the end.

On being the youngest player in the squad
— You’re the youngest in the team. Do the more experienced players help?

— Of course. We play for our country — that’s a huge responsibility. Teammates and coaches help me control my emotions and keep myself in check.

On the team’s goals
— Before EURO, coach Ruben Nazaretyan said the minimum goal was one win, the maximum was getting out of the group. Those goals are already achieved. What’s next?

— Inside the team we didn’t focus on the federation’s targets. Our goals are minimum — to get out of the group, maximum — to win medals. We have high ambitions. At a tournament like this, we really want to be in the top four.

For the first time in its history, the Armenia national team is so confidently advancing through the EURO group stage, and a new generation of players is already making a name for itself at the continental level. The story is just beginning.