Russia U18 head coach Dmitry Mikhailov speaks after beating Kazakhstan U20

Dmitry Mikhailov, the head coach of the under 18 Russian national team, spoke to the media after his players claimed bronze at the Future Cup.

Russia U18 head coach Dmitry Mikhailov:

"We struggled at the start of the game and consequently conceded twice. However, the guys subsequently showed their character and we changed the line formations. Yes, we had the chances to score more goals, but the Kazakhs are solid in defence and their goalkeeper played well. Overall, I'm satisfied with our performance level and the bronze medal.

"Why did Pyotr Andreyanov play in our net during the entire competition? We took this decision due to what we saw in training. Unfortunately, one of our players received an injury during yesterday's 3x3 tournament, so that's why we made this particular call. Pyotr played well, we don't have any issues with his performance level.

"Should any of our players compete at the Channel One Cup? The pace of the game will be different there. In my opinion, we don't need to rush matters, our guys are very young and it's too early for them to start playing against senior players. Why didn't Ivan Ryabkin play yesterday for the 3x3 tournament? We gave him time to rest, he plays around 20 minutes in our normal matches."