“People used to spit, but now they smile”: what they said in the Russian national football team after the victory over Kazakhstan

The Russian national football team beat Kazakhstan and for the first time in 20 years won five consecutive victories in the qualifying tournament of the European Championship.

The ball, Mario Fernandez, scored at the very end of the meeting, allowed the team to strengthen their positions in group I. Stanislav Cherchesov’s wards scored 15 points after six meetings and lag behind the Belgians, who were defeated, to whom the Russians lost in the opening match.

The head coach was pleased with this result. Despite the fact that in the last meeting his team created a minimum number of dangerous moments, the specialist noted the positive dynamics in the actions of his players and gave them a satisfactory rating based on the results of matches with Scotland and Kazakhstan.

“If you evaluate the last week arithmetically, then the result suited me. Completed the task and scored six points out of six possible. At the same time, they played faster in Kaliningrad than before in Glasgow. However, the meeting with the Scots has not yet been dismantled with the team. This is our specificity. Next time we will see them only in a month, the players will simply forget what happened in September, ”the coach said at a post-match press conference.

However, a little later Cherchesov nevertheless recognized small errors in the game of the national team.

“They parted correctly, but there was no final blow. Missing pass. But we completed our work and did what was needed. Tomorrow, the coaching staff will review the game and analyze the mistakes. In general, I expected such resistance. If we weren’t preparing for this, we could have serious problems, ”Cherchesov explained.

The Kaliningrad audience and the full stands of the local stadium, which gathered 31,318 spectators, did not leave the coach of the country's main football team indifferent. The coach noted the support of the fans and remembered that the team had previously played in this arena of the World Cup.

“Fans of five plus. We are glad that, finally, the gates were opened here, otherwise the score with the Swedes in the League of Nations remained 0-0. We like it in Kaliningrad, the team here is always warmly welcomed. True, we don’t see anything except the stadium and the hotel, ”he explained.

At the end of the conversation, media representatives asked the head coach to assess the degree of readiness of St. Petersburg for Euro 2020 matches. According to the tournament regulations, in case of reaching the final part of the tournament, the Russian team will hold two of the three games of the group stage on Krestovsky Island. Cherchesov said that he would do everything possible to return a large international tournament to the northern capital.

“We really like to play there. This city is happy for the team. I love Peter, although I haven't been there long enough. Now our main task is to take all steps in order to hold official matches there again, ”the specialist concluded his speech.

“Developing the mentality of winners”

The captain of the national team Artyom Dziuba also did not disregard the warm welcome from Kaliningrad football fans. Forward admitted that the support of the stands helped the team break the stubborn resistance of the opponent.

“Thanks to the spectators at the stadium, they helped us in this difficult match. Words of gratitude to those who believed in us all over the country. It is very expensive. When you go to the stadium there are already goosebumps, as people greet. They used to spit, but now they smile and wave. This is the most valuable thing for us, ”the Sport 24 quotes Dziuba.

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According to him, the players of the national team of Kazakhstan managed to make adjustments to the original plan for the game and impose a struggle in some parts of the field.

“There are almost no teams left who cannot play defense from the world. So all the talk about easy opponents is from the evil one. Today was hard. Well, that rebuilt in the second half. Thanks to this, they were able to press them to the goal and scored. An important goal from Mario, he’s smart, ”Dziuba said on the Match Premier broadcast.

Summarizing the results of the meeting, he noted that a difficult victory, framed only at the 89th minute of the meeting, would benefit the Russian team.

“We develop the mentality of winners and do not bend under any difficulties. One must fully believe, fight and fight. This is our strength. We are strong precisely in team play, ”concluded Dzyuba.

Another representative of Zenit, defender Yuri Zhirkov also continued the topic of collective success. According to the 36-year-old player, teammates help him stay in shape and benefit the team.

“What is my secret? Nothing special, I'm not a star of Ronaldinho level. We have the whole team playing, and she wins. We took three important points, now everything is in our hands. The game turned out to be difficult, the last pass did not work out, while the opponent played strictly in defense and quickly moved. Fortunately, Mario did not fail, ”an experienced defender told reporters.

Midfielder Magomed Ozdoev also did not hide the fact that in the last minutes of the match he began to feel excitement for the final result.

“When Mario scored, I personally felt relieved and realized that we would not miss the victory. It was difficult to play, the opponent competently defended. The main thing is that we have scored three points, now we need to move on - once again beat Scotland, Cyprus and reach the Euro, ”Ozdoev said on the Match Premier broadcast.

The most critical of the game performed by the Russian national team was the midfielder of Monaco Alexander Golovin.

“They didn’t act well, there’s no reason to hide it. There were no absolute moments, they allowed the opponent to run away in a counterattack and build in our penalty area. But on the contrary, a couple of shots went off target. Yes, not everything worked out, but the main thing is a positive result. We were not in the best shape, but I knew that we would score, ”Golovin explained.

In turn, the defender of the Grozny Akhmat, Andrei Semenov, said that the winning goal was the result of well-practiced actions in training, and positively assessed the fact that, despite the fatigue, the team did not lose concentration throughout the match.

“My task was to go to the nearest bar, as we practiced at the training camp. Mario Fernandez was where he needed to and scored. The goal was brewing. We endured, and we were paid for it. At the beginning of the meeting, we allowed ourselves imposingness, but during the break we had a serious conversation with the coach, and we realized what needs to be added, ”said Semyonov on Match TV.

The next match of the Russian team in the qualifying round of Euro 2020 will be held on October 10. Wards Stanislav Cherchesov will hold a home meeting with Scotland. The game will take place in the Luzhniki Stadium.