"You, Ostap, probably suffered"
The match against Scotland turned out to be one of the best for Russia in recent times. Wards Stanislav Cherchesov not only demonstrated high-quality football, but also defeated a fairly strong opponent. As for the coach himself, he praised the wards for their dedication at the post-match press conference, which was broadcast live by RT. He also refused to admit that the team in the first half played too academically.
“I do not agree with you. We tried to escalate. But during the break, he told the guys that in the center of the field no extra passes were needed. It is better to immediately give passes to free zones where sharpness can arise, ”Cherchesov said.
Not without quite strange questions from journalists. In particular, the trainer was asked how he relates to the idea of bringing the national team to the game in Luzhniki by cable car.
“Is your name Ostap by any chance?” Ostap sometimes carries ... You, Ostap, probably suffered. The idea is not bad, but not for us, ”Cherchesov joked.
But the Scots mentor Steve Clark was no laughing matter. The coach could only admit defeat.
“The first ball was optional, we conceded after a corner. And the game just slipped away from us. Football players have lost confidence. It is unfortunate that it happened. We need to work. Perhaps changes in the composition will help. It is important to understand that we had to confront very good strong rivals, Belgium and Russia. Although I will not make excuses - our results are terrible, ”Clark complained.
“Do we win so often with a score of 4: 0?”
As part of the Russian national team, Artyom Dziuba soloed both on the field and in the mixed zone. He is always ready to give journalists a couple of bright quotes, but this time, after a double and a major victory, he entered the course.
“What kind of people are you ?! We win so often with the score - 4: 0? Do you think that the Scots are probably hooked, scattered, and we unexpectedly added? ”, The forward laughed at one of the correspondents' questions.
After this, Dziuba already more seriously explained why the Russian team on Thursday held two so different halves.
“We did not complete the installation. Should have played low, we have performers in our team who are able to open the flanks. Instead, they did a lot of long passes, we lacked movement. Our strength is in unity, we must switch gears in a timely manner. We do not have such qualities to open the defense in the classroom. We talked during the break, added with a return to the field, and after the goal we felt confident in our abilities and everything started to work out for us, ”Dzyuba said.
The double in the match with Scotland helped Artyom with eight goals to reach second place in the tournament scorers of the tournament. The leader is still the Israeli Eran Zahavi, who on Thursday scored the tenth goal in the selection of Euro 2020, which surprised Dziuba a lot.
“Did he score again ?! What he eats? I am amazed. But the task of becoming the top scorer is not worth it, the only goal is to hit the Euro. It will be a holiday for our country, we want to break into the European Championship, because in this case we will play at least two games at home, ”Dziuba emphasized.
“This is one of the most beautiful goals in my career”
Magomed Ozdoev also had a great game, who not only performed a huge amount of work in the supporting zone, but also scored a magnificent ball. At the same time, in communication with reporters, the midfielder refused to call Scotland a weak opponent.
“Of course, we controlled the game, tried to crack the defense of the guests, but they defended very low and compactly. We had moments, but there wasn’t enough luck to score. In the second half, the Scots began to unfold, and we scored a quick ball - all this gave a result. I would say that this Scottish team is identical to the one with which we played in Glasgow. There we also dominated, but here, at home, we simply did not have the right to play differently, because the full stadium drove us forward, ”Ozdoev shared his impressions.
He also admitted that he did not watch the meeting of Kazakhstan with Cyprus. But Magomed was pleased with his goal.
“I remember the moment with the ball ... I struck, but I got it as I hit. Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful goals in my career, ”said Ozdoev.
The footballer also spoke about the interaction in the supporting zone with Dmitry Barinov, who for the first time in his career was the basis of the national team.
“The match showed how comfortable it is for me to play with Dima. He is a good football player, it is pleasant to interact with him, as well as with Roma Zobnin and any other player who is on the team. The coach can put anyone in, the most important thing is to give a result, ”summed up Ozdoev.
Marinato Guillerme also proceeded through the mixed zone in an excellent mood, because the naturalized Brazilian managed to win “zero” in the fifth match of the qualifying tournament.
“A great atmosphere, a very beautiful stadium, tens of thousands of fans supported us. In general, the game turned out to be calm, in the second half we were very strong. After the first goal, playing always becomes easier. Now we have to measure our strength with Cyprus on the road. It remains to score one point to solve the problem, ”said the goalkeeper.
But the defender Fedor Kudryashov, like Dziuba, told reporters why the Russian team spent the second half much better than the first.
“After the break, the opponent allowed us more than in the first half. There were free zones that we took advantage of. Our coaching staff takes apart each opponent and informs us what is worth paying attention to. We knew all their strengths and weaknesses and tried to put pressure on the weaknesses, ”said the player.
Kudryashov also noted the atmosphere on the crowded Luzhniki Stadium.
“It was very nice that in such weather 80 thousand fans came to support us at the stadium. We felt this support, we wanted to please people. They have not yet secured access to the Euro, but I would not call this qualifying stage simple for the Russian team. The secret to success is that we analyze each opponent in detail, ”added Kudryashov.
Finally, the match with Scotland was not without debut. For the first time on the field in the national team's T-shirt, forward of Mlady Boleslav Nikolai Komlichenko. In the end, he replaced Juba. Although the forward did not have time to score, he was still satisfied.
“It's nice to go out on the field at such a stadium and with that score. Thanks to the guys, the coaching staff. After the game, everyone congratulated, supported. Generally a bomb! I enjoyed five minutes. Do you already feel like a full-fledged “collection”? It's hard to answer, but in the team I feel better. As for the excitement, I went out calmly, because the atmosphere was simply unbelievable, ”Komlichenko shared his impressions.