Russia – Slovakia, World Cup 2022 qualifying tournament, October 8, 2021, statistics of the Russian national football team in Kazan
“One blooper allows, the second substitutes.” Is it better for Russia not to play key matches in Kazan?
The city cannot be called happy for our team. But they played brightly there, too.
The Russian national team is back. October 8 team Valeria Karpina will accept Slovakia in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, but will do it in a new place for itself. In previous rounds, the national team held home games mainly in Moscow and once stopped in Sochi. Now the match will be held in Kazan, where the national team has not played for four years. It’s time to remember how the national team played in the capital of Tatarstan before.
“If Dziuba doesn’t want to, then don’t.” Karpin – about the problems of the national team
In the first match in Kazan, the national team defeated the “dwarf”. The beginning of the game had to be postponed due to the weather
The first match of the Russian national team in Kazan took place on September 6, 2013. Then our team was still coached Fabio Capello… The national team hosted the football “midget” – Luxembourg. Initially, the match at the Central Stadium was supposed to start at 18:30, but plans had to be changed due to heavy rain. Russia then needed all the points that could and could not be scored – Portugal was a competitor in the fight for direct access to the World Cup.
The bad weather of the national team did not hurt. Our guys scored already in the 19th second. Now one can only dream of this, but then it was not surprising – he scored Alexander Kokorin… After casting forward Alexander Kerzhakov ideally threw the ball to him with his head. The goalkeeper rushed forward somewhere, and Kokorin easily threw him over.
Who from Karpin’s extended list did not make it to the Russian national team. Two are still in question
The impression of problems did not arise either. Kokorin scored a double, Kerzhakov and Samedov scored on the ball, and Luxemburg responded with only one goal – 4: 1. The national team did not miss its own, took first place in the group and went to Brazil. True, there was nothing good there.
The second match is against Mexico. Removing Zhirkov and Kung Fu from Akinfeev
The next match of the national team in Kazan had to wait almost four years. In the summer of 2017, Russia hosted the Confederations Cup, and our team played there as the host of the future World Cup. In the first round, the national team slapped New Zealand, then lost to Portugal, and in the final match of the group stage on June 24, they met with Mexico at the Ak Bars Arena.
Ours scored first – after an epic miss on the ball Alexandra Erokhina just hit the corner Alexander Samedov… Then the problems began. Five minutes later, the Mexicans equalized – after hitting his head, the ball flew over Igor Akinfeev… And at the beginning of the second half, our goalkeeper arranged kung fu. He walked out of the gate and loaded his foot across his chest Irvina Lozano… An instant before the strike, he managed to break through with his head, and the ball rolled into the corner. 20 minutes before the end, the Russian national team was still in the minority. Yuri Zhirkov He thrust his elbow into the Mexican’s face and got the second yellow one. Ours lost – 1: 2 – and did not make it to the playoffs.
After the match between Zhirkov and Akinfeev, a wave of criticism swept over him. The most indignant of all was the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Igor Lebedev: “Zhirkov, a man with such rich experience and professionalism, has no right to receive two yellow cards in such a match. Like a man, in the locker room he needs to be hit in the face! He let the team down, you can’t! One makes mistakes, the other substitutes, and now the whole country will find fault with the guys who really fought. “
Then it seemed that at the World Championships in a year we were in for a disgrace. You know what happened next.
Last match. Couldn’t beat Iran, missed from Azmun
The last match of the Russian national team in Kazan took place in the same 2017, and again at the Ak Bars Arena. Iran came to a friendly match on October 10. Other teams were then selected for the 2018 World Cup. Russia was guaranteed participation, so she spent time in friendly (sorry, test) matches.
Unlike the previous games in Kazan, it was not our team that scored the first. The Iranians ran out great in the attack of the second start of the half, and a cross to the empty net closed Serdar Azmun… The forward then just recently returned to Rubin, so, one might say, he scored at his own stadium. But before the match Erokhin was going to do everything so that Serdar did not distinguish himself.
The Russian national team responded with the ball Dmitry Poloz, who responded to a serve from the flank and fired into the net, where the goalkeeper was no longer there. On this the goals ended – 1: 1.
Bonus. The national team match in Kazan, which did not take place
In fact, the Russian national team could have played another match in Kazan. On May 26, 2014, the national team is to play a test game there before the World Cup. Funny coincidence: Slovakia was the rival.
Capello hacked the idea to play in Kazan. Representatives of the Italian arrived at the stadium and doubted the quality of the lawn. As a result, Kazan was refused and the match was moved to St. Petersburg, to the old “Petrovsky”. By the way, then Russia won – 1: 0. Kerzhakova decided everything in the last goal minutes.
In Moscow and Kazan there are vegetable gardens in stadiums, and in St. Petersburg there is a good field. Why it happens?
So far, the statistics of the Russian national team in Kazan have a complete balance: one victory, one draw and one defeat. The upcoming matches will be key in the fight for the 2022 World Cup. The best moment to take advantage of the win. October 8, Ak Bars Arena, 21:45.