It didn’t turn out like brothers: Karpin’s team defeated Belarus in Minsk

The Russian team defeated the Belarus team in an away friendly match. The game took place on Friday in Minsk and ended with a score of 4:0 in favor of the guests. Ivan Oblyakov (8th minute), Konstantin Tyukavin (20) and Fedor Chalov (63, 69) scored accurate shots.
Long time no see Since Russian football came under sanctions, the national team has already managed to hold 12 friendly matches, in which they won five victories, drew six times and lost once. Moreover, initially many fans expected the game to be played against the Belarusian team. This is understandable: geographical proximity, convenient logistics and excellent relations between states indicated that a more ideal opponent could not be found in such difficult times. But something did not come together due to the participation of our neighbors in tournaments under the auspices of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Friendly matches07 June 2024 • start at 20:00CompletedBelarusBelarus0 : 4RussiaRussia
08‎’‎ • Ivan Oblyakov20‎’‎ • Konstantin Tyukavin63‎’‎ • Fedor Chalov69‎’‎ • Fedor Chalov
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It is quite possible that the problems with the calendar were compounded by some pressure from UEFA on the Belarusian side, which the federation's leadership prefers not to talk about. Despite all the difficulties and such a long wait, the match was still organized. And it became a real holiday for Minsk. The opening part of the football festival was a match between the fan teams of the two countries, in which legends of Russian and Belarusian football took part — Denis Glushakov, Alexander Gleb, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Yuri Zhevnov. «For us, the final result of the match is almost in third or fourth place, because we want to organize a real holiday for our fans. Although, of course, we want to win,» said the first deputy chairman of the Belarusian Football Federation Andrei Vasilevich.

In addition to the game with a status opponent, this match was important for the Belarusian side for another reason. Since 2021, the Belarusian national team has not played in front of their home stadium due to sanctions from UEFA. Therefore, almost 22 thousand fans came to the first meeting in three years in the capital of the country, and this was practically a sell-out for the Dynamo stadium in Minsk.
Steadfast Safonov and hungry Chalov On the eve of the match, head coach of the Russian national team Valery Karpin warned his players against holiday relaxation. The season has already been over for a week, and many players are already on vacation, so it’s hard to mentally prepare for the match with the Belarusians. Karpin noted that he would definitely carry out the necessary explanatory work with his headquarters. As the course of the meeting showed, the coaches found the right words to fully motivate the team.

Already in the 8th minute of the match, team captain Alexey Miranchuk found Oblyakov’s head in someone else’s penalty area with a cool throw, and he managed to push the ball into the goal before colliding with the opposing goalkeeper Pavel Pavlyuchenko — 1:0. The Belarusians tried to snap back, but all they could manage was a couple of interesting runs and a dangerous shot on goal from Matvey Safonov. At this moment, the goalkeeper played simply brilliantly, although just a few hours before the starting whistle it was unclear whether Safonov would appear on the field of the Dynamo stadium. The fact is that the stumbling block to his almost accomplished transfer to the French “Paris Saint-Germain” was a financial scandal with his ex-wife, because of which the football player could become banned from traveling abroad. Despite the hype in the media and the goalkeeper’s probably not in the best mood, the national team’s coaching staff allocated Safonov the entire first half. Not to say that he had a lot of work, but Matvey did not make a mistake anywhere and played very well.

All the most interesting things were happening on the other half of the field. In the 20th minute, the Russian national team carried out an exemplary attack with several touch passes, Oblyakov brought Tyukavin one on one, and the best player of the season in the Russian Premier League (RPL) easily beat Pavlyuchenko and scored his debut goal for the national team — 2: 0. After such a cold shower, the hosts tried to wake up, but they objectively lacked class in the final part of the attacks. The Russians played hunting, even a little boldly, and there was no noticeable holiday mood.

In the second half, the pattern of the game did not change. Karpin's team attacked methodically and variedly, either connecting the flanks or trying to break into the defense through Oblyakov's raids. After an hour of play, Chalov appeared on the field, and the capital's CSKA forward buried the last intrigue in six minutes, first playing a great finishing move, and then masterfully converting a pass into someone else's penalty area — 4:0.

This major victory brings the final line to the football season in Russia. Most likely, the next time we will see the national team will be in the fall, but the return match with the Belarusians may take place only next year.