Kyrgyzstan loses to Russia in friendly football match

Before entering the Bishkek stadium, Kyrgyzstan took unprecedented security measures.

Volunteers checked tickets, badges, passports, the police – examined bags and backpacks with metal detectors. Water and in general any liquids were confiscated just in case. But there were no objections, order is order. Strictly followed the order both in the stadium and in the sectors of the fans. Fans of both teams were side by side, but did not clash.

The match began with a minute of silence in memory of those killed in Batken, this silence was not interrupted by anyone. In the first half, after the whistle, the game began actively from the very first minutes, but the Kyrgyzstanis were more confident in themselves and practically did not allow the opponent to enter their half of the field.

Less than half an hour later, the Kyrgyz midfielder Alimardon Shukurov scored the first goal against the guests. A few minutes later, Russian striker Alexander Sobolev equalized the score to 1:1. But until the end of the half, even taking into account the extra minute, neither side could take the advantage, although the fans actively cheered both teams.

The second half was more energetic on the Russian side. Both teams made substitutions on the field, as a result, in the second half, only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov remained unchanged for the Russians. The Kyrgyzstanis made several attacks on the “fresh blood” on the field, and made several substitutions themselves. But I had to defend more actively, the ball ended up in the penalty area and almost flew into the goal several times. The fans followed the attempts to intercept the score with a gasp and bated breath. The closer to the end of the second half, the time went by, the brighter the flashlights of the phones shone, the louder the drums, pipes and chants sounded from the stands in support of the national teams. On the one hand rushed “Forward, Russia, we – with – that – fight!”, On the other – “Kyr-gyz-stan! Kyrgyzstanga goal kerek!”.

In the last minutes, the second goal against Kyrgyzstan was scored by Russian midfielder Daniil Utkin. Additional three minutes did not change the score 2:1 in favor of the home team.

After the match, the coaches of both teams rated it at mini-press conferences as a whole as a useful experience. Debriefing – to be, this was made clear by both the Russian Karpin and the Kyrgyz Krestinin.

Karpin did not expand on his rivals, emphasizing that during the match he “had to follow his team,” but nevertheless said something.

– I liked Kyrgyzstan, – said the head coach of the Russian team.

About his wards, who for almost 10 months did not go to international matches due to restrictions imposed on Russia after the start of the NWO on February 24, he spoke a little more willingly.

– There is no critical mood. Yes, many things did not work out, but, as I said before the game, it was important to look at the players, those that we have in the Russian championships, perhaps, do not stand out. There were many newcomers – some better, some worse, of course, as always. In general, the viewing was a success, I am satisfied with the viewing, although there are questions and shortcomings in the game – in general, everything is clear, – he said.

Karpin believes that there were, are and will be critics, no matter how the team plays. Some of those who proved to be excellent, or vice versa, did not play well, at the same time, he did not celebrate by surname.

The head coach of the Kyrgyz national team Alexander Krestinin, speaking with journalists following the results of the friendly match, also admitted that the Kyrgyz national team had moments where something did not work out. The opponent is strong, there is something to work on – “our players should not have any illusions.” But in general, they are great.

– The game is interesting, of good quality, although the second half was not played as planned, and for objective reasons. Still, the opponent completely changed the composition. In general, we thank the guys for their dedication. The guys did their best, tried, – he said.