The Russian national football team defeated the Serbian national team with a score of 4:0

The Russian national team, in its first friendly match this year, apparently gave the best performance for the entire time that it has been in international isolation. At the Moscow VTB Arena, the Russians defeated the Serbs, 4:0, the strongest opponent they had faced in the past two years.

In a match that two years ago would have been perceived as just a curious event, and now, due to the specifics of the context – isolation, lack of decent sparring partners – turned into an event so loud that all the pathos accompanying the game was a show with Grigory Leps in the role headliner, pyrotechnics, live performance of anthems, Milos Bikovic with the ball in the center circle – seemed quite appropriate, the Russian team was able to match its actual status. She was even able, apparently, to greatly surprise those who studied her closely, trying to determine what awaited the owners in a clash with a powerful enemy, what they should count on.

Everything seemed obvious. The Russian team has a very decent attacking line. So decent that the decision of coach Valery Karpin to start in the starting lineup only one midfielder playing in the top European championship – Alexander Golovin, leaving Alexei Miranchuk, Arsen Zakharyan, Daler Kuzyaev on the bench, did not look strange: the players who took their places from the Russian championship were in tone and organic in the positions that are entrusted to them. But in defense almost everywhere, at first glance, it is terribly thin – there is little tone and experience. That is, we will have to come to terms with mistakes, with an abundance of chances for the Serbs, hoping that the vivacity of the attack will be able to compensate for them.

But during the entire first half, a fire broke out at the Russian goal only twice: at the beginning of the match, when the loss of Sergei Volkov on the right flank turned into a moment for Andrija Zivkovic, who, although he took good aim, missed the far corner from two dozen meters, and also in front of break. Here the Russian national team was rescued by goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, who parried Luka Jovic’s killer shot.

The rest of the time, the Russian team didn’t fake anything at all.

The team managed to cover all dangerous areas and thwart all other people’s attacks at a stage that was still extremely far from the final stage. And she didn’t forget about her obvious trump cards.

As a result, the Serbs faked it, sleeping through Golovin’s subtle discount and Daniil Khlusevich’s competent run from the flank to the center, who was caught from behind by Milan Gayich in the penalty area. The side referee, however, raised the flag, recording offside. But VAR was another sign of the importance of this match, and he convinced the main referee, Arda Kardeshler, that it was necessary to award a penalty and show Gajich, who was playing for CSKA, a red card.

Anton Miranchuk did not screw up the penalty kick. And the Russian team soon proved that other standards, further from the goal, in its performance are formidable. Naturally, Golovin served, and already inside the penalty area Konstantin Tyukavin, by no means a giant, shocked with how hard and competently he fought for this serve with the stately Strakhinya Pavlovich. The fruit of this struggle was a happy rebound for Maxim Osipenko.

In the second half, celebrities and superstars came out to rescue the sinking Serbian team – Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic.

But nothing worked out for them. The Russian team did not lose a bit of its spirit, and scored the third goal, playing a combination that was amazing in its clarity and rhythm. Anton Miranchuk accelerated it, and it was finished with a perfect pass and a perfect shot by Yuri Gorshkov and Alexey Miranchuk, who had just appeared on the field.

At this second, many of those who care about the Russian national team probably remembered its embarrassment in November 2020. Then the Serbs defeated the Russians in the League of Nations with a score of 5:0. Now the situation hinted that it was possible to try to take absolutely full revenge, no matter how fantastic such an option might have seemed an hour before Miranchuk’s goal.

And the Russian team was actually incredibly close to having it happen with him. But Ivan Sergeev was unlucky, who could not push the ball past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic and the post, Arsen Zakharyan, who from outside the penalty area fired at the crossbar and then scored from a distance, but the referee did not count the goal due to offside for Sergeev, who was blocking review by Petrovich. Sergeev still sent the ball into the net from Zakharyan’s pass, but too late for the fifth goal to happen. However, this bad luck did not cancel the feeling of some very special level of readiness of the Russian team. In other circumstances, he would be a reason to dream of a breakthrough at the European Championships in Germany this summer. But the Serbs defeated by the Russians will perform there. And the Russians still have God knows how many friendly matches ahead, the closest of which – against the Paraguay national team – will take place on Monday at the same Dynamo stadium.

Alexey Dospehov