The Russian team defeated Belarus 6-0 at the World Championships in Denmark, scoring a third victory in a row. Immediately after the end of the meeting, the 29-year-old goalkeeper of the Belarusians became the main character of the mixed zone at the Royal Arena Vitaly Trus representing "Neman" from Grodno. Journalists literally stuck around Coward, who, in his own words, was already used to jokes about his last name.

The coward did not save Belarus. 20:0 in Russia, but the freebie is over

Ilya Vorobyov's team has forgotten how to concede and sets records at the World Championships in Denmark.

- You can be said to be a hero - you conceded six goals, while the two previous teams that Russia played with conceded seven each.
Yes, one less. Maybe I could miss even less if I got a little lucky. In the first period, he tried, fought back. In the second, he received "gateway" goals. We lost two people right on the penny, like in a kindergarten. Because of this, it turned out 0:3, the game broke down.

- When throws Datsyuk, you are not afraid?
- Not. I had never beaten his throws before and never saw him. The Russians played well in front of the goal, they constantly closed everything, big guys. Height - 190 cm, on skates - under two meters. He constantly looked out, and they probably had a combination: Pasha Datsyuk leaves, and they stand on the penny and close the moment of the throw. I just didn't see two shots. He hit the post once, well, and scored.

- Grigorenko should have been removed?
- I did not see the moment, but our player bled. So, he hit him with something, since the blood began to flow. Maybe the shoulder is somehow unsuccessful. If they would have removed it, they would have played “five by three”, the Russian team would have tried themselves in the game “three by five”. We checked whether they would have survived or not. But this removal would not solve anything.

Lukashenka reacts harshly to such things, constantly criticizing hockey. We listen to it all the time. The pressure is on, but you yourself understand ... You have to play hockey, win and stay in the elite.

- Tormented by headlines from the series "A coward does not play hockey"?
- Already used to it. They know me at home, but in Russia, probably, not everyone is aware that there is such a goalkeeper - Coward.

Did you want to change your last name?
- Not ( laughs).

- The main match of the tournament - with Austria?
- Exactly. Let's see how France and Austria will play. Let's get ready, we need a win. Otherwise, we simply will not be allowed into the country.

- Will President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko be angry?
- He reacts harshly to such things, constantly criticizes hockey. We listen to it all the time. The pressure is on, but you yourself understand ... You have to play hockey, win and stay in the elite.

- How do you like the Russian team?
- I liked your team. I watched matches with France, Austria. Maybe not such strong opponents, but Russia has good interaction, the game is impressive near the goal, the defenders shoot well. I even liked the way we played with Sweden. Russia scored us one, two, three and turned on even more.

- And the goalkeeper did not miss.
- Yes, they played to the end. Good hockey. If the Russians continue to play like this, they will reach the final and win. Olympic champions. The fuse and energy certainly remained.

- Is this your first match at the World Championships?
Yes, debut.

- Weren't you surprised that you were immediately thrown into hell and put to play a match with Russia?
- Very surprised. At the beginning there was excitement, but then he managed. A little physically lacking at the end. It was hard, we played a lot in our zone, twisted, looked for passes. It's hard for the goalkeeper. Again, the constant game behind the gate.

- And why did Dave Lewis release you?
- They said that everything did not go according to plan, not according to the script. I am an experienced guy, I played in the Champions League. They said: "Come on, try it, why not?". It's hard to debut against the Russian team, but what we have is what we have.

The national ice hockey team of Belarus lost to Austria in the decisive match for keeping a place in the elite division - 0:4 (0:1, 0:3, 0:0).

Prior to this game, the opponents had lost five matches each at the Ice Hockey World Championship, and in a head-to-head match they decided which of them would remain in the elite and which would fly out of the top division.

The Belarusians had previously lost to Sweden (0:5), France (2:6), Russia (0:6), Switzerland (2:5) and the Czech Republic (0:3).

As for the Austrians, before the confrontation with us they scored one point in the first game, losing to the Swiss in overtime (2:3). After that, the Alpine team lost to Russia (0:7), Slovakia (2:4), Sweden (0:7) and France (2:5).

The Belarusians started the match powerfully, had some good attacks, but the experienced goalkeeper Bernhard Starkbaum was reliable. The very first response of the Austrians led to a curious goal: Mikhail Karnaukhov saved a weak long-range shot, but the puck ricocheted into Dmitry Korobov and rolled into the goal from him - 0:1.

The Belarusians had a chance to win back, they played in the power play many times, but the active defense of the Austrians with constant pressure destroyed all combinations of the Belarusians.

The exact opposite was the drawing of the numerical majority of the Austrians. They confidently controlled the puck, while the Belarusians tried extremely sluggishly to resist the opponent. It was the game in unequal compositions that played a decisive role in the match. From 31 to 40 minutes, the Austrians played in the majority three times and each time realized their chance.

First Konstantin Komarek carefully threw into the far corner and made the score 0:2.

In the next majority, Michael Raffl corrected the puck on the nickel after a long-range shot - 0:3.

Sergei Pushkov replaced Mikhail Karnaukhov with Vitaliy Trus, but the Neman goalkeeper quickly conceded a goal after Dominik Zwerger's shot into the near corner - 0:4.

In the third period the Belarusians made attempts to win back, but the Austrians played reliably in defense and didn't even let our team "wet" the score.

Austria: Starkbaum (Madelener); Ulmer - Altmann, Schneider - Ganal (A) - Hundertpfund (C); Schumnig (A) - Unterweger, Raffl - Hofer - Komarek; Peter - Viveiros, Roshenwald - Haudum - Zwerger; Obrist - Voger - Spangring; Schlacher.

Belarus: Karnaukhov (Coward - 34.38); Falkovsky - Sparrow, Platt - Sharangovich - Lingle; Lisovets - Henkel, Razvadovsky - Sour - Gavrus; Ustinenko - Korobov (A), Materukhin - Pavlovich (K) - Kovyrshin; Demkov - Kitarov (A) - Drozd; Lefty, M. Sushko.

Belarusians are still waiting for the match with Slovakia, which will take place on Tuesday, but our team has no chance of saving. After six matches, Belarus has 0 points with a goal difference of 4:29.

For the first time since 2004, the Belarusian national ice hockey team will play in the second division. Our rivals will be South Korea, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovenia. The top two teams will advance to the Elite Division.

In another match of the day, Denmark beat South Korea 3-1.

Borislav Golovin

After three victories in a row at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark with a total score of 20:0, the head coach of the Russian national team, Ilya Vorobyov, admitted that such results were alarming him, and urged him not to concentrate on them. In turn, the coach of Belarusians Dave Lewis complained that it was hard for his wards to compete with the “technical and fast” Russians. The captain of the national team Pavel Datsyuk explained why he did not celebrate his goals, and the goalkeeper of the Belarusians Vitaly Trus told how often journalists beat his name in the headlines in his homeland.

• Head coach of the Russian national team Ilya Vorobyov (background) during the match between the national teams of Belarus and Russia
• RIA News
• Alexey Kudenko

“Russian hockey players are incredibly technical and fast”

After the match, the head coach of the Russian national team, Ilya Vorobyov, seemed to be in a great mood, because his wards were at the World Cup. However, the specialist was extremely focused and called on the journalists of the team.

“Let's settle down already with beautiful bills. In these three games, we just built a team. After each match, they talked about what needs to be worked on. The score of 20:0 in three games not only scares me, it makes me wary. Ahead of the team are waiting for matches with the Czech Republic, Switzerland. These are serious contenders. In the first period today, fatigue affected the actions of the guys. And the Belarusians lost two matches and acted from the knife. We lacked a bit of freshness. In addition, it is more difficult to set up the guys from victory to victory, ”the Championship coach quotes.

Vorobyov also explained what the changes in the links that occurred in the match with Belarus are connected with.

“We tried to swap Maxim Shalunov with Ilya Mikheev in the third period of the match with Austria. We liked it so we decided to keep it. Shalunov needed such a player as Barabanov? If Alexander continues to play like this, then everyone will need him. Sasha is great, but it really only starts now, ”said Vorobyov.

The coach also said that during the period of additional applications, the Russian team does not plan to strengthen, but the goalkeeper is at the disposal of the national team.

In turn, the Belarusian mentor Dave Lewis, despite a major defeat, found a reason to praise his wards, who lost the third match in a row at the World Cup.

“After such a defeat, it is difficult to find a reason for positive, but there is one. I liked that the guys continued to work until the very end. Yes, everyone was upset, the Russians spent a lot of time in our zone, but the Belarusians did their best. Sometimes you can't ask for more. We played the third match in four days, and the Russians are incredibly technical and fast. They know how to play the puck, every link is able to score on instinct, and today they did it. My guys feel bad, because they give themselves completely on the ice, but this does not bring results. They must continue to work and prepare for the next match, ”the American specialist shared his impressions of the meeting.

"Datsyuk is just resting here"

But the hockey players of the Russian team after the match were in a great mood. They continued their winning streak and feel more and more confident with each match. This time the captain Pavel Datsyuk also pleased the fans with goals, and the experienced hockey player immediately scored a double.

“The most interesting matches are yet to come. From game to game we try to make as few mistakes as possible, we need to work on it. Still, the most important thing is the result. I did not rejoice after abandoned pucks? I was happy, because I haven’t scored for the national team for a long time, ”the captain assured.

The striker also told how he plans to spend the next two free days. The Russians will play the next match on May 10 with the Czechs.

“The Czech national team will be the first good test for us. In two free days we will try to see the city, because I was here more than 20 years ago. Our link is doing well so far, but it will be interesting to see how we will look in a match with a stronger opponent, ”added Datsyuk.

Scored another goal in the tournament and Kirill Kaprizov. He already has four goals in Denmark, and according to this indicator, he shares the first place in the World Cup sniper race with Finn Sebastian Aho.

“Why only 6:0? We didn’t score, we have to work, add. The first period was probably the most difficult in the tournament. The Belarusians played well, put pressure, hit the post. It was a tough game. It's good that they didn't concede, and in the future they managed to distinguish themselves. Everyone understands that the main matches are ahead of us. In the meantime, we try not to think too far, moving from game to game. I try to enjoy what is happening on the ice. This is the most important thing," Kaprizov said.

A great match was also played by Alexander Barabanov, who gave two assists. In both cases, the striker showed great skating and gave the puck to the partners actually on an empty net.

“As a child, I was engaged in figure skating, it helps me a lot to maneuver on the ice. Shalunov was placed in our top three at the end of the second game. I don’t know what the coach’s decision was, but in this team you can play with everyone, we try to find mutual understanding. It's good that we scored a couple of goals today. Is our link defensive? What does defensive link mean? For me, there is no such thing. The attacker must always score. The next game will be much more serious. But we have time to prepare for it. Let's sort out the Czechs - and go ahead. I already want to play with them, ”the striker summed up the match.

In turn, Shalunov, transferred to the top three to Barabanov, not only scored the puck, but also gave an assist. After the match, the striker looked really happy and praised Barabanov and Datsyuk.

“We were opposed by a good team, 6-0 is also a good score, as well as 7-0. We weren't upset that we didn't reach one goal to the results of the previous two games. When I scored, Sasha Barabanov did an excellent job, he gave me the puck in fact to an empty net. And Pasha Datsyuk is just a phenomenon in hockey! I think he's just relaxing here, handsome. It’s very nice to play with such a person on the same team, ”said Shalunov.

“In Russia, they don’t know that there is such a goalkeeper - Coward”

And in the national team of Belarus, the goalkeeper Vitaly Trus aroused the greatest interest among Russian journalists. The point, of course, is .

“Did the use of my last name in the headlines from the series “A coward does not play hockey” torture? Already used to it. They know me at home, but in Russia, probably, not everyone is aware that there is such a goalkeeper - a Coward, ”admitted the goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper also noted that it was very difficult for him to act against Russian hockey players.

“Opponents played well at the gate. The big guys from the Russian national team kept shutting me down. Their height is already 190 cm, and on skates in general under two meters. I had to keep looking out for them. In the end, I just didn’t see two throws. Just Pasha Datsyuk scored, and in the first period he hit the post, ”complained Coward.

In the game with Belarus, for the first time since the start, the second goalkeeper of our team came out - Igor Shesterkin, who had previously managed to make his debut in the tournament, replacing Vasily Koshechkin after two periods of the match with Austria. With regard to combinations of links, compared to the previous two fights, only one change was made - Ilya Mikheev climbed into the third three to Sergei Andronov and Maxim Mamin. Maxim Shalunov went to the fourth line instead of Mikheev.

But the coaching staff of the Belarusian national team, led by Canadian Dave Lewis, completely redrawn the squad after an unsuccessful game with France (2:6). Only the first pair of defenders Evgeny Lisovets - Christian Henkel remained unchanged. At the same time, goalkeeper Ivan Kulbakov and striker Artem Levsha dropped out of the application for the game. Striker Alexander Materukhin and defender Nikita Ustinenko returned to the roster, and Vitaly Trus, who is nominally the third goalkeeper of the national team, took the place at the gate.

First period

Already in the first minute of the match, the score should have been opened Artem Anisimov, to whom Mikhail Grigorenko gave a cool transfer. But, finding himself in front of the gates of Belarus, the Chicago attacker simply missed the target. However, Russia's advantage was colossal, and the fight was like a one-way road. If in hockey they considered the percentage of temporary control of the puck, then for the Russian team in this match it would be close to 90%.

The abandoned puck was only a matter of time, and it came in the 6th minute. Yevgeny Dadonov threw from afar, Pavel Datsyuk picked up the puck at the goalkeeper's right post, drove around the gate and carefully put it in the near left corner - 1:0.

A few minutes later, Russia got the majority, and for two minutes did not let the Belarusians out of their zone, but tried to literally put the puck into the net, and only Pavel Datsyuk decided to throw - Vitaly Trus rescued by the cross. The goal frame played for the goalkeeper of the opponents and at the end of the period, when he hit him with a throw from the crawler Kirill Kaprizov.

Belarus for the entire period a few times crossed the red line, but almost equalized the score in the last minute of the period, when Egor Sharangovich shot from an average distance hit the post, and after a powerful shot from a defender Pavel Sparrow our team was already saved by Igor Shesterkin.

Second period

Feeling the "smell of blood", Belarus ran forward after the break. It was possible to gain a foothold in our zone mainly through the efforts of the same Yegor Sharangovich's troika with Jeff Platt and Charles Lingle. Moreover, Sharangovich at the beginning of the second period again had a killer moment, but did not convert a one-on-one with Igor Shesterkin.

This trio went out on the ice almost every other shift, but it couldn't go on like that for long. As a result, the first truly serious counterattack of the Russians and the first shot on target in the second period ended with Vitaly Trus scoring - Maxim Shalunov on the patch closed the pass of Alexander Barabanov from behind the gate - 2:0.

A few minutes later, the same trio made the third goal against the Belarusians, which finally removed questions about the winner of the match. Alexander Barabanov again gave the pass from behind the gate, but this time on the patch in the fall he closed it Ilya Kablukov – 3:0.

While the fourth three were scoring goals, the first one was shooting at the posts – Kirill Kaprizov hit the frame for the second time in the match, correcting his partner's shot. It was the third goal frame of the shock link in the match, but still luck smiled at them too - Pavel Datsyuk in the majority he brought the score to a large one, hitting the nine to the right of the goalkeeper. It is interesting that this time the puck hit the post, but still ricocheted into the net - 4:0.

Third period

In the third period, Belarus finally laid down its arms and did not even try to close the gap in the score. The opponent just finished playing the match, and the Russians also quietly used it.

In the 46th minute, Nikita Zaitsev threw from afar, and Maxim Mamin successfully corrected the flight of the puck – 5:0. Two minutes later, a rare counterattack by the Belarusians ended with a pruning and a two-on-one counterattack - Kirill Kaprizov did not give the pass, single-handedly shooting Vitaly Trus - 6:0.

Outcome

The Russian team again beat the opponent dry, and remains the only team in the tournament that has not missed a single goal so far. Following Vasily Koshechkin, a full-fledged shutout was scored by Igor Shesterkin, and Pavel Datsyuk was the most productive member of our team, who scored a brace and an assist.

It is also worth noting two assists by Yevgeny Dadonov and the fourth three of the attack in full force - Maxim Shalunov and Ilya Kablukov each had a goal and two assists, Alexander Barabanov had an assistant double.

Russia will play the next match on May 10 against the Czech Republic, and this will be the first truly serious test for Ilya Vorobyov's wards. I am glad that before that our team will have two full days of rest.

World Championship. Group A

Belarus - Russia - 0:6 (0:1, 0:3, 0:2)

Goals: Datsyuk - 1 (Dadonov), 5:27 - 0:1. Shalunov - 2 (Drums, Kablukov), 25:55 - 0:2. Heels - 1 (Drums, Tryamkin), 29:25 - 0:3. Datsyuk - 2 (bol., Khafizullin, Shalunov), 39:26 - 0:4. Mamin - 2 (Zaitsev), 45:15 - 0:5. Whims - 4 (Datsyuk, Dadonov), 47:37 - 0:6. Goalkeepers: Coward - Shesterkin. Fine: 4 - 2.Throws: 18 (4+6+8) - 27 (12+10+5).

The Russian national hockey team on Monday in the third match at the world championship in Denmark will play with the team of Belarus. Wards of Ilya Vorobyov will hold the second match in two days. On Sunday, they defeated the Austrian team 7:0, with the same result in the first match, the French team was beaten. In the match with the Austrians, the Russians played in the same composition and combinations as with the French. On Saturday, forward Nikita Gusev joined the team, but he has not yet been announced. As said and. about. head coach of the team, will not play with the Belarusians. "When we enter him for the tournament will depend on his physical condition," Vorobyov said. So far, 19 hockey players have been announced in the Russian national team - 17 field players and two goalkeepers. Up to 25 people can enter the application for the tournament.
Belarusians without brothers Kostitsyn and Stas
Belarusian hockey players started unsuccessfully at the World Championship. In the first two matches, they lost to the current world champions, the Swedes, as well as the French, having conceded at least five goals in both meetings. The defeat from the French team is the most painful - thus, the Belarusian team seriously complicated their chances of getting into the playoffs.

Belarusian head coach Dave Lewis, a Canadian who has been working with the team for four years, said after the defeat from the French that his players should talk among themselves about the reasons for these failures. Moreover, ahead of them are waiting for meetings with the favorites of the group - the Russians, the Swiss and the Czechs.

In Denmark, the Belarusians have a renewed team, which includes six debutants of the World Cup. Several experienced hockey players did not get into the national team for various reasons. Brothers Sergey and Andrey Kostitsyn were injured, the coaching staff for the second year in a row refused the services of striker Andrey Stepanov, who was the team's top scorer at the World Championships two years ago and the best sniper in qualifying for the 2018 Olympics. And the former captain of the national team Andrei Stas last summer moved from Dynamo Minsk to Avangard, changing his sports citizenship from Belarusian to Russian, so as not to be considered a legionnaire in the new club.

Among goalkeepers, the experienced Kevin Lalande ended his career in February due to injuries, and the coaching staff made a bet on 21-year-old Ilya Kulbakov, who plays in the USA. While he does not help out - in two matches of the World Cup he had to be changed after conceded goals. Lewis resorted to the services of his compatriots who have Belarusian citizenship - strikers Jeff Platt from CSKA and Dynamo Minsk player Charles Lingle. The former Ukrainian Alexander Materukhin also plays for the Belarusian team. The 36-year-old forward of Shakhtar Soligorsk played for the Ukrainian national team at the World Championships from 2006 to 2014.

The Belarusian national team has been playing in the elite division of the World Cup since 1998. The best achievement of the team is the sixth place in 2006 in Latvia, and it also reached the playoffs four times. In 2014 and 2015, it happened under Lewis, but after that, the Belarusians have never passed the group stage.

The match between the national teams of Russia and Belarus will be held at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, beginning at 17:15 Moscow time.