The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is drawing to a close. Many Belarusians probably have the idea that it would be great to see the Belarusian national team at Russian stadiums. Unfortunately, today the team from Sineokoy is unlikely to be able to compete with the majority of the teams playing at the Mundial. However, there were very strong players in the history of Belarusian football, which gives hope for the future development of the most popular world sport in Belarus.
For example, in 1982 the Dynamo-Minsk club became the best in the USSR, leaving behind the legendary Dynamo Kiev and Spartak Moscow; some players from Belarus at one time consistently performed in the main team of the Soviet Union, with which they won gold medals at the Olympics and silver medals at the European Championship in 1988.
It is also worth noting the recent successes of the BATE football club from Borisov, which at one time seriously “ruffled the nerves” of the European giants in the UEFA Champions League, in particular, in 2012 the club confidently beat Bayern Munich with a score of 3:1, which won the most prestigious European Cup that season.
At the turn of the century, the Belarusian national team stopped a step away from getting into the final part of the 2002 World Cup. Then the team took third place in the qualifying group, losing only two points to the Ukrainian team and ahead of such strong European middle peasants as the teams of Norway and Wales.
The observer "Eurasia.Expert" has compiled a team of the best Belarusian players of all time, uniting in it both the players of the Soviet era and the 21st century. With such a composition of the Belarusian national team, it would definitely be possible to at least get to the World Cup, and such rich traditions of Belarusian football give hope for future football successes.
Goalkeeper - Gennady Tumilovich
Undoubtedly, we will give a place at the gate to Gennady Tumilovich. Despite the fact that the footballer never built a brilliant club career, his performance for the national team fascinated many. Brilliant reaction, fantastic "saves" and confident play in the penalty area have largely become the key to the team's success in the qualifying stages for top tournaments.
To evaluate the game of the goalkeeper, you can see the review of the game Ukraine-Belarus as part of the selection for the 2002 World Cup. Tumilovich's confident game in it led to the fact that Andriy Shevchenko and his teammates in their native stands could not hit the gates of the Belarusians.
Tumilovich was of interest to fans not only as a football player, but also as a charismatic personality. At one time, there was a story in the stands of Belarus, as if the goalkeeper had not water, but vodka in the drinker. When Gennady drank from it, many perked up and joked, they say, “Gena took doping, which means that now he will “God” at the gate.”
Left back - Sergei Borovsky
On the position of the left back, Sergey Borovsky would look best of all. The football player once played 457 matches for Dynamo Minsk and 21 for the USSR national team, in particular, at the 1982 World Cup. Already at the age of 21, he was trusted with the last line of defense, and he did an excellent job. Football fans have nicknamed it "football computer".
Ivan Savostikov, who had been a football coach for a long time, spoke of him as follows: “Serge is a tenacious, tough defender. He played well with his head, he chose the position perfectly. If I miscalculated, then I compensated due to speed.
Central defender - Sergey Shtanyuk
The Defense Center can be entrusted to Sergey Shtanyuk. This is, perhaps, the main defensive hope of the Belarusian national team at the turn of the century - just at the time when it achieved the best results in history.
Shtanyuk played wonderfully with his head, he felt when he needed to jump out to take the ball on his head. At one time, he won horseback wrestling against such recognized "masters of the air" as Peter Crouch and Jan Koller.
Right back – Eduard Zarembo
Eduard Zarembo should join Borovsky and Shtanyuk in defense. The player will be located on the right flank.
Few people remember, but in the 1960s. the defense of the Minsk "Dynamo" was called the Brest Fortress. Few people were able to get to the gates of this team, and Zaremba was an integral part of it.
Eduard Zarembo (center).
The players of that time remember that he played well in the air, chose the right position and did not let the opponent take the ball - he always energetically jumped out ahead of him. And if he didn’t succeed, he immediately crawled into a tackle.
Defensive midfielder - Sergey Gurenko
We will put the former captain of the Belarus national team in the position of a defensive midfielder. With a stretch, but a football player can be called a representative of the top level. In the 2000s, he was indispensable in the Moscow Lokomotiv. Then the team posed a serious threat in Europe, smashed Inter Milan and reached the playoffs of the Champions League.
Later, the football player was noticed by Fabio Capello, and Gurenko moved to the Italian Roma, where he played in the same squad with such legends as Cafu, Candela and Altair. In Italy, he also played for Parma and Piacenza, and also played for the Spanish Zaragoza.
The football player had excellent physical data and spent most of his career on the left flank of the defense, and eventually retrained as a defensive midfielder. At his own goal, Gurenko clung to the ball so tightly that not every striker, even a top-level one, could handle him.
Defensive midfielder - Oleksandr Kulchiy
Alexander Kulchiy was an indispensable defensive midfielder for the Belarus national team in the 2000s. The record holder of the main team of the country - he played 102 matches for the national team - was distinguished by calmness, composure and cunning on the field and always calculated his steps in advance.
In addition, Kulchiy had an excellent shot, but the position closer to his own goal did not allow him to fully realize this talent. As a result, he has only 5 goals scored for the national team, but hundreds of times more interrupted attacks by opponents and accurate sharpening passes.
Left midfielder - Maxim Romashchenko
Maxim Romashchenko, a legend of Belarusian football, whose career peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s, would have looked great as a left midfielder. A real hard worker, who every match left all his strength on the field - he worked out all the moments to the end, had excellent speed, brilliantly played to aggravate, had a wonderful shot and a “sense of goal”.
The statistics also speak eloquently about his abilities: in 64 matches for the national team, he scored 20 goals. As for the club career, it was no less productive: in 61 games for the Turkish Gaziantepspor, the football player scored 20 goals, in 26 games in the Moscow Torpedo - 15 goals. The football player managed to show himself perfectly both in the Moscow Dynamo and in the Turkish Bursaspor.
Romashchenko is the author of one of the most spectacular goals in the history of the Belarusian national team. Moreover, the footballer hit the gates of Buffon himself. This happened during a match against the Italian national team as part of the selection for the 2006 World Cup:
Central midfielder - Sergey Aleinikov
In the center of midfield, the record holder among Belarusian football players, the player of the USSR national team, deserved a place. Aleinikov played 73 matches for the main team of the Soviet Union, while taking part in all matches at the World Championships in 1986 and 1990. No substitutions. He was a style-forming player in the team of the legendary Valery Lobanovsky, which at that time was one of the favorites of all major tournaments.
The football player is the champion of the USSR in 1982 as part of Dynamo Minsk, since 1989 he has spent the season for Turin's Juventus, scoring three goals in Serie A.
The encyclopedia “Russian Football in 100 Years” tells the following about Aleinikov: “One of the strongest midfielders in the country in the 1980s. gg. He was distinguished by a wide range of actions, skillful positional play. Well technically prepared, hardworking, Aleinikov acted usefully in accompaniment to his partners, owned a strong blow from behind the penalty area.
Right midfielder - Alexander Gleb
Dinamo-Minsk graduate Alexander Gleb is one of the most famous Belarusian football players in Europe in the first decade of the 20th century. The five-time champion of Belarus with BATE, the six-time winner of the title of the best player of the republic began his European career in the German Stuttgart.
After successful performances in the German middle peasants, Gleba was noticed by the grandee of English football - London's Arsenal. In 89 games for the team, the midfielder scored 7 goals and became the first Belarusian to play in the Champions League final. However, Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 final.
Ironically, Gleb won the main title of European club football later as part of Barcelona, where the player went in 2008. For three years, the Belarusian took part in only 19 matches as part of the Spanish grand, but in addition to the Champions League, he won the Championship and the Spanish Cup . As part of the national team, Gleb played 77 matches and scored 7 goals. Currently, the footballer continues to play for BATE, and the head coach of the Belarusian national team does not exclude his return to the camp of the main team of the country.
Central attacking midfielder - Valentin Belkevich
Valentin Belkevich is, perhaps, a symbol of the team that was close to entering the 2002 World Cup.
The "brain" of the team, able to single-handedly decide the outcome of the game with one precise action. A born playmaker, "conductor" of the game, a technical footballer who rarely broke the rules. A full-time performer of set pieces, he scored a lot of goals during their execution. He is called the best football player in the history of sovereign Belarusian football.
Belkevich had a brilliant club career. He left the greatest mark in Dynamo Minsk (1992-1996) and Dynamo Kyiv (1996-2007). For the Minsk club, the footballer played 131 matches, scoring 54 goals, played 224 games for the Kyiv club and scored 51 goals.
At the same time, Belkevich was an integral part of the legendary composition of Dynamo Kyiv, which represented a serious force in European football and in 1999 brought the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League. In European competition, the footballer played 67 matches and scored 12 goals.
Unfortunately, the life of a football player was cut short in the summer of 2014 - a blood clot broke off from him. He was only 41 years old.
Forward - Georgy Kondratiev
You can safely put Georgy Kondratiev at the forefront of the attack of the Belarusian dream team. Champion of the USSR as part of Dynamo Minsk in 1982. During his stay at the club, he played 211 matches and scored 66 goals. He managed to show himself well in the Odessa "Chernomorets" and the Moscow "Locomotive".
Since 1984, he began to be involved in games for the USSR national team. He played 14 games, in five of them he went out in the starting lineup, scored 4 goals.
“He could hold the ball, and punch, and play ahead of the curve. To create a goal out of nothing. He never forgave his opponent's mistakes and realized everything, ”coach Anatoliy Baidachny described the player in this way.
Prepared by Kirill Ozimko (Minsk)
We decided to recall all the coaches of the Belarusian football team who have managed the national team for over two decades. Surprisingly, there were few of them - only 13 (and they returned to the helm of the national team). This article does not mention people who were acting. head coach, in the absence of the main one reason or another. In particular, it is about Valery Streltsov, who led the national team of Belarus during his illness Anatoly Baydachny September 7, 2002.
And for fans of statistics, at the end of the article we have prepared a comparative table of each coach, which takes into account the place of the team in the FIFA rankings.
Year of birth: 01/12/1950 (42-44 years old)
Nationality: Belarusian
4 matches (4 friendlies)
Game stats: 3 draws, 1 defeat; goal difference - 4-6
Biggest loss: 1-3 from the Ukrainian team (TM)
Biggest win: –
Achievements: No
Reason for resignation: at will
What I remember: the national team did not play a single official game, but in unofficial games it drew 1-1 with strong teams from Ukraine, Peru and Ecuador three times. By the way, our team never met Peru and Ecuador again on the football field.
Where now: Deputy Chairman of the BFF
Year of birth: 01/29/1956 (37-40 years old)
Nationality: Belarusian
Number of matches at the helm of the national team:
Game stats: 5 wins, 8 draws, 9 losses; goal difference - 21-34
Biggest loss: 0-4 from Norway (OM 1996), 0-4 from Slovakia (TM), 1-5 from Sweden (OM 1998)
Biggest win: 2-0 over Luxembourg (OM EURO 1996), 2-0 over Malta (OM EURO 1996)
Achievements: in the qualifying tournament for the 1996 European Championship, the team under his leadership took 4th place out of 6 teams (Czech Republic, Holland, Norway, Belarus, Luxembourg, Malta)
Reason for resignation: the failure of the team's performance in the qualifying tournament for the 1998 World Cup (in four matches the team scored only 4 points)
What I remember: it was Borovsky, a football coach, with whom the Belarusian national team played their first official matches. True, she showed them an extremely unconvincing game. And I remember, first of all, the victory over the Dutch team in 1995 with a score of 1-0
Where now: coach-methodologist BATE
Year of birth: 01/12/1950 (46-49 years old)
Nationality: Belarusian
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 20 matches (7 friendly, 13 official)
Game stats: 2 wins, 3 draws, 15 losses; goal difference - 18-34
Biggest loss: 0-4 from the Austrian team (OM 1998 World Cup)
Biggest win: 5-0 over Lithuania (TM)
Achievements: took over the leadership of the team during the qualifying round for the 1998 World Cup after Borovsky. As a result, in the 4th qualifying group, the team took the last 6th place (Austria, Scotland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus).
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance during the qualifying round for the 2000 European Championship. Under the leadership of Vergeenko, the team managed only two draws in 7 games.
What I remember: terrible performance of the national team in official matches. Only 2 draws in 13 games. And the only two victories were won over the Lithuanian team in friendly matches.
Where now: Deputy Chairman of the BFF
Year of birth: 01/29/1956 (43-44 years old)
Nationality: Belarusian
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 4 matches (3 friendly, 1 official)
Game stats: 1 draw, 3 losses; goal difference - 1-8
Biggest loss: 1-4 from the national team of Bulgaria (TM)
Biggest win: –
Achievements: after Vergeenko played the last game in the qualifying round for the Euro-2000 (draw 0-0 with the Italian team), in which Belarus took the last, 5th place in the 1st qualifying group (Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Wales)
Reason for resignation: Borovsky was perceived only as a "temporary" coach. By the new qualifying round, the team had a different commander-in-chief
What I remember: draw with Italy 0-0 and defeat against Andorra 0-2
Where now: coach-methodologist BATE
Year of birth: 2.06.1942 (aged 58-61)
Nationality: Russian
Assistants: Valery Streltsov
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 23 matches (7 friendly, 16 official)
Game stats: 10 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses; goal difference - 29-36
Biggest loss: 0-5 from the Austrian team (OM Euro-2004)
Biggest win: 4-1 over Poland (OM World Cup 2002), 5-2 over Hungary (TM)
Achievements: in the qualifying round for the 2002 World Cup took 3rd place in the 5th qualifying group out of 6 teams (Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Norway, Wales, Armenia) - The best result for the entire time of the national team's performance in the qualifying rounds
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance of the national team in the qualifying round for the 2004 European Championship - in 6 games the team managed to win only 1 victory: over the national team of Moldova
What I remember: with his charisma. As well as the best result in the history of the national team
Where now: -
Year of birth: 1.10.1952 (aged 50-53)
Nationality: Russian
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 22 matches (8 friendly, 14 official)
Game stats: 9 wins, 4 draws, 8 losses; goal difference - 32-28
Biggest loss: 1-4 from the Italian team (OM World Cup 2006)
Biggest win: 4-0 over the national team of Moldova (OM World Cup 2006)
Achievements: after Malofeev in the qualifying matches for the Euro-2004, Belarus took the last place in the 3rd qualifying group (Czech Republic, Holland, Austria, Moldova, Belarus); in the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup Belarus took 5th place out of 6 teams in 5 qualifying groups (Italy, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, Belarus, Moldova)
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance of the national team in the qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup
What I remember: spectacular game of the national team, as well as a military defeat from the Italian national team with a score of 3-4. Many still consider this match to be the best in the performance of the Belarusian team.
Where now: unemployed, retired
Year of birth: 10/8/1960 (45-46 years old)
Nationality: Belarusian
Assistants:
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 14 matches (7 friendly, 7 official)
Game stats: 3 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses; goal difference - 19-26
Biggest loss: 0-3 from the national team of Tunisia (TM), 0-3 from the national team of Holland (OM EURO-2008)
Biggest win: 3-0 over Andorra (TM)
Achievements: in the qualifying round for the 2008 European Championship in 7 matches scored only 7 points
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance in the qualifying matches for the 2008 European Championship
What I remember: the first coach who succeeded with the “youth team” and failed with the “adult” team
Where now: head coach of FC Belshina (Bobruisk)
Bernd Stange
Year of birth: 03/14/1948 (aged 59-63)
Nationality: German
Assistants: Harald Irmscher
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 49 matches (23 friendly, 26 official)
Game stats: 17 wins, 14 draws, 18 losses, goal difference 65-54
Biggest loss: 0-3 from England (OM World Cup 2010)
Biggest win: 5-1 over Andorra (OM 2010 World Cup), 5-1 over Kazakhstan (OM 2010), 4-0 over Kazakhstan (OM 2010), 4-0 over Oman (TM)
Achievements: after Puntus in the qualifying stage for the 2008 European Championship, he took 4th place with Belarus out of 7 teams in the qualifying group G (Romania, Holland, Bulgaria, Belarus, Slovenia, Albania, Luxembourg); in the qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup, he took 4th place with the team out of 6 teams in the qualifying group 6 (England, Ukraine, Croatia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra); in the qualifying round for the European Championship 2012 took 4th place with the team out of 6 teams in the qualifying group D (France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg)
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance of the team in the qualifying tournament for the European Championship 2012
What I remember: stable game of the Belarusian national team, a series of devastating victories, victories and draws with the giants of world football - both in friendly and in official matches. Lost to Luxembourg 0-1. Victories over the national teams of Holland (2-1), South Korea (1-0) and France (1-0), a draw with the national team of Germany (2-2), Argentina (0-0) and France (1-1)
Where now: unemployed
Year of birth: 01/07/1960 (aged 51-54)
Nationality: Belarusian
Assistants: Vyacheslav Akshaev (2011-2012), Andrey Zygmantovich (2012-2014)
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 28 matches (17 friendly, 11 official)
Game stats: 9 wins, 8 draws, 11 losses; goal difference - 37-35
Biggest loss: 0-4 from the Spanish national team (OM World Cup 2014)
Biggest win: 6-1 over the national team of Tajikistan (TM)
Achievements: in the qualifying stage for the 2014 World Cup in group I took the last 5th place with the team (Spain, France, Finland, Georgia, Belarus)
Reason for resignation: unsatisfactory performance in the qualifying stage for the 2016 European Championship - in three matches the team scored only 1 point in the game against Luxembourg
What I remember: quite a strong game with the giants of world football. And also - this is the second youth coach, who did not work out with the adult team
Where now: and about. head coach of the youth team of Belarus
Year of birth: December 2, 1962 (aged 51)
Nationality: Belarusian
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 2 matches (1 friendly, 1 official)
Game stats: 1 win, 1 loss; goal difference - 3-5
Biggest loss: 0-3 from the Spanish national team (OM EURO-2016)
Biggest win: 3-2 over Mexico (TM)
Achievements: –
Reason for resignation: was initially appointed “acting”, until the ABFF decides on the Head Coach
What I remember: a good game in a friendly match against Mexico. At the same time, he maintained the same player rotation as the previous coach
Where now: coach of the farm club of the Brest "Dynamo" - "Rukh"
Year of birth: 10/19/1973 (aged 41)
Nationality: Belarus
Assistants: Oleksandr Kulchiy, Eduardo Dacampo, Andrey Satsunkevich (goalkeeping coach)
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 16 matches (6 friendly, 10 official)
Game stats: 4 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses; goal difference - 12-19
Biggest loss: 0-3 from the Northern Ireland team (TM) and 1-4 from the Dutch team (OM World Cup 2018)
Biggest win: 2-0 over Luxembourg (OM EURO 2016)
Achievements: –
Reason for resignation: did not agree to a reduction in his salary after the unsuccessful start of the national team in the qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup
What I remember: goalless draw in the match with France, as well as ignoring Vitaly Rodionov
Where now: head coach of Dynamo Kyiv
Igor Kriushenko
Year of birth: 02/10/1964 (aged 53)
Nationality: Belarus
Assistants: Oleg Kuzmenok, Valeriy Stripeykis, Andrey Satsunkevich
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 27 (11 friendly, 16 official)
Game stats: 8 wins, 6 draws, 13 losses, goal difference 25-39
Biggest loss: twice 0-4 from the Swedish team (OM World Cup 2018), 0-4 from the Dutch team (OM EURO 2020)
Biggest win: 5-0 over San Marino (Nations League)
Achievements: the biggest victory in official matches in the history of the national team - 5-0 over San Marino, reaching the play-offs of the League of Nations from 1st place in the group (2018)
Reason for resignation: 4 defeats in a row in the qualifying tournament for the European Championship 2020 and almost complete loss of chances to break into the tournament through this qualification
What I remember: successful games in the League of Nations with weak teams and complete helplessness in games with a stronger opponent
Where now: unemployed
Mikhail Markhel
Year of birth: 07/14/1966 (aged 53)
Nationality: Belarus
Assistants: Yuri Markhel, Georgy Kondratiev, Alexander Sulima, Dmitry Rovneiko
Number of matches at the helm of the national team: 6 (2 friendly, 4 official)
Game stats: 1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses
Biggest loss: 0-4 from Germany (Euro 2020)
Biggest win: 2-1 over Estonia (Euro 2020 qualifier)
Achievements: –
Only 2 out of 13 football coaches in Belarus were not Belarusians - German Bernd Stange and Russian However, the latter still resides in our country.
Only two coaches ever returned to team management- and
Most appearances at the helm of the national team there was a German specialist Bernd Stange- 49. He is followed by - 28 matches and Igor Kriushenko- 27 matches.
The youngest football coach the national team became - 37 years. BUT the oldest – Bernd Stange- 59 years old.
- the only one (not counting Borovsky and Vergeenko) who played more friendly matches than official ones - 17 and 11, respectively. But during the first arrival, he was the only coach who did not play a single official game at all. , in turn, is the only coach who has the same number of wins and losses.
And are the only coaches who have there were more victories with the Belarusian national team than defeats.
And - the only coaches who, being at the head of the national team, managed to not win a single victory. To be fair, it's worth noting that they only played 4 games each during these cycles.
Analysis of coaching activities based on the FIFA rating:
| Name | National team management dates | Starting position in the ranking | The highest position in the ranking | Final position | Progress | |
| 1 | October 28, 1992 – May 25, 1994 | 146 | 130 (August 1993) | 142 | +4 | |
| 2 | August 17, 1994 – October 9, 1996 | 120 | 84 (February 1996) | 89 | +31 | |
| 3 | January 5, 1997 – September 8, 1999 | 91 | 89 (April-May 1999) | 100 | -9 | |
| 4 | October 9, 1999 – June 4, 2000 | 96 | 95 (December 1999) | 104 | -8 | |
| 5 | August 16, 2000 – June 12, 2003 | 110 | 74 (October, December 2002) | 82 | +28 | |
| 6 | August 8, 2003 – December 10, 2005 | 82 | 59 (November 2005) | 61 | +21 | |
| 7 | February 24, 2006 – July 14, 2007 | 63 | 61 (October 2006) | 71 | -8 | |
| 8 | Bernd Stange | July 30, 2007 – November 30, 2011 | 71 | 36 (February 2011) | 65 | +6 |
| 9 | December 8, 2011 – October 13, 2014 | 64 | 62 (March 2013) | 106 | -42 | |
| 10 | October 27, 2014 – December 4, 2014 | 106 | 101 (November 2014) | 101 | +5 | |
| 11 | December 4, 2014 – December 6, 2016 | 101 | 57 (September 2016) | 74 | +27 | |
| 12 | Igor Kriushenko | March 1, 2017 – June 13, 2019 | 72 | 71 (July-August 2017) | 82 | -10 |
| 13 | Mikhail Markhel | June 20, 2019 – … | 82 |
Looking at this table, do not forget that it is much easier to grow from 100 to 70 places than from 70 to 60. But even in this case, we can draw some conclusions in which we will not take into account the team's rating during the guide Mikhail Vergeenko(1992-1994) - the team was just being formed then and did not play a single official game.
According to the results of coaching, 7 coaches can boast of an increase in the FIFA team rating, and 4 - its fall.
The most successful in this regard was (+31 position). But the worst result showed (-42 positions).
The most successful result of all time was shown by a German specialist Bernd Stange, in which the team rose to a record 36th position.
Two matches of the Belarusian national team against the teams of Hungary and Finland in a short period of time are a clear illustration of what is good and what is bad. In Brest, with their own fans, Igor Kriushenko's wards delighted the audience with confident actions on the field and a good mood, and in Tampere last Saturday we saw football, which we definitely did not like. The Belarusians have never won, but before the imminent start in the League of Nations, they gave the coaching staff enough useful information.
With the ball Maxim Volodko.
After any failure, there are many questions. For example, one of the most common and idle to the head coach today - why such a serious rotation in the squad? There is logic in this message, since the meeting with the Finns is designated as the last one in preparation for the most important autumn mission. In fact, the general rehearsal of the national team was to take place with all the consequences that follow - from the starting clip to a positive result. However, from the first minutes we saw ten new names at once compared to the game in Brest, and football, mainly before the break, of a different, unpresentable quality. Did Igor Kriushenko have the right to dispose of sparring like that? Undoubtedly. The match is still friendly and was not initially considered as the final run before the fight. Firstly, in the schedule in two days on the third rotation was inevitable. Secondly, the first official September meeting is still far away in order to be as ready as possible in early June. Thirdly, I would like to believe that we saw a duel close to the standards just the day before in the city on the Bug, where the team appeared almost in the optimal composition. And conditionally, the second numbers in Finland disappointed - this is what the coaches see as food for thought, as well as the main claim of the spectator and fan to the players. Well, how is it that you were given a chance, but you did not use it?
Actually, there is nothing new in this fact. Frankly, we have few high-class players. Exactly on the composition, and maybe even less. Otherwise, there would not have been talk all spring about three veterans who stopped playing for the national team, but can return under certain circumstances. Gleb Sr. had a great time in Prague on Saturday - his former Arsenal teammate Tomasz Rosicky said goodbye to professional football. And Kalachev and Kornilenko are on a well-deserved rest after a difficult season in Russia. You know, here, too, a curious question is hidden in relation to experienced performers. And where is the guarantee that they will be in optimal playing condition next fall? No one will give such guarantees, however, this applies to any football player. And the coaching staff of the national team understands that it is at least naive to plan a starting clip in three months - there are so many events to go through during the summer period! And the main thing here, of course, is the health of the players, which is what we wish them. But to have an idea about all the candidates - for the sake of such information, friendly matches are held.
Here the young goalkeeper Denis Shcherbitsky was given to play for the national team - he deserved his chance in the season. Yes, he made an absurd mistake with the second missed ball, but he is not the only one to blame for the unfortunate episode. There, the main claims are against Igor Shitov - a team player cannot afford to be so easily deceived on a false move. And here the question is more interesting: how much will such negligence in one moment of sparring affect the prospects of the defender from the Kazakh "Astana"? And all the numerous dangerous situations at our gates from the first half of the meeting are an elementary consequence of experiments in the defense line. Polyakov and Gavrilovich in the center of defense, I dare to assume that in the future they are unlikely to play at least one official match. There are enough candidates there - from Sivakov, who was released on vacation after the Brest duel, to Martynovich and Politevich, who had been having a rest for a long time. How normal this is on the eve of such a responsible tournament is a question of a different order. I admit that for a good microclimate in the team, the coach really had to make concessions to some leaders.
A draw and a defeat with the Hungarians and Finns are not encouraging in terms of the score, but they are encouraging in terms of texture. Was it important these days to catch a hint of what the Belarusian national team is ideally capable of? Brest pleasant impressions still outweigh the negative after Tampere. On that we will disperse until the September debut confrontation with the San Marino team in the League of Nations.
SCOREBOARD
Football.
Friendly match
Finland - Belarus - 2:0 (Uronen, 8, Yagubi, 75).
BELARUS: Scherbitsky, Veretilo (Shitov, 46), Polyakov (Pavlovets, 64), Gavrilovich, Matveychik (Volodko, 46), Kovalev (Stasevich, 68), Karnitsky (Kislyak, 79), Baga, Skavysh, Shikavka (Dragoon, 46) ), Laptev.
The Belarus national football team is a professional team that represents the interests of the country at the international level. Member of FIFA since 1992, member of UEFA since 1993.
The Belarusian team began to compete in international competitions since 1994. The first serious rival was the Norwegian national team as part of the qualification for the 1996 European Championship. The first pancake turned out to be lumpy - the Belarusians lost with a minimum score difference (0:1). The national team of Belarus performed unsuccessfully in this selection, despite the victory over the team of the Netherlands, achieved thanks to a goal by Sergei Gerasimets.
In qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, the national team Belarus took the last place in the group and could not reach the final part of the tournament.
Selection for Euro 2000 has developed in a similar way. The team showed not the best game and ended the tournament in last place in the group.
The qualifying tournament for the 2002 World Cup was more successful. The Belarusians, led by Eduard Malofeev, were close to being among the 32 participants in the Asian World Cup. However, a home defeat from the Ukrainian team and an away loss to the Wales team did not allow this to be done. Even a major victory over the Poles (4:1), who secured first place in the group ahead of schedule, did not help. Poker against the Polish team was played by Roman Vasilyuk, who still holds the record for the Belarusian national team in terms of the number of goals in one match.
The qualifying tournament for the European Championship-2004 was also unsuccessful for the Belarusians - the last place in the group with three points in the asset.
The result of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup is the penultimate place in the group.
In the 2008 European Championship qualifiers, the Belarusians performed somewhat better, finishing in 4th place in the group.
The Belarusians, who for the first time in history began the selection with a foreign coach, could not qualify for the 2010 World Cup either. The team led by German specialist Bernd Stange finished fourth, behind Croatian, Ukrainian and English stars.
In qualifying for Euro 2012, the Belarusians kept their chances to the last, which was greatly facilitated by a away victory over the French (1:0) and a home draw (1:1). However, twice losing to the main rival for the second place - the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina (0:2 and 0:1) - the team of Bernd Stange, having finally tied with the Romanians, finished fourth in the octet.
The German specialist was replaced by the Belarusian one. The national team was headed by Georgy Kondratiev, who managed to lead the youth (U-21) team of Belarus to the bronze medals of Euro 2011 and win a ticket to the Olympic Games.
It is difficult to say what the real potential of the Belarusian team is. On the one hand, sometimes she demonstrates combinational football that is pleasing to the eye, which allowed her to win and play on equal terms with the strongest squads on the planet. On the other hand, Belarusians are still considered as outsiders of any qualifying group.
At one time, the team was called the world champion in friendly matches, as Belarusian players confidently dealt with rivals of equal strength in matches that took place outside the qualifying rounds.