Throughout the past year, as the head coach of the Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov said, "the number of players available in the national team's assets was visible." The 53-year-old specialist tried to understand who can be counted on at the 2017 Confederations Cup and, in the short term, at the 2018 World Cup. Over the past year, both young and old people have visited the national team, up to Vasily Berezutsky, who a few weeks ago declared that he concedes in favor of fresh blood. But now, with less than a year and a half left before the 2018 World Cup, it's time to play the championship game.

In the matches with Cote D'Ivoire and Belgium, the new captain Igor Akinfeev will lead the national team. After talking with the head coach, the 30-year-old UEFA Cup winner and Euro 2016 bronze medalist agreed to take on this role. Still, there have been no questions about the goalkeeper's position in the national team for a long time, Akinfeev is one hundred percent main. Spartak players Alexander Samedov and Denis Glushakov, as well as Krasnodar Fyodor Smolov are vice captains.

There are doubts about one or two positions, although the game plan and the line-up are already ripe, - confessed Stanislav Cherchesov at the pre-match press conference. - Glushakov? He only worked out during the warm-ups in the general group. The main thing is to heal. The latest MRI shows that Glushakov's condition is better now compared to the results of the last MRI. We will not force anything. We will also talk with the footballer and doctors, but it is very likely that he will not play against Ivory Coast.

In addition, Fedor Smolov will not be able to wear the national team jersey. The 27-year-old striker, who was injured in the back of the thigh in the match against Spartak (2: 2), is in the disposition of the national team and is present at all tactical exercises. “Fedor should hear conversations on all our moments, - said Cherchesov. - It is clear that he is one of the leading players in the national team. I would like to have it in the cage no longer virtually, but in reality. But this is not possible yet. "

But Cherchesov can count on. Even in the morning, the head coach doubted about the admission of the army player to the game because of the FIFA rules. According to them, the player has the right to play for the new national team only after five years of residence in the country. Five years since Fernandez moved to Russia and started playing for the army team will only be celebrated in May. However, as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said, the Ivorians agreed to his participation, although so far it has not been heard that Fernandez even spoke Russian, unlike, for example, Roman Neustadter.

There are no obstacles to his participation in the game, these are friendly matches, the Ivorians agreed. Now the choice is only for our coach. Will he be able to play against the Belgians? We are still waiting for a response from them, - quoted by Mutko TASS.

It should be noted that Cote d'Ivoire will not be left without support in Krasnodar either. The second meeting in the history of the national teams (the first in Moscow ended in a draw 1: 1. - "Sports Day by Day") will be attended by students from Africa who are studying at Krasnodar universities. According to the official website of the RFU, tickets to the Africans were provided free of charge. As for the second match of the Russian national team - with the Belgians in Sochi, the Fisht stadium, which can accommodate 40 thousand spectators (at the Confederations Cup and the World Championship, there will be 45 thousand at the expense of additional stands - “Sports Day by Day”) have already been sold tickets. Consequently, attention to the Russian national team on the eve of important tournaments for the country has increased significantly compared to previous matches. It remains to wait for the result.

Purpose: Byshovets flew to Krasnodar

The former head coach of Zenit, Dynamo, Lokomotiv, the national teams of South Korea, Russia, the CIS and the USSR, which in 1988 won the Olympic tournament in Seoul, Anatoly Byshovets became deputy head of the coaching council of the RFU technical committee Stanislav Cherchesov, the official site of the union. According to Sport Day by Day, the 70-year-old specialist went to Krasnodar to attend the match between the national teams of Russia and Cote d'Ivoire.

The RFU Technical Committee deals with the analysis of the performances of the national team, the development of scientific and methodological documentation. The council also submits lists of the best players of the season for approval to the bureau of the RFU executive committee.

Compositions

Russia

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA), Alexander Belenov (Ufa), Guilherme (Lokomotiv), Stanislav Kritsyuk (Krasnodar).

Defenders: Georgy Jikia, Ilya Kutepov (both - "Spartak"), Victor Vasin, Mario Fernandez (both - CSKA), Fedor Kudryashov ("Rostov"), Roman Neustadter ("Fenerbahce" Turkey), Andrey Semenov ("Terek"), Roman Shishkin (Krasnodar).

Midfielders: Denis Glushakov, Roman Zobnin, Dmitry Kombarov, Alexander Samedov (all - Spartak), Alexander Golovin, Alan Dzagoev, Mario Fernandez (all - CSKA), Yuri Gazinsky (Krasnodar), Alexander Erokhin (Rostov), ​​Yuri Zhirkov (Zenit), Alexey Miranchuk (Lokomotiv), Magomed Ozdoev (Terek).

Forwards: Alexander Bukharov, Dmitry Poloz (Rostov), ​​Maxim Kanunnikov (Rubin), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar).

Main coach: Stanislav Cherchesov

Ivory Coast

Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbowo (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Badra Ali Sangare (Tanda), Abdul Karim Cisse (Sporting Gangoa).

Defenders: Adama Traore (Basel, Switzerland), Wilfried Canon (ADO Den Haag Holland), Simon Delhi (Slavia Czech Republic), Abdoulay Bamba (Angers France), Eric Bailly (Manchester United England), Mamadou Bakayoko ("Saint-Truiden" Belgium), Serge Aurier ("Paris Saint-Germain" France).

Midfielders: Shayk Ducouré (Metz France), Coissy Ebouet (Celtic Scotland), Frank Kessier (Atalanta Italy), Serey Dee (Basel Switzerland), Jean-Michel Sery (Nice France), Moussa Kone ( "Cesena" Italy).

Forwards: Roger Assale (Young Boys Switzerland), Goi B Siryak (Fulham England), Jonathan Cogia (Aston Villa England), Nicolas Pepe (Angers France), Wilfrid Zaha (Crystal Palace England), Giovanni Sio ("Rennes" France).

And about. head coach: Ibrahim Kamara

Some fifteen years ago, no one really knew anything about the Ivory Coast team. Today it is difficult to imagine the world championship without this team.

History of the Ivory Coast national football team

• Participation in the final stage of the World Championships: 3 times.
• Participation in the final stage of the African Cup of Nations: 22 times.

Achievements of the Cote d 'Ivoire national team

• African Champion 1992 and 2015.
• Silver medalist in 2006 and 2012.
• Bronze medalist in 1965, 1968, 1986, 1994.

Cote d “Ivoire in Russian means“ Ivory Coast. ”This is exactly what this state was called in West Africa until 1985. However, then the country's parliament decided that since Cote d“ Ivoire is a geographical name, then its translation into other languages ​​are not required.

Hence, in fact, the nickname of the Ivory Coast national team - "elephants", appeared.

The country gained independence on August 7, 1960, but the national team played its first match a little earlier, on April 13, when the Dahomey national team (now Benin) was beaten in a friendly match with a score of 3: 2.

National team of Côte d'Ivoire at the World Championships

Until 2006, the Cote d'Ivoire national team never made it to the world championships, and then became a participant in three world championships in a row. This is due to the emergence of a whole generation of excellent football players: Colo and Yaya Toure, Emmanuel Ebue, Romaric, Didier Zokora, Aruna and Bakari Kone and, of course, Didier Drogba.

The composition of the Cote d 'Ivoire national team at the 2006 World Cup allowed her to count on the quarterfinals, but the draw cooled the ardor of the Ivorian team's fans, defining Holland and Serbia and Montenegro as rivals.

The players of the Ivory Coast national team looked decent in the matches with the Argentines and the Dutch, losing to a stubborn struggle with the same score 1: 2, but no points are awarded for this. The last match against Serbia and Montenegro meant nothing from a tournament point of view, but it was the first victory of the Ivory Coast national team at the World Championships.

Four years later, the draw was no better - Brazil, Portugal and North Korea. In the first round, the Ivorians parted with the Portuguese in peace, and in the second they lost to the Brazilians 1: 3. Considering that Portugal managed to score seven unanswered goals to the DPRK team, in order to enter the playoffs of the Ivory Coast national team, it was necessary to count on Brazil's victory over Portugal, and to win over the Koreans with a difference of eight goals (provided that Brazil won by one goal ).

As a result, neither one nor the other happened: Cote d “Ivoire won with an unacceptable score in this situation 3: 0, and Brazil and Portugal, without further ado, drove away a goalless draw that suited both teams.

I very much hoped that at the Brazilian World Cup Ivory Coast would leave the group. I will not say that I am a fan of this team, just a player like Didier Drogba deserved, I believe, the right to play in the playoffs of the World Cup.

Of course, this was far from the same team that eight years ago - many players retired, Drogba turned 36 years old, Zokora, Kolo and Yaya Toure crossed the 30-year mark. But still, the composition was quite strong, it is enough to name the names of Salomon Kalou, Gervinho, Wilfried Boni. And the rivals this time were quite passable.

The victory in the opening match over was natural, followed by a 1: 2 defeat from the Colombians, and in the third round match, the Ivorians arranged a draw in a meeting with the Greek national team. However, the Cote d “Ivoire national team lost that meeting, conceding the decisive goal from the penalty spot, appointed already in the added time by the referee.

I will not now argue about the legality of that penalty, about the patience and strong-willed qualities of the Greeks. I'll tell you about something else. Almost all African teams, at least those that play in the final stages of the World Cup, are made up of footballers playing for European clubs.

But for some reason, getting together, these players demonstrate some kind of chronic inability to play rationally, according to the score. Here is this match - yes, nine out of ten Central European teams would have brought it to the desired result. Moreover, at the end of the match, Cote d'Ivoire's footballers came out 4 to 3 at the gates of Greece, but the case ended with a goal kick.

Yes, almost any European team, if it had not scored in this situation (although such moments at the world championships need to be implemented), then at least they would have achieved a corner or strike in their favor, in order to kill a few tens of seconds more.

But what happened, what happened, and while the Ivory Coast national team remains without the playoffs of the World Cup.

National team of Côte d'Ivoire at the African Cup of Nations

In the first four continental tournaments, the Cote d 'Ivoire national team did not take part, but, having made their debut at the CAF in 1965, they immediately became the bronze medalist, and at the next tournament they repeated this result.

For a long time, this bar remained the highest for the Ivorian footballers, and at the only home tournament in 1984, they were not able to leave the group at all. It was only in 1992 that Cote d 'Ivoire won the African Cup of Nations, winning the final on penalties in a series of 24 strikes!

The hoped-for generation of Drogba only made it to the final twice, losing to Egypt in 2006 and to Zambia in 2012, interestingly, also in penalty shootouts.

It was only in 2015 that the Ivorian Cote d 'national team managed to become the champion of Africa. The fact that the final match was won in the penalty shoot-out, I think, is superfluous - they have such a tradition. But the Ivorians did not succeed in defending their title - in 2017 they were unable to advance from the group with only two points.

Côte d'Ivoire national football team players

Record holders in the number of matches played

1. Didier Zokora - 123 games.
2. Didier Drogba - 104.
3. – 100.
4. Salomon Kalu - 91.
5. Arthur Boca - 87.

Top scorers

1. - 65 goals.
2. Abdoulaye Traore - 44.
3. Salomon Kalu - 28.
4. Gervinho - 22.
5. Yaya Toure - 19.

Cote d'Ivoire national football team

The current composition of the national team, to put it mildly, is not impressive. The talented generation has left, so, by and large, without showing itself in anything. Players of the level of Drogba are now in the Cote d “Ivoire simply do not.

Yaya Toure and Salomon Kalu not today - they will leave the national team tomorrow, Gervinho, in his prime, went to China for a long yuan, there are, for example, Seydou Doumbia or Wilfried Boni - good players, but nothing more.

In general, I would like to be mistaken, but I think that the "elephants" will not have the best times.

Coach of the Ivory Coast national football team

French specialist Michel Dussuyer left the national team after a failure at CAF-2017, and therefore today the place of the team's mentor is vacant.

Cote d'Ivoire national football team uniform

Côte d'Ivoire national team emblem

• At the 2006 World Cup, there was not a single player from the national championship in the application of the Ivory Coast national team. And in 2010 and 2014, clubs from Côte d'Ivoire represented substitute goalkeepers who had never appeared on the field.
• Four times the Ivory Coast national team has played in the Africa Cup of Nations final, and in all four cases it was necessary to resort to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
• The Ivory Coast national team is the world champion in the longest penalty shootout. As I already mentioned, in the first CAF final with Ghana, 24 penalty kicks were punched for two. The same amount was required in the 2006 CAF quarterfinals against Cameroon. They beat Ghana 9-8 in the African Cup of Nations final and lost 7-8 to Zambia in the 2012 final.

Present time

Speaking about the composition of the national team of Côte d'Ivoire, I noted that now the fans of this national team have little reason for optimism. In the selection for the 2018 World Cup, the Ivorians are so far ahead of Gabon, Morocco and Mali.

The rivals are quite tough for them, so perhaps we will see "elephants" in Russia. Only in the final part of the World Cup it will be incredibly difficult for them to count on something serious.

• After the match

—

I worked for you at the match today Kozyrev Vyacheslav ... Until we meet again on the air website ! Watch football and remember that this particular sport is number 1 in the world!

Nicolas Pepe is preparing to appear on the field now with the elephants from Africa. Imagine, this is only the first rotation in the camp of our rivals.

UH! Not bad, but ... Our new attack, Gazinsky passes the ball to the left to Kombarov, who next shoots from an average distance into the hands of Gbowo.

Submission to the penalty area of ​​the Cote d'Ivoire national team. Erokhin makes a head discount on the left stand, where Kutepov falls short of the ball. It's a pity ...

Bayi received a yellow card for a foul against our footballer on the left flank. Kombarov gets the right to execute the standard position. Let's see how his presentation turns out.

The corner took place at our gate. Dukure made a pass to the goalkeeper's area - Kutepov knocked the sphere into the center of the field with his head. The Ivorians are again on the selection.

Slowly but surely the meeting in Krasnodar is coming to an end. Only a goal performed by the Russians can bring a slight, but still a touch of tension to this meeting ...

Another replacement for ours. Miranchuk enters the field now. Poloz leaves the field, who actively spent the first half, but was clearly lost in the second half of the meeting.

Stormy ovations are now being heard within the walls of Krasnodar, because Yuri Gazinsky is entering the field, who is replacing Golovin. The “elephants” have no substitutions yet.

Our guys are trying to fight at least for a draw, but it will be extremely difficult to do this, because the Russians are frankly failing to play that evening.

Another replacement for the Russian national team. Kanunnikov appears on the field. Bukharov leaves the lawn, who is so noticeable on the field and did not mark.

A dense blow went now from Erokhin from thirty meters. Knocks off the sphere of Gbowo in front of him. Bukharov tries to play the finishing move, but the goalkeeper copes here too. Also offside for Alexander.

Golovin did not know how to make an accurate pass towards Bukharov. Another loss in our attack. Cherchesov is indignant about the game of the Russian team.

The first change in our match now follows: instead of Zhirkov, Dmitry Kombarov enters the field. Another of ours will soon appear on the field.

Yes, just a mocking goal was scored by Zaha, what else can you say. Our guys just watched as the opponent scores a goal. You can't play like that. And what will happen to the Belgians then?

GOAL. 0: 2 NO WORDS ... Zaha scores. He just scattered five (!!!) of our players on his way to the goal of Akinfeev, after which he struck an irresistible blow from the left edge of the goalkeeper's to the near left corner.

Bukharov is now in the center in front of the gates of the African team, received the ball, but he was there in an offside position. Once again, our footballer was caught in a trap.

Of course, our opponents work very well with the ball. It's time for the Russian national team to remember what is required of it in this fight. You need to come up with something like a bulk. There is little to play.

DANGEROUS! The keeper of the “elephants” is now beating the ball to the side after a solid blow from Samedov, who almost on the penalty area received a sphere from Zobnin and sent the sphere to the right corner quite well. Dragging Gbowo.

25 minutes are left to play in our match. Well? Is it time for our guys to break open the opponent's defensive redoubts? It will be extremely unpleasant for Africans to lose today. At least catch a draw, and then we'll see.

Two corners in a row at the gates of the Russians were played in the end by the players of the national team from the banks of the ivory. None of the standards brought anything dangerous to the guests.

WOW! Sio now shot from a free kick very well. The ball from the foot of the footballer "elephants" went towards the right "nine". Akinfeev reached out to the "string" here and ferried the shell to the corner.

Kudryashov cannot cope with Zakha's jerk in the center now. He knocks down his opponent. A yellow card immediately appears in the hands of the chief referee. The teams are compared on the "mustard plasters".

Golovin now takes the ball to the left of someone else's penalty, after which he cuts an oversized canopy to the goalkeeper Gbowo. Out of reach for any of our players.

"Out of the game" Alexander Bukharov's side referee notices. We are watching the replay ... Yes, indeed, our rivals caught the attacking player of the Russian national team.

Samedov endlessly serves balls from set-pieces to the “elephants” penalty area. Many feeds turn out to be quite dangerous, but not this one. The sphere flew off Alexander's feet and flew to the far post, where none of the Russians was in sight.

UHXXX! Golovin tried to shoot from the left edge to Bukharov, who could not reach the ball. Successfully played on the sphere here by the defender of the “elephants”. Another corner for Russia.

Another attack of the Ivorians on the left edge, and here in the offside position, one of the attacking players of the guest team.

Wow! The defender of Côte d'Ivoire has now passed the ball to his goalkeeper, and Sylvain Gbowo did not manage to immediately process the sphere. As a result, it rolled through the goalkeeper's leg into the goal, but the guard of the elephants' frame managed to correct his own mistake, having managed to stop the ball literally on the ribbon ".

Everything was good in our counteroffensive, but at the last moment Bagayoko played smartly in the subcategory, interrupting Zhirkov's transfer to Bukharov. It will be a corner.

Again, our guys give the chance to roll the ball across the field to the players of the national team from the banks of the ivory. The Russians cannot take the sphere for themselves. So you can finish playing before the final whistle.

Another attack of the Russians through the right flank, in the process of which Delhi is the first to cross from this edge of the field. It should be taken out to the center of the field again.

The next, fifth corner at the gate of the Ivorians. Samedov feed from the right edge - the goalkeeper of the “elephants” plays great at the exit and catches the sphere in his gloves.

Ours cannot yet hit the gate. All shots in this encounter go above the target. Something is definitely in the sight of the Russians on this football evening.

It was difficult for Golovin to scare the Ivorians with a kick from outside the penalty area. The ball flew from the foot of a CSKA Moscow player much higher than the goal.

Our players are going forward from the first minutes of the second half, hoping to win back. We will also believe that the Russians will find the strength to adequately respond to their rival.

The second half has started in Krasnodar! The elephants played the ball from the center of the field. We wish good luck to our team, and, of course, victory to her! There were no substitutions during the break! Go!

• First time

—

The whistle sounds for a break! The first half of the match in Krasnodar has come to an end. The players of the Cote d'Ivoire national team are still ahead - 0: 1. The only goal on the account of Koggia.

The first half of our fight is coming to an end. I think that we will not see the goals before the break. And the referee is unlikely to add too much.

The corner is now near the "elephants" frame. Samedov feed from the right. At the far post, Erokhin, not without breaking the rules, throws the sphere into the center with his head. The referee whistles as a result.

The Ivorians kneaded Akinfeev. Dee made a pass from the curb to the goalkeeper's area, and Igor, of course, took advantage of the opportunity that arose. The ball is in Igor's hands.

Another corner Zaha earns from the left for his team. Alexander Samedov is playing more and less successfully against Wilfrid. We are watching the feed.

The Russians are now demanding a penalty from the referee, but he allows the game to continue, and I am inclined to agree with the referee, because at the moment of contact with Delhi Poloz has already hopelessly lost the ball. And, to be honest, there was no contact as such.

Zhirkov himself eventually approached the ball. Yuri's serve went to the center of the goalkeeper's room, from where Bukharov hit our opponent's frame with his head. The ball flew five meters higher than the target. Another miss.

Sere Di harshly cut down Yuri Zhirkov in his half of the field, and a yellow card immediately appeared in the referee's hands. By the way, the first in the match.

Cherchesov is completely dissatisfied with what is happening on the field at these moments. He urges our team to get together, but the Russians are not doing it very well yet.

And our opponent is completely satisfied with the calm pace of the game. You can also give the ball to your opponent, so long as he does not come close to the goal at the distance of a cannon shot.

It seems that the Russians, having received a kind of slap in the face, have slightly lost their orientation in space, and so far cannot come to their senses. But the first half has actually come to an end.

For those who have forgotten, our team will hold its next match on March 28, in Sochi. The rival of the Russian national team will be the national teams of Belgium. A very interesting fight awaits us.

Again, we don't get in! Good Samedov spun the ball into the center of the penalty area of ​​the Russian national team. Semyonov ran into that zone and directed the projectile with his head much higher than the crossbar. Another offensive mistake.

The runner managed to squeeze through to the gate on the right edge and gave a strong pass to Samedova. Alexander caught up with the sphere at the front, and even managed to earn a corner for the Russians.

GOAL. 0: 1. SKIP. KOJIA. Hmmm. The left flank failed, from which Kodzhia ran into the penalty area of ​​the Russian national team, who further from that zone sent the ball straight into the right "nine" of Akinfeev's goal. The goalkeeper of our team is out of work, as well as Ilya Kutepov, whom the “elephants” player managed to beat in the penalty area.

Now Kutepov is bringing the ball to someone else's half of the field after another raid by the Ivory Coast national team players.

Yes, the Ivorians got used to it on the field, they began to have more possession of the ball. Our guys are trying to meet more and more rivals at the central axis.

Bukharov is again in the spotlight, followed by a cast along the left flank, where, in the end, he is ahead of Alexander Bayi by a split second. The takeaway should be closer to the center of the field.

The game is quite tough in the first half, but it is by no means tough. Zobnin found himself on the lawn after a collision with Zaha. Again, only a foul, no yellow card.

Another corner, but now the guys in white T-shirts have earned on the left edge. Zakha made a pass to the far post, but there Kutepov managed to push Dee in a horse fight and carried the ball away from the frame.

Not bad, not bad! Samedov's submission from the right corner flag to the far post, Kutepov plays with his head, but the ball from our player flies much to the left of the goal.

It could have turned out dangerous, but only the corner Russia earns. Golovin passed the ball to Zhirkov in time, who shot the ball to the far post from the left edge. Bukharov and Poloz did not manage to reach the sphere there, and one of the defenders of the Ivorians took the ball out of the front.

The runner on the left edge could not beat the defenders of the away team. Fortunately, Erokhin was nearby, who managed to recapture the sphere from the guests and send it back to Golovin. Our guys have to start all over again.

UH! A good attack by the Ivorians ended with a hit from an average distance from Zaha. The ball flew into the right corner of Akinfeev's frame. Our goalkeeper did not disappoint the national team and confidently caught the sphere in his gloves.

Several violations were committed by the players of the Russian national team. Kodjiya hit the legs twice. The player even managed to flare up, but the referee quickly calmed down his ardor.

Our footballers fouled in the center of the field. In particular, Bayi got on his feet from Golovin, who immediately hurried away from the place of the collision, so as not to receive a "compliment" from the referee in the form of a yellow card.

GOOD! It was very nice! Poloz managed to give a pass with his head almost from the front to the line of the penalty area, from where Bukharov shot straight away towards the left “nine”. The ball went over the target! It is a pity that such a combination did not lead to a goal scored.

Kudryashov made an excellent pass to the left along the curb, after which he shot the sphere into the center of the Ivorians' penalty area. The sphere, however, flies to Canon, which with the first touch brings the "round" away from the frame.

Smolova, Glushakova and Dzagoeva are now being shown to us. Due to injuries, the footballers I have named cannot take part in the game today. Let's hope that they will return to the national team soon.

Again, the calm on the field. The Russian team again took the ball into their hands and feet. The sphere even managed to reach Akinfeev twice in a minute, who at the gate did not allow his comrades to freeze. Fortunately, Igor does not have much work yet.

Not bad! Something already! From the left flank, Bukharov managed to shoot into the center, where Erokhin joined in a timely manner, who struck in touch much more to the right of the target.

Both old and young today in the stands of the stadium "Krasnodar". By the way, not all the seats in the stadium are occupied. It is difficult to talk about a full house in this meeting, because even the central sector is partly empty.

The national anthems died down, and the referee's whistle sounded! From the center of the field, the football players of the Russian national team played the ball. We wish good luck to the teams, but victory, of course, to our team! Go!

• Before the match

—

Let's go back to our team. Russia has finally reached the point where we can talk about a generational change. Perhaps, the symbols of the old team, first of all, were the defenders of Moscow CSKA, who defended the team's colors for almost 10 years. This time in the application of the Russians there are two defenders of the "army". But neither Victor Vasin nor the naturalized Brazilian Mario Fernandez have any guarantees that they will play in the starting lineup of the national team. It is also important that the Russians will not have either Ignashevich or the Berezutsky brothers. In general, the average age of our team has become much less. Only Igor Akinfeev and Yuri Zhirkov can be considered veterans in the national team. It is worth writing about the fact that for the first time in many years, Moscow's "Spartak" became the base club of the national team again. The leader of the Premier League has delegated six players to the national team at once, including Georgy Dzhikia, who has not yet played for the "red-white" in official matches. In general, this team will be really interesting to watch. The Russian team on the eve of the meeting is considered the favorite in the home game against Cote d'Ivoire. And you can take the risk, and for once, believe in a young and hungry team to win, putting Cherchesov's wards on the success for a good coefficient of 2. Good luck!

—

While the Russian team is purposefully preparing for the start of the Confederations Cup and playing exclusively friendly matches, the Ivory Coast team is in full swing in a difficult selection for the World Cup. African selection generally has a rather complex multistage format. But now the wards of Kamara, who led the team only two months ago, are already at the last stage of qualification. To reach the World Cup in Russia, they need to win Group C, where, in addition to the representatives of the ivory coast, there are also teams from Gabon, Morocco and Mali. And so far in Côte d'Ivoire, everything in the group is developing more or less evenly and well, because it is this African team that is the leader of the quartet. On account of the Ivorians four points against two points from the nearest pursuers. In general, this team looks decent in the selection. Before the group stage games, the Ivorians beat Liberia twice - 1-0 in the Goths and 3-0 at home. And then Mali didn’t leave any chances at home - 3: 1, but the trip to Morocco ended in a draw - 2: 2. So the team from the Ivory Coast is in very good shape for a duel against the Russian national team.

—

Ibrahima Camara is now acting coach of the Ivory Coast national team after the team's failure in the African Cup of Nations. The new mentor has already set a course for the rejuvenation of the squad and is gradually bringing new players to the national team. Of the players called to the matches against Russia and Senegal, only the name of Bayi, the Manchester United defender, is known to the general public. After the unsuccessful KAN-2017 for themselves, the Ivorians gathered for the first time. Their roster has been significantly updated, so we will have the opportunity to see any changes in the game with them.

• —

  Four days after the game with the Ivorians, Russia will face Belgium in Sochi. It is worth noting that in 5 friendly games after Euro 2016, the Russians won only twice. Both times at home - against the team of Ghana (1: 0) and Romania (1: 0). The Krasnodar stadium itself was not a lucky one for our team, because it was here that the Russians lost to Costa Rica (3: 4) in the opening match of a brand new arena.

  website welcomes all those who are not indifferent to football at the next friendly match between the national teams. This time we have to watch a meeting with the participation of our beloved national team Of Russia and the national team Ivory Coast... The match will take place in Krasnodar, at the stadium " Krasnodar", The meeting will be served by a team of arbitrators headed by Ovidiu Alin Khatsegan- referee from Romania... For you during 90 minutes of the match in your virtual commentator's chair will work Kozyrev Vyacheslav ... Welcome to the game, ladies and gentlemen!

Olympiastadion (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. Accommodates 69,250 spectators.

The final match of the first UEFA Champions League draw of the 1992/93 season took place at the Munich Olympic Stadium. “Marseille” and “Milan” fought for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended with the victory of the French team with a score of 1: 0.

The Munich arena hosted the second final of the main club tournament in Europe in 1997. In that match, Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3: 1.

Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, renovated in 2002-2004. Accommodates 69 618 spectators.

The Olympic stadium in the capital of Greece can be called a lucky one for Milan. After losing in the 1992/93 season finals, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona 4-0.

Thirteen years later, the Rossoneri again entered the Athens Olympic Stadium as a trophy contender, and again they managed to win, this time over Liverpool - 2: 1.

Ernst Happel Stadion (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, reconstructed twice - in 1986 and 2008. Accommodates 55,665 spectators.

The arena in the Austrian capital hosted the 1994/95 UEFA Champions League final, with AC Milan competing for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost 0-1, but this time to Ajax.

"Stadio Olimpico" (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. Accommodates 72 698 spectators.

In the 1995/96 season, Ajax arrived in Rome as the current winner of the Champions League, but the Dutch club failed to defend their title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought matters to a penalty shootout. “Bianconeri” were more accurate and won the main club trophy in Europe.

The Olympic Stadium in Rome won the right to host the 2008/09 Champions League final again, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. The trophy this year was won by Barcelona, ​​beating Manchester United 2-0.

"Amsterdam Arena" (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Opened in 1996. Accommodates 54,990 spectators.

The stadium, now named after Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after opening. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met at the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended with a score of 1: 0 in favor of the Madrid club.

Camp Nou (Barcelona, ​​Spain). Opened in 1957, reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. Accommodates 99 354 spectators.

Barcelona's stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League final stands alone. That meeting between “Bavaria” and “Manchester United” can be called legendary without exaggeration. The Germans took the lead already in the 6th minute and controlled the course of the game until the last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in stoppage time in the second half brought the victory to Manchester United.

"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. Accommodates 81,338 spectators.

The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, was the venue for the Champions League final for the 1999/2000 season for the first time. Meeting “Real” and “Valencia” ended with a confident victory of the Madrid club with a score of 3: 0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.

6 years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy on the Stade de France field. Londoners, from the 18th minute playing in the minority after the removal of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto “O” and Juliano Belletti brought victory to the Catalans - 2: 1.

"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last reconstruction was carried out in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.

Stadium "San Siro" was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena is still the most popular and recognizable all over the world. The Champions League final has been played here twice.

In the 2000/01 season, Bayern Munich and Valencia played a dramatic match in Milan, in which the 11-meter kicks played the main role. Already in the 2 nd minute Gaisk Mendieta brought the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and after 4 minutes the goalkeeper of the “Bats” Santiago Canisares deflected the 11-meter kick performed by Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized the score from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which Bayern's players were more precise.

15 years later, in May 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético in the same arena almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game of Bayern and Valencia. Regular time also ended with a score of 1: 1, in extra time the teams failed to distinguish themselves, and the “Royal Club” won in the penalty shootout.

Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Renovated in 1999. Accommodates 51,866 spectators.

Real Madrid and Bayer 04 entered Hampden Park in the Champions League final in May 2002, and six months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2: 1 in favor of “Real” and was remembered for the most beautiful goal of Zinedine Zidane from the penalty area.

Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2006. Accommodates 74,879 spectators.

The second single-country final in modern UEFA Champions League history took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, Milan and Juventus met. The main and extra time ended with a score of 0: 0, and in the penalty shoot-out series Milan won the victory with an accurate shot from Andriy Shevchenko.

"Veltins-Arena" (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. The last time the capacity of the stadium was increased in 2015, today it is 62,271 people.

The arena has been bearing its current name since the summer of 2005, earlier it was called "Aufschalke Arena". The stadium hosted matches of the World Cup and ice hockey. Since 2002, the annual Christmas Biathlon Stars Race has been held here.

The 2004 Champions League final, held in Gelsenkirkhin, is one of the most memorable for Russian fans, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. The Porto midfielder has set the final score of the match against AS Monaco (3-0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by Jose Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main club trophy in Europe.

Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Turkey). Opened in 2002. Accommodates 80,500 spectators.

The stadium in Istanbul was under construction for the alleged holding of the 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not receive the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul is named after the first President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and is the largest in the country.

The 2005 Istanbul Champions League final is arguably the greatest in tournament history. In the decisive match, Milan beat Liverpool 3-0 after the first half, but goals from Gerrard, Schmitzer and Alonso turned everything upside down in the second half. There were no goals scored in extra time, and the British club turned out to be stronger in the penalty shootout.

Luzhniki (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2017. Accommodates 81,000 spectators.

For the first time, Russia won the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. Chelsea and Manchester United fought for the trophy, the first time two English teams faced off in a Champions League decisive match.

The game caused great excitement among fans both in England and in Russia, more than 67 thousand spectators were present in the stands. In the middle of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo brought Manchester United forward, but just before the break, Frank Lampard equalized the score. The second half and extra time passed without goals scored, and in the penalty shootout, the Mankunians were more precise.

"Santiago Bernabeu" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. Accommodates 81,044 spectators.

The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football has hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this so far only match has gone down in history.

In the Madrid final, Inter and Bayern Munich met. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the Italian club, and Jose Mourinho, who worked with the Nerazzurri at the time, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (now there are five of them: in addition to the Portuguese Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).

An interesting fact is that in the final of 2010 there was only one Italian in the Milanese - Marco Materazzi, and even he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.

Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.

The new Wembley is built on the site of the legendary arena that has hosted the World and European Championships, the Olympic Games and many European Cup finals.

The 2010/11 Champions League final, which took place at the new Wembley, was somewhat home to Manchester United, but it didn't help the Mancunians win the trophy. Barcelona, ​​led by the trio Xavi - Iniesta - Messi, won 3-1.

In 2013, Wembley hosted the first German Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The victory and the cup were brought to the Bavarians by the accurate blow of Arjen Robben, who in the 89th minute set the final score - 2: 1.

Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. Accommodates 67,812 spectators.

The decisive match of the 2011/12 Champions League season was the first final of the tournament, which took place at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern Munich hosted Chelsea. The account was opened only in the 83rd minute after hitting the hosts striker Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the leader of the attacks of Londoners Didier Drogba restored the balance.

The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. “Bayern” again took the lead after an accurate shot by Philip Lam and a miss by Juan Mata, but then the players of the guests realized all their attempts, while the players of the German team made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Millennium (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. Accommodates 73 930 spectators.

The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the corresponding name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which, with a certain amount of imagination, can simply be translated as "Princely Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title of Prince of Wales.

But back to the Champions League. The final of the main club tournament in Europe took place here in 2017, with Real Madrid and Juventus participating in that match. Madrid won 4: 1 and won the second Champions League title in a row, and football fans will remember that meeting with the super goal of the Turin striker Mario Mandjukic.

Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Renovated in 2017. Accommodates 67,700 spectators.

Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in history for Tottenham and the first since the final in 2013, where at least one Spanish club did not play. Liverpool, reaching the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. Jurgen Klopp won the trophy in his third Champions League final as head coach.