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ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Russia deserved the criticism they received for their poor performance against Belgium in their first Euro 2020 game, coach Stanislav Cherchesov said on Tuesday, adding that the team was preparing well for their next game against Finland.
Russia lost 3-0 to Belgium on Saturday at home in St. Petersburg, drawing criticism from fans and experts alike. The match highlighted the vast skills and talent gap between Belgium, the top-ranked team in the world, and Cherchesov’s team.
The Russian defense collapsed under pressure from the dreaded Belgian attack, raising questions about the team’s chances of qualifying for the Group B knockout stage, which also includes Finland and Denmark, for the first time since 2008.
“The criticism was deserved,” Cherchesov told reporters a day before Russia faced Finland in St. Petersburg.
“We recovered from the first game. Now we have a completely different kind of preparation.”
Finland, making their first appearance in a major tournament final, won 1-0 in their opener against Denmark, a game that was overshadowed by the Danish playmaker’s pitch on the pitch. Christian Eriksen.
“Finland are not an easy opponent and they have already shown that (against Denmark),” Cherchesov said.
The Finns kept six clean sheets in qualifying and Russian defender Georgy Dzhikiya said their organization was a key force.
“It’s a disciplined team,” Dzhikiya said. “They are organized and play in a compact fashion.”
Cherchesov said Yuri Zhirkov injured his thigh in the game against Belgium and it was later confirmed that the defender, who turns 38 in August, will miss the remainder of the tournament.
“Considering the severity of the injury, the coaching staff have decided to release the player (Zhirkov) from the team,” the Russian team said on Twitter.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Ttrault-Farber; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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