Finland-Belarus match in the Football League of Nations in the mirror of opinions

The second match of the national team of Belarus in the League of Nations in some century did not leave anyone indifferent. Yes, our team did not manage to outplay the Finns - 0: 0, but the events that occurred at the Olympic stadium in Helsinki, will be exciting for a long time. Was the Montenegrin referee right when he cancelled two Belarusian goals because of the offside discovered by the VAR system? And when, for the same reason, canceled the penalty already appointed at the gate of Lapoukhov? Did the coaching bets play fully, who is to blame for the provocations in the arena and did the Belarusians have any chances to win the group? In the analysis of what happened, experts from different points have already issued polar points of view.

The joy of the players of the national team after the exact blow of Alexander Selyava was crossed out by the VAR system. Photo courtesy of the ABFF press service From the point of view of the players Kirill Gomanov, defender of the Belarusian national team:

- Of course, they were ready to win. We knew that Finland was a tough competitor. The coaching staff sorted out their game and we knew what to prepare for. Everything we expected was confirmed in the match. But after the game, there is a certain annoyance that they did not press.

Lukasz Hradecki, Finland goalkeeper:

- In my opinion, our performance was disappointing in every respect. We didn't get to our level. In a couple of situations we were close to the goal, but we have to admit that in the end Belarus was closer to the goal than we were. From the point of view of coaches Viktor Gancharenko, head coach of the Belarusian national team:

I think we should have added a little more courage to win the game. Because in the game we played, we had to win. The game was solid. I cannot say that the defensive line or the offensive line did not work in the way we wanted. Everyone did a good job. But in any case, the crown in football is a goal that we have not yet found. The most important thing now is to keep the emotions and fresh movement before meeting San Marino. We're just thinking about her.

Jakob Friis, head coach of Finland:

- This match should have been better. We played very tightly. We need to do better in the middle of the field, that's obvious. That was the biggest problem. From the point of view of an eyewitness, Alexander Kananovich, correspondent of the newspaper “Pressball” (Minsk):

- To be honest, there has never been such an intense sense of indignation when you show so clearly and openly disrespect for your country, flag and anthem. Even before the match, either the steward or someone else with identification marks for some reason decided that our flag does not belong in the stands. He almost tried to remove it by force. After a series of calls, ABFF employees managed to defend the state symbols. Then more. Anthem. The organizers deliberately turned it on as quietly as possible. So the pseudo-fans could drown him out with a whistle. I did not want to understand and accept what was happening. I remember how this happened in Denmark last November. Then the hosts were punished according to all sports canons: a draw (2: 2) prevented them from qualifying for Euro-2026. From the point of view of experts, Ludas Rumbutis (Belarus):

- It seemed that the Finns thought: "We loaded the seven of San Marino, Belarusians came - the next passengers..." It turned out that this result had to be chewed. And the owners in a couple of moments quietly jogging at the corner flag. What can not be said about our - worked out everything. The coaching staff said to the boys: “Men, behind us – the abyss if we “burn” in this match.”.

Erkka Lehtola (Finland):

The ball game of our team fell apart. Why did this happen and why were we too soft? There were no tracks that could start a team. Finland has lost too many martial arts. In general, there was a strange and sluggish impression. On October 3, the fight in group C1 of the League of Nations will continue with matches Belarus – San Marino and Finland – Albania. Given the two consecutive victories of the Albanians, it is clear that the game in Helsinki will be decisive in many respects. But we don't have time to relax. In the match with the San Marino national team, which occupies the last place in the FIFA ranking, Belarusians are simply obliged to win, and the bigger the better. And then it will be possible to call the return match with the Finns scheduled for October 6 in Budapest one of the most important matches of the national team in recent years.

TABLET

League of Nations. Group C1. Finland — Belarus — 0: 0, San Marino — Albania — 0: 3.