At the start of the League of Nations, the Belarusian national football team lost in Albania

At the start of the Nations League, the Belarusian football team showed its fans a new form (from Adidas), but left the old content. After the defeat in Tirana from the Albanians (0: 2), we regret to state that the team cannot win already in 11 official matches in a row.

In friendly games, Belarusians win. So, with the arrival of Viktor Gancharenko to the management of the national team, they were stronger in competition with the Cypriots, Armenians, Syrians, but as it comes time for official starts, as if the devils from the snuffbox pop up children’s mistakes in defense, there is no creativity in attack, and now we have to rejoice that they lost to the Albanians only with a difference of two goals, not five. This trend has been going on for years and nothing has changed.

You can, of course, nod to the European neighbors and notice that, they say, even the famous Jurgen Klopp started worse than all his predecessors at the helm of the German national team (a draw with the Dutch and a defeat from the Greeks), that the Italians completely lost themselves and will not find that Hvich Kvaratskhelia did not score a penalty, and the Georgians lost to our good friends from Northern Ireland, missing the only goal in the 99th minute. But it'll all be a stretch of an owl on the globe. Belarusian players are to blame for their defeats – and no one but them is able to correct this tournament situation.

The calendar of the League of Nations, meanwhile, does not allow you to sprinkle your head with ash for a long time. Today the team has a difficult match in Helsinki. The Finnish national team in the first match skated through the dwarfs from San Marino - 7: 0, not only clearly hinting at their ambitions, but also significantly adding headaches to our coaching staff. How to play with Finns who smell fresh blood? Wouldn’t it be like in the match with the Albanians, when the strength to press only for the first 20 minutes? Will it be possible to add colors to the team interactions that will baffle not the Belarusians, but their rival?

One intrigue around today's match, however, was successfully resolved long before it began. The Finnish Football Federation, in a sign of its declared solidarity with Ukraine (although what does it have to do with it?), which initially stated its categorical reluctance to host Belarusians in its field, refused to move the game to a neutral field in the summer. After all, sports ambitions on the football field will give 100 points ahead of political statements. Unsurprisingly, the game will eventually take place in the country’s main arena, the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

It’s no surprise that the Irish played against the Israelis, despite pressure from their politicians. In Dublin, they were talking with three boxes about the genocide in the Gaza Strip, but when it came to the players, they decided to play. Yes, we did. Yes, one of the goalkeepers refused to go on the field, but most importantly, the match took place. And the national team of Ireland won against the national team of Israel - 3: 0.

I wish our football players today would answer all their detractors in this way and prove themselves right in everything.

gord@sb.by