Belarus national football team claims victory in the group of the League of Nations

Beating Finland with a score of 1-0, the Belarusian team has the right to look at the November segment of the League of Nations with great optimism. “From now on, it’s up to us,” says the team, which rightfully claims one of the top two spots in Group C1.

Artem Shumansky scored the fastest goal in the history of the Belarusian national team. Photo provided by the press service of ABFF Only Facts • 21-year-old striker of the Belarusian national team Artem Shumansky in the match against the Finns scored a goal in the 14th second. This goal was the fastest in the history of our national team. The previous record for 20 years belonged to Timofey Kalachev, who printed the gates of the national team of Albania (2: 2) in the 41st second of the match of the qualifying tournament of the European Championship - 2008.

• The national team of Belarus for the first time in history defeated Finland. Previously, the team played four times with Suomi in a draw and twice lost with a goal difference of 4-7.

• Viktor Gancharenko repeated the record of Anatoly Baidachny in the national team of Belarus, who also achieved five victories in the first eight meetings.

• Taking into account the unsuccessful attempt of Zakhar Volkov in the match against the Finns, the players of the Belarusian national team have realized only half of the penalty since 2012. Over the past 14 years, our players have missed 9 out of 18 shots. At the same time, from 1992 to 2011, the players of the national team were flawless in the execution of penalties - 15 out of 15.

• Right now, the national team of Belarus has become the rudest team in the League of Nations. Our team has 70 fouls and 13 yellow cards in four fights.

• Goalkeeper Fyodor Lapoukhov came in second place in the number of “crackers” in official matches for the national team of Belarus. The 23-year-old goalkeeper of Sofia CSKA already has six games “for zero”, ahead of only Yuri Zhevnov (10).

• In the updated FIFA ranking, the Belarusian team rose by two positions. Now the wards of Viktor Gancharenko are in 94th place, beating Bahrain and China in the list. Having lost due to their own mistakes in Tirana (0: 2), the Belarusians in three other matches of the Nations League proved themselves in all their glory. They survived in Helsinki under the onslaught of the hosts and could even win. We beat San Marino with four goals in the second half. Now they won the second official match in a row, defeating the same Finns at home in Budapest. At the end of the four-game cycle, we could get good news from the capital of Albania. Visiting there, the San Marino team sensationally held until the last minutes, but still minimally conceded, missing the decisive goal from the penalty in the 93rd minute (1: 2). The place of Belarusians in the C1 group is now second, and the calendar of the remaining meetings is very favorable.

On November 12, our guys will go to San Marino to win. In case of success in the game against the weakest team of the FIFA rating, the Belarusians will have 10 points, and this will turn the meeting with the Albanians scheduled for November 15 in Budapest into a kind of final.

- Well done, because from the first day that we started, gave everything in each match - the head coach of our team Viktor Gancharenko in the winning dressing room did not spare words of praise to the wards. It was such a clear match where: (a) they gave everything; (b) there was no such thing that someone did not work 99 percent. Guys, we all have good games in clubs right now, it's good to have a good stretch until our next break. And now we all know that everything is in our hands. We will go in the next match, do everything possible to win San Marino, and then we will watch. Instead of commenting on the outcome – only spoil the impression. It is clear that well Shumansky, who with a fine blow justified all the advances previously issued to him. Excellent, not sparing themselves and their legs and heads, selected in defense - respect. They would have scored a penalty and would not have to argue endlessly with the referees at the end, which is why the team (and its staff) clearly went overboard with yellow cards. But Zakhar Volkov at the insistence of the coach took the ball from Shumansky and did not score. The further course of the match resembled the usual defense of the besieged fortress, and here it is worth rejoicing only that the Finnish jump was not enough for the return ball.

It is clear that now only the first step has been taken, and certainly do not overly praise the players for half the work done. However, for some time before the decisive segment of the tournament, the national team of Belarus did not have theoretical chances to win it?!

gord@sb.by