Senior coach of the Russian youth team Ivan Shabarov explained the reason for Dinamo Minsk’s defeat.

Unfortunately we made a lot of mistakes in defense and in the first half we didn’t play correctly in terms of organizing defensive actions. In the second half we also made many individual errors, which led to many goals conceded. In general we tried to play until the end, to win back. I was happy that they didn’t give up, but tried to snatch a draw. Today, at the start of the match, the boys who were least called up to the national team came out, and at the end those who started the last match, that is, they tried to distribute the load evenly.

I would like to point out some good performances in attack, there was good interaction between the group of players, which is good, but we still need to improve in defensive play. Why were you able to turn the game around so much at the end of the match? Did the exits of Alexander Koksharov and Igor Dmitriev have an impact? Dmitry Kuchugura, Dmitriev and Koksharov are now in good shape, they feel and understand each other well. They did what others might not have been able to do. These actions predetermined the end of the match; we forced the opponent to defend himself and not think about attacking. In the end, however, there were many moments in which we didn’t handle the ball well and didn’t make the decisive shot.

If you look back, this year we tried to consider as many players as possible. Two trips were made exclusively by children born in 2005, because it is important not to forget them. Those players who demonstrate a good level helped us in the retreat, where the backbone was made up of players born in 2004. Therefore, I am happy that we have some reserve and depth in the squad. Overall, the year went well in terms of reviewing candidates and delving deeper into the list.