Masalitin's Thoughts on the Draw Against Peru

Football expert Valery Masalitin shared his thoughts on the draw recorded in the match against the Peru national team during an exclusive interview with the online publication "Euro-Football.ru."

- Was the draw a disappointing result for you? - Yes.

Under such circumstances and against this opponent, the result is disappointing. In the first half, our team performed well, controlling the ball.

However, the midfielders and forwards lacked sharpness in attack. We noticed the opponent’s mistakes, which was good.

It means they were waiting for mistakes, and Miromchuk and Golovin acted quickly. - What about the second half?

- We lost the initiative and decided to play on counterattacks. Some of our counterattacks were successful.

Sergeyev could have scored if he had been more composed. Then came an unexpected strike and a reply goal.

- Do you think Saffonov’s conceded goal was his fault? - Saffonov had an issue with balance.

His feet slipped, and he fell instead of jumping.

Of course, he is partially to blame for this. As an experienced player, he should have considered the weather conditions and chosen appropriate footwear or cleats.

Overall, the second half left me disappointed. The Peruvians took control, entered the game with short and medium passes, and gained confidence.

Then, unexpectedly, they scored. This is a bitter experience for us, but we need to go through such games.

Fortunately, it was just a friendly match. - Many yellow cards were shown during the match.

Why was the game so rough? - It was due to heightened emotions.

The players tried to prove themselves. - What are your thoughts on the opponent?

- In the second half, we allowed the visitors to breathe and show their game. If we had maintained the pace from the first half, they wouldn’t have had any chances.

- What are your expectations from the match against Chile? How strong is this team?

- I think the Chileans are on the same level as Peru. They closely competed for similar positions during the qualification stages.

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