Osipenko Says He Couldn't Believe They Conceded a Goal

Defender of the Russian national team, Maksim Osipenko, shared his views with 'Match TV' following the match against Peru. "Valera scored at the end of the game for the Peru national team.

How did that goal happen? Honestly, it was an illogical goal.

We switched to a 5-4-1 formation and solidified our defense. Perhaps the opposing player received the ball between the lines and shot from a long distance.

Safonov might not have seen the shot or the ball swerved awkwardly. All I can say is that it was just luck." "According to those who watched and commented during the match, they said we lacked speed.

The pitch was a bit heavy, but still, the advantage was on our side. Since no second goal was scored, the tension remained.

If we had scored a second goal, the outcome of the game would have been decided." "Who should have scored the second goal? In my opinion, Sergeyev had the opportunity." "Was switching to a 5-4-1 formation part of the game plan?

Of course, in such changes, we lose one player in the center. Someone had to play more compactly.

If Safonov had been in top form, he would have easily stopped such shots." "When I saw the ball in the back of our net, I couldn’t believe we conceded. They barely had any chances.

We were controlling the ball in the middle. They neither attacked nor created dangerous situations.

I don’t know if Safonov slipped or not, but their player shot from about 30 meters, and Safonov failed in this situation, resulting in a goal." "How comfortable is it to play with variable combinations in the national team? For me, it’s comfortable because I have often played in defense alongside Melyokhin.

We understand each other well. In the national team, every player can replace another.

The best players from across the country are gathered here. So, it doesn’t matter who you play with.

The team has been assembling for a long time; there are no new players, so there are no issues." Read “Zamin” on Telegram!