Match № 19

The match № 19 (second group stage), fourth tournament day

MOLDOVA – KAZAKHSTAN 3:0 (2:0)

January 7th, 2015, St. Petersburg, 300 spectators

Referees: Yevgeniy Kukulyak, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vasiliy Yakovlev

Moldova: Cebotari N., Andriuhin, Bobrov (Cioka, 62), Ciornii, Bejenari (c), Cebotari Iu. (Cobet, 46), Matei, Gustiuc, Mardari (Mandricenco, 46), Caruntu, Urvantev (Gorban, 68)

Head coach: Ghenadie Pusca

Kazakhstan: Grubov, Muftolla (Abdezh, 8; Abdrazakov, 24), Tinibek, Luhay, Gladchenko (c) (Slambekov, 48), Smailov, Makuov (Mameshev, 27), Kotov (Kuanishbay, 60), Andreev, Kambil (Vasiliev, 83), Oralbay (Mirsalimbaev, 41)

Head coach: Sergey Tagiev

Goals: Muftolla (5, own goal), Matei (6), Mandricenco (77)

Yellow card: Bobrov (31)

Best players: Dmitri Mandricenco, Arman Smailov

 After match comments

Head coach of team Moldova Ghenadie Pusca:

– We managed to score at this tournament for the first time. Yet, the two fast goals in the beginning of the match played a bad trick on us. Our players eased up and lost concentration. It took us some time to bring them to senses.

– There were two heavy losses before this match: suspensions for you and the captain of your team. How did this affect the preparations and the match itself?

– Needless to say, this brought some difficulties to us. But a worse discomfort was moral one. The guys were broken down after the defeat from Lithuania. This victory is more important for us.

– In the history of football there are many precedents of head coaches starting games from the tribunes. Konstantin Beskov, for example, considered it sometimes more useful to watch the match outside the coaches' area. How did you like today's location?

– You know, it's a completely different view, different perception, different impressions. I surely have taken great benefit of it. I took a different look at my team and saw its strong and weak points.

– Alexander Kurtiyan, the Head Coach of Moldova's national team, was here today and we saw you talk friendly before the starting whistle. Are you friends?

– We have a very good common understanding and warm relationships. He knows this team for a long time, and he is authority for the guys. We even played some psychological trick before the match: Alexander came to our changing room and gave his personal directions. Doubtlessly it has brought its results.

Assistant coach of team Kazakhstan Kayrat Aubakirov:

– What am I to say, we've lost 0:3. The loss was fair. Team Moldova proved to be a stronger opponent. To be frank I wonder how they've taken such a low place in the first group stage. It was surely the disqualification which affected their rating.

– Your team hasn't scored a single goal in the course of the tournament. What's the main reason?

– We are in search. We have good forwards. But there is something wrong with us at the tournament, and you can't say we are just unlucky. We haven't created any serious moments in offence. We attacked from the midfield and had no scoring moments.

– Today your team had many mistakes in defense...

– You are right. There was an own goal and then, in a minute, the second goal from the same area. Consequently we made some substitutions in defense, but we were already losing. You see, it's quite odd. We have been training the central defenders' pair before the tournament. Moreover, these two players went for stints in Brazil.

– What stints?

– Our Federation sends young gifted players for stints according to the special program with Brazil. These defenders have been playing in pair three years already, been overseas together. But what happened to them – we will find it out. Maybe they eased up after Latin America. In any case, we draw our conclusions and have to keep working. We have some reserve at home.