MOSCOW, June 2 (Sputnik) - Former Soviet Union forward Sergey Andreyev told Sputnik on Saturday that Russia’s performance during a recent friendly with Austria ahead of the FIFA World Cup was "alarming."
Russia lost 1-0 to Austria in Innsbruck on Wednesday, and struggled to create many attacking opportunities.
“Russia’s performance against Austria is very alarming, the team just could not get going. And the talk about players being under physical exertion is not an excuse. That's what team captain Igor Akinfeev said after the game. I agree with him. Going forward Russia were poor and I don't know what can be done to improve it [the attack]. The friendly with Turkey will show what the Russians can do in three days," Andreyev said.
Andreyev praised 38-year-old defender Sergei Ignashevich, saying the veteran’s performance was "way above" the rest of his teammates.
The Russian national team will play its final friendly before the World Cup against Turkey in Moscow on June 5. The tournament starts on June 14, with the host nation facing Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay in Group A.
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