Exactly thirteen months ago, just three days after the start of the invasion in Ukraine, the Russian national team was banned by FIFA from all international competitions on its territory, with every home match having to be played on neutral territory. and behind closed doors. The next day, she was purely and simply excluded from the calendar, as well as her clubs.
Since then, the “Sbornaïa” has replayed. But for the first time since November 2021, a meeting was played on Russian soil. It was this Sunday at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg. In front of nearly 24,000 spectators (out of a capacity of 68,000) according to Reuters, Russia won against Iraq (2-0), with achievements from Miranchuk (50th) and Pinyaev (58th), two players who play at Lokomotiv Moscow.
The last match on Russian soil dates back to November 11, 2021. The selection coached by Valeri Karpin then crushed (6-0) Cyprus in the World Cup qualifiers. Three days later, she played her last official match, which ended in a defeat in Croatia (0-1). She then had to compete in the play-offs to go to Qatar.
Since then, Russia have played four friendly matches, against Kyrgyzstan (2-1), Tajikistan (0-0), Uzbekistan (0-0), Iran (1-1) last Friday, and therefore Iraq.
