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Confederations Cup 2017: Hosts Russia take on New Zealand as team's clash for the first time since 1982

Jun 17, 2017 

By AFP

St Petersburg: Hosts Russia kick off the Confederations Cup against New Zealand in Saint Petersburg on Saturday, targeting victory in their opening match to set the tone for a successful tournament.

But Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov, appointed after the country's disastrous Euro 2016 campaign, predicts a tricky encounter as he oversees his first competitive match in charge.

The former Russian international goalkeeper has set his squad the ambitious task of winning the Confed Cup, a tournament that serves as a tune-up for next year's World Cup.

"We're ready to face a likeable New Zealand team but we expect a difficult match (on Saturday)," he told reporters on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the opener along with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino at Saint Petersburg's purpose-built World Cup 68,000-seater stadium.

"For us it's a privilege and honour to represent our country. Our team welcomes Russia's president watching our matches.

"And we naturally want to achieve better results than our team showed recently."

It will be the first meeting between Russia and New Zealand, the champions of Oceania, in the post-Soviet era. The USSR beat New Zealand 3-0 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Organisers have laid fresh turf at the Krestovsky Stadium to allay fears over the condition of the pitch that prompted Zenit to shift their final league match to their former ground.

Russia have produced mixed results since Cherchesov's arrival with three wins, three draws and three defeats.

'Full of optimism'

They salvaged an impressive 3-3 draw with Belgium, but that followed a 2-0 home defeat to Ivory Coast — Russia's first loss to an African team — and a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Qatar.

However results in recent friendlies — a 3-0 win in Hungary and a 1-1 draw with Copa America holders Chile — have given the country's football fans some hope.

"We've worked hard and I believe now we're well-prepared for the opening game," Zenit midfielder Igor Smolnikov told Russian TV.

"But we will be able to check whether we've done everything right only once we play in official matches.

"We're all feeling brave and will take things on full of optimism. Hopefully, the arena in Saint Petersburg will be a lucky venue for our team."

New Zealand are appearing at the Confed Cup for the fourth time, although the All Whites are still hunting for a first victory in the eight-team competition.

Anthony Hudson's side are through to the final round of regional World Cup qualifying and will play Solomon Islands in a two-legged play-off, but New Zealand suffered 1-0 defeats to Northern Ireland and Belarus in recent friendlies.

Hudson though insists his players are raring to go in Russia.

"We're 100 percent ready. We have a very, very good team, we have some good players in our team and the objective for us is to do something significant," he said. "We're very optimistic coming into this tournament.

"There is no point in us being here if we're not trying to win. The first game for us is Russia and we want to win that game. And we will go into the next game with the same mindset. We know they are strong but we have no fear of them.

Caveatemptor:
Was he in that jail film "Penitentiary"?

judgedredd22:
.

Elcapo:
I laughed like a mad man in the car when I read this... **punch Drunk**
"It's from my village" those really kraked me hard

gbosaa:
Virgil Hill destroyed Lasisi. What's the claim. Lasisi did well in the continent but fumbled when he went global.

He beat Joe Allotey of Ghana so bad that Allotey was seeimg double. Allotey later claimed that Lasisi fought him with 'black magic' aka juju. Jerry Okorodudu said the same thing about Lasisi using babalawo power but they were all rubbish. Lasisi was better..

scalpel:
A certain Konyegwachie was Nigerian boxer Efe Ajagba's coach in Rio last year. Am sure its the same person.

Nice throwback naptu2

Boxing has always been our sport,same with the sprints.

johnie:
Thanks for the mention.

Joe Lasisi still insists that his loss to Virgil Hill in their world title clash is the US was because the fight was staged in there and he received no support from the Nigerian government.

According to him, the only other Nigerian apart from his training crew at the fight was a journalist.

As a matter of fact, one interesting thing he said in an interview years later is that he was offered American citizenship just before the fight.

According to him, if he had taken up the offer he would have won the bout.

He turned down the offer according to him, because he would have seemed ungrateful to Nigeria.

Isn't it interesting that just a few years later, our athletes began switching nationality without batting eyelids.

Francis Obikwelu and Glory Anozie readily come to mind.

johnie:
Jeremiah (with jerry curls) Okorodudu had returned from the LA '84 Olympics with a medal.

Because of his exploits at the Olympics, he was very much in the news.

Turning pro, Jerry had to take on Joe Lasisi for the national title.

The hype for the match was much given Jerry's exploits at the Olympics and Joe's unbeaten KO-laden antecedents.

However, it proved a mismatch with a Joe triumph.

Joe then proceeded to take on the world champion, American Virgil Hill in the US.

That proved too much for Joe who was beaten black and blue. Seemed his 'juju' could work only on African soil.

Jerry went on become Olympics boxing coach for Nigeria.

Jerry himself had been under the tutelage of another former Olympian, Isaac Ikhuoria when he went to the Olympics.

Remember Davidson Ande?

johnie:
Joe Lasisi?

Ishilove:
Ebube Dike!!

Ahusubillahi!!!

Ishilove:
I'm gonna archive this post. MrCork actually made sense!

Caveatemptor:
Yes,you are correct as usual.
Leon Kennedy looked like Sugar Ray my apologies.
What is your opinion about Arguello versus Pryor?

Caveatemptor:
Was he in that jail film "Penitentiary"?