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Upcoming Russia vs. Finland match discussed at the Host City Media Center

Upcoming Russia vs. Finland match discussed at the Host City Media Center

An online-offline news conference on the upcoming Russia vs. Finland match was held at the Host City Media Center in St. Petersburg.

Singer, musician and composer Valery Syutkin said that incentive could be crucial for the success of the Russian national team. He believes the players must feel the drive and do their best, as they did during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

"It is a perfect way to win nationwide love, so I think they need an incentive. I believe that Artyom Dzyuba will find the right words and, just as he did in Moscow, will lead the team into a real attack," Syutkin said.

People's Artist of Russia Oleg Gazmanov compared EURO 2020 to the 2018 World Cup as well. He recalled that in 2018 many people were apprehensive before the games, but Stanislav Cherchesov's team did very well and reached the quarter-finals.

"Of course, I am worried about our team. On the other hand, we were apprehensive during the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well, but our team played brilliantly. And the whole country loved them for this, and not because they reached the quarter-finals, but for the way they soldiered on," Gazmanov noted.

Rostislav Khait, a film/theater actor and EURO 2020 ambassador in St. Petersburg, urged the Russian team to reduce stress, relax and enjoy the game. He said there is no questioning the players' professionalism, and that they only need to relax.

"Our boys are good football players. Personally, I don't have a shred of doubt about that," he said.

Eduard Latypov, director of the Russia Unites fan club of the Russian national football team, mentioned the high organizational standards of the matches in St. Petersburg.

"We travel a lot, including to world and European championships and the Olympics. It's clear to us that nobody can organize major international sports events better than we do, from any point of view, starting with security, comforts and logistics and ending with the arenas. It would be great if we could host more international tournaments," Latypov pointed out.

He added that over 6,000 Finnish fans planned to attend the upcoming match.

The conference participants exchanged views on the potential EURO 2020 winner, naming France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Belgium. Eduard Latypov mentioned that European championships were famous for surprise results and that hence the Russian team should not be counted out.

"Do you remember the shock result in 1992, when Denmark qualified for the tournament at the last possible moment and then went on to win it? Greece became a European champion when nobody even placed bets on it. The Russian team has started off badly, but maybe it will finish the championship off brilliantly," Latypov said.

 

 

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News conference on Russia vs. Finland match
News conference on Russia vs. Finland match
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