Turkey hold Russia in last World Cup warm-up match

MOSCOW: Russia extended their winless streak to seven matches with a 1-1 home draw against Turkey on Tuesday in their last warm-up game just nine days before the World Cup kick-off.

German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg midfielder Yunus Malli came off the bench at half-time to cancel out Spartak Moscow right winger Alexander Samedov’s 35th minute opener and deny Russia a first win in eight months.

“The draw seems to be the most fair result though we could have scored more goals today,” Russia’s manager Stanislav Cherchesov said.

“I think we’ve made a qualitative leap ahead by comparison to the match with Austria.”

Turkey, who are rebuilding after failing to make it into the World Cup finals in Russia, started in a lively fashion seeking an early opener but failed to create any serious threat in the opening quarter-hour.

Russia, spurred by the capacity 30,000 crowd at VTB Arena, CSKA Moscow’s home ground, soon took over the initiative pinning the visitors back but Turkey defended stoutly stifling the hosts’ attacks into poorly targeted crosses.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when they intercepted the ball just outside the visitors area and CSKA playmaker Alan Dzagoev found Samedov in the area and he kept his cool to send the ball into the net with an angled close-range shot.

After the break Mircea Lucescu’s side poured forwards in attack in search of an equaliser and Malli pulled the scores level beating Russian ‘keeper Igor Akinfeev with a low shot from 25 yards out just before the hour mark.

Krasnodar forward Fyodor Smolov, Russia’s top scorer in 2016-17 and second this year, missed a chance to restore the hosts lead in the 72nd minute when he sent the ball just inches wide of the right post with a 12-yard shot.

“It was a stirring match for the Russian team,” Turkey boss Lucescu said. “I just felt the pressure in the air ahead of the World Cup start. Meanwhile, for us it was a good experience and I’m happy with the result.”

Russia now have five wins, six draws and nine defeats since Cherchesov took over in August 2016.

Russia kick off their World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia in Group A at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14 and also face Egypt in St Petersburg on June 19 and Uruguay in Volgograd on June 25.

Meanwhile, Egypt are hopeful Mohamed Salah will be available for the start of their World Cup campaign in Russia but the team must find a way to avoid depending too much on the striker, coach Hector Cuper has said.

Liverpool’s Salah is recovering from the shoulder ligament injury suffered in last month’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid when he went off early in the game.

“We hope we won’t be affected, we try to be the same team, we can’t be dependent on one player,” Cuper was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“He’s important but if he’s not fit in time we will be ready with another player. This is football, these things can happen to any player. We could need to substitute him, but we hope that won’t be the case.”

Salah was included in Egypt’s final 23-man squad, with the team’s medical staff suggesting it will be touch and go for the player to be ready in time for their Group A game against Uruguay in Ekaterinburg on June 15.

“Salah is in a stage of recovery not just for treatment on his shoulder,” Cuper added.

“We need to improve his demeanour and his fitness level because the injury has prevented him from training as a normal player.”

Salah, who netted 44 goals in an incredible first season for Liverpool after joining from AS Roma, was voted Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association last month, becoming the first African to win the prestigious award.