Midfielder of Zenit and the Russian national team Alexei Sutormin, who was the captain of the national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Slovenia, spoke about the refusal of striker Artem Dziuba to play for the Russians. His words are quoted by “Championship.com”.
The footballer considered that Dziuba had objective reasons to make such a decision. “You can’t say that Dziuba set the national team up. It’s just that Artem got in good shape and started scoring. Dziuba, taking into account his experience and age, can assess his condition himself, “Sutormin said.
Dziuba’s refusal to play for the Russian national team became known on September 21. The forward said that he did not want to let the team down and take someone else’s place, as he did not get in optimal shape. Prior to that, the footballer was included in the expanded list of the Russian national team for the team’s October matches as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifying tournament.
This month the Russian national team beat Slovakia and Slovenia. Following the results of eight rounds, the team of coach Valeriy Karpin became the leader of Group H, gaining 19 points and overtaking Croatia.
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