In 2017, the fans of the Russian national team had a unique opportunity to see their team at the Confederations Cup. After all, we cannot hope that our team will get there not as the host country of the World Cup, but as the winner of the world or continental championship, in the near future, alas, is not necessary.
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
- Tournament hosts: Russia.
- Dates: June 17 - July 2.
- Number of participants: 8.
- Winner: Germany.
- Top scorers: Timo Werner, Leon Goretzka, Lars Stindl (all - Germany) - 3 goals each.
- Best Player - Julian Draxler (Germany).
- Best Goalkeeper: (Chile)
The composition of the groups as a result of the draw was as follows:
- Russia, Portugal, Mexico, New Zealand.
- Germany, Cameroon, Chile, Australia.
Tournament innovation
Video replays are a revolutionary innovation that all experts and fans have been waiting for, some with bright hopes, and some with indignation. It was agreed that they can be used in controversial situations when a goal scored, assigning a penalty, sending off and determining the player who should be punished for breaking the rules.
I will say right away that the use of video replays exceeded all expectations, skeptics had virtually no arguments left in favor of abandoning the innovation. More on this below.
Ceremony and opening
The opening ceremony of the tournament took place in St. Petersburg, at the stadium of the same name, which in Russia is called "Krestovsky". About two thousand people in the theatrical show talked about the traditions, history, culture and nature of Russia.
Group stage
Group A
In the opening match, the Russian national team confidently, albeit not without difficulty, defeated the New Zealand team with a score of 2: 0. It was clear that our guys are trying, playing with full dedication. We were concerned that these trump cards alone would not be enough for us in the matches with the Portuguese and Mexicans.
In the end, it turned out that way - in the debut of the game with the European champions, the defense of the Russians yawned Cristiano Ronaldo, and the attack could not score. The Russian national team started the match with Mexico great: the players moved a lot, created chances and opened the score. But then they conceded a quick return goal, and in the second half they were noticeably addicted physically. In the case of the second goal of the Mexicans, it was not without a mistake by Igor Akinfeev, whose mistakes in the game for the national team have become commonplace.
The favorites of the group, the Portuguese and the Mexicans, parted in the first round (the Mexican team fought back in the time added by the referee), and then dealt with weaker opponents. The only difference is that the Portuguese did this relatively easily, while the Mexicans did it with quite a lot of tension.
Returning to the topic of video replays. In the match Portugal - Mexico, one goal of the Portuguese was canceled, and the other, on the contrary, was counted after the promoter by the referee of the video. It took some minutes, and the decisions made did not raise any questions.
As for the New Zealand national team, it has not demonstrated anything except fighting qualities. However, no one expected her otherwise. In a duel against the Mexican national team, the New Zealanders even opened an account - this was done by the representative of the Championship from Leeds, Chris Wood.
Group B
In this group, the national teams of Germany and Chile were stronger than their competitors, although the Australians and Cameroonians resisted desperately. The fate of the matches Chile - Cameroon and Germany - Cameroon was decided in the last ten minutes, the Australians fought to the end with the Germans, and in the match with the Chile national team they completely drew, keeping the chances of leaving the group until the end of the match.
At the same time, I would like to note that Joachim Löw decided to check the nearest reserve and the not the strongest variant of the German national team came to the tournament. However, the choice of players for the Germans is so great that in such a composition they were the favorites of the tournament, having managed to confirm this in practice.
Semi-finals
Chile 0-0 Portugal, 3-0 on penalties
The teams played a double-edged match, jointly inflicting 30 shots on goal, but failed to score in 120 minutes. Although in their last attack the Chileans should have done this, but the ball hit the frame twice in a row.
And the penalty shootout turned into a benefit performance by Claudio Bravo, who managed to reflect all three penalties! I confess that I have never seen anything like it.
Germany - Mexico 4: 1 (2: 0)
It seems that the Bundesmanschaft players got used to each other during the tournament, at least the German national team played better than in the group stage. By the 8th minute, the scoreboard was burning 2: 0, the author of both goals was Leon Goretzka.
After that, the Germans slowed down, and the players of the Mexican national team went ahead and created some very dangerous moments. The German goalkeeper Marc-André Ter-Stegen worked hard (he saved 8 shots on target in total), and the Mexicans ruined a number of moments themselves.
In the 59th minute, Timo Werner finally removed all questions, and at the end of the match the teams exchanged goals.
3rd place match
Portugal - Mexico 2: 1 (0: 0, 1: 1, in extra time - 1: 0)
Regarding the holding of matches for the third place, the question periodically arises as to why they are needed. This meeting did not raise such questions - the match turned out to be interesting and dramatic.
In the 13th minute, the Portuguese were entitled to a penalty, and the referee took advantage of the replay. But it was Andre Silva's kick that pulled in (the Portuguese had some kind of curse from the penalty spot in this tournament!).
At the very beginning of the second half, the central defender of the Portuguese national team Neto sends the ball into his own goal, and already in the time added by the referee, his colleague Pepe equalizes the score.
In overtime, the Portuguese got another penalty, and this time Silva was accurate. The teams ended the match with incomplete compositions - Portuguese Nelson Semedu and Mexican Raul Jimenez were sent off the field. Interestingly, both represented the same club - Benfica.
2017 Confederations Cup Final
Germany - Chile 1: 0 (1: 0)
The tournament ended with a decent finale. The beginning was for the Chileans - they pushed the Germans to the goal and had several good chances to score. And how he failed to finish off the ball after Ter-Stegen's save, which parried Arthur Vidal's blow, he probably did not understand either.
In the 20th minute, the Germans punished the opponent - Timo Werner robbed Marcelo Diaz on the line of someone else's penalty area, was not greedy and rolled the ball to Lars Stindl, who was left to hit an empty net.
In the future, the Chileans continued to attack, but the German national team held out, and Ter-Stegen was recognized as the best player of the match.
- Confederations Cup matches were held in four cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi.
- The Russian national team turned out to be the only team that included players from the same championship clubs.
- The author of the best goal of the tournament was the Mexican Marco Fabian (goal in the semifinals against Germany).
- According to FIFA, 36 decisions of the referees at the tournament were made using the VAR system, 6 of them were canceled, each of which influenced the result of the matches. After that, practically no one had any questions about the usefulness of video replays.
- The German national team became the youngest winner of the Confederations Cup, with an average age of 24 years and 4 months.
- tournament was the cat Achilles from the Hermitage. However, he did not receive wide popularity, unlike many of his predecessors. After all, every joke is only good the first time.
We can say that the rehearsal for the 2018 World Cup was quite a success. Let's see how the main performance will turn out.
There are still two years before the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA is preparing the so-called "seed" before the world championship - Confederations Cup 2017 of the year... This tournament will take place in Russia, in four cities.
The participants in this competition will be the strongest teams from six continents, as well as reigning champion of the past world and the country on whose territory the next World Cup will be held. Russia became the host of the 2018 World Cup. Therefore, the season of "experiences" for the Russian fan will begin next year.
Dates of the
This tournament is already the eighth in a row. The competition will begin on June 19 and will run until July 2, 2017 in Russia. The group round is scheduled for June 17-25, and the semi-finals are scheduled for June 28 and 29. The main, final match will take place on July 2. The match for third place will also take place on the same day.
In addition to the dates of the Confederation Cup, the football arenas that will take place are also known. First is the Zenith Arena. The stadium can accommodate almost 70,000 spectators.
This complex will host the very first and final final match. In addition to the arena in St. Petersburg, the list of applicants includes: the Moscow arena "Otkrytie", the Sochi stadium "Fisht", and the Kazan "Kazan Arena".
This competition will be an excellent preparation for the upcoming world championship. A year before the 2018 World Cup, the participating country will check how much it is ready to host the main world championship. Thus, maximum organization from city officials and sports functionaries is needed, as well as the mobility of volunteers in preparation for the World Cup.
Who will take part in the championship
Eight teams will compete for gold, silver, and bronze. This list includes six Continental gold medal winners, the winner last championship the world, as well as the country where the 2018 World Cup will be held.
At the moment, seven teams have been identified that will take part in the 2017 Confederation Cup. This is the winner of the Asian Cup - the Australian team, the winner of the championship in South America - the national team of Chile, the winner of the CONCACAF gold medal last year - the Mexican team, the winner of the OFC 2016 Nations Cup - New Zealand, as well as the winner of the cup of the just ended EURO 2016 - Portugal national team.
This list also includes Russia and Germany. The German squad won the last World Cup in 2014, and Russia got into the Confederation Cup due to the fact that it hosts the 2018 World Cup on its territory.
All eight teams were divided into two groups: "A" and "B". The Russian national team got into basket "A".
Winner Predictions
This sports tournament appeared not so long ago. The forerunner of the competition was the King Fahd Cup, which was played in the 92nd and 95th years. Under the leadership of FIFA, these competitions began to take place in 1997.
The national team that has won a record number of victories in this championship is Brazil. The players of this team raised the coveted cup over their heads four times. France ranks second in victories. In their piggy bank of trophies, there are two cups of this tournament. Argentina, Danes and Mexico each have one gold, if we take into account the King Fahd Cup.
Taking all the circumstances into account, the Conference Cup cannot be classified as an "exhibition" Cup. Players fight for prizes not only in every second of the match, but even die, in the truest sense of the word. Such a tragedy happened in 2003. During the semi-final match between Mexico and Cameroon, a footballer from the African team died.
Who will be the winner in the future fight for the Confederation Cup in 2017 is difficult to even guess. There is still a year before the start of this football holiday.
Tournament ticket prices
Free ticket sales for this football event will begin in the second quarter of this year. However, the opportunity to book tickets is already present today. The cost of a lucky ticket to one of the most beautiful football arenas ranges from 4,000 to 15,000 rubles.
The discrepancy in price between the first category and VIP seats is already more than 10,000 rubles. By the way, these are only prices for group round matches. How much a ticket to the most decisive, final match will cost, it's even scary to imagine.
Afterword
There is still a lot of time before the Conference Cup 2017. The last participant of this competition has not yet been determined and the logo of the upcoming football tournament has not even been created. The specific ticket prices are also not known and most of the issues related to the organization of the 2017 Conference Cup have not been resolved. So there is no clear picture of what the future tournament will look like and what it will look like.
Well, fans of the Russian national team should be patient. No one knows how the domestic squad will show itself at this cup, especially after such a serious failure at the last European Championship 2016. But, note, once in the Confederation Cup, the prize was taken by modest Mexico, so everything is in the hands of the national team.
Every year, Orthodox believers in Russia celebrate a holiday -Nativity of the Blessed Virgin .
This day is celebrated by the Orthodox Church as a day of worldwide joy. The blessed event took place in the small Galilean city of Nazareth (according to other sources - in Jerusalem).
The parents of the Virgin Mary, the righteous Joachim and Anna, did not have children for a long time. Anna and Joachim were sterile, and in those days this was considered a punishment for the sins they allegedly committed. Because of this, the couple endured bullying from their compatriots, and absolutely not justified, since they behaved very decently.
Despite constant ridicule, the future parents of the Most Holy Theotokos did not lose hope that someday they would have a child, and passionately prayed to God for this. In addition to prayers, they prepared themselves for the high title of being the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the future mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, with a virtuous life and worthy behavior.
When Joachim and Anna were already in adulthood, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to them and told the good news that their prayers had been answered and that they would have a daughter, Mary, through whom salvation would be granted to the whole world.
The full name of the holiday sounds like this:
Nativity of the Most Holy Lady of our Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
Other events on September 21:
* Day of military glory dedicated to the victory of the Russian regiments in the Battle of Kulikovo. Six and a half centuries ago, Russian troops led by Dmitry Donskoy fought the hordes of the Golden Horde. The battle took place on the Kulikovo field and marked the beginning of the liberation of Russia from the rule of foreign invaders who came from the East.* International Day of Peace... The event was established by the United Nations and is dedicated to "establishing world peace", and most importantly - ending the wars. On September 21, the opposing sides temporarily cease the conduct of hostilities (introduce a "ceasefire regime").
* World Day of Russian Unity- so far this is an unofficial holiday, which has been celebrated on September 21 since 2010.
Confederations Cup- football tournament among national teams, held under the auspices of FIFA... The tournament is preceded by Soccer World Cup and takes place exactly one year before it in the host country World Cup... Eight teams take part in it: the winners of each of the six continental championships ( European Championship, America's Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Asian Cup, OFC Cup and African Cup), as well as the current World Cup winner and host country. In 2017, the tournament will be held for the 8th time. Host country Confederations Cup 2017- Russia
The predecessor of the tournament - King Fahd Cup... The first Confederations Cup took place in 1997. At first, it was held every 2 years, and since 2005 - every 4 years in the host country of the World Cup a year before it.
All Confederations Cup winners: Brazil(KK-1997, KK-2005, KK-2009, KK-2013), France(KK-2001, KK-2003) and Mexico(CC-1999).
Top scorers in tournament history: Cautemock Blanco(Mexico national team), Ronaldinho(Brazilian national team) - 9 goals each.
Participants of the 2017 Confederations Cup: Russia, New Zealand, Portugal, Mexico(group A), Chile, Australia, Germany, Cameroon(group B).
Russian national football team in 2017 will take part in the Confederations Cup for the first time.
Kazan is a city in the Russian Federation, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan... The population of Kazan is 1 million 216 thousand people. Kazan was founded in 1005. In 2005, the city celebrated its millennium. Kazan Kremlin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city stands on two rivers - the Volga and Kazanka. Kazan has hosted sport competitions continental scale: European Weightlifting Championships 2011, summer Universiade 2013, 2014 Fencing World Championship, 2015 FINA World Championships... In 2017, the city will host the Confederations Cup matches. The match will take place here on June 24, 2017 Russia - Mexico... Kazan will also host five matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"KAZAN ARENA"
A stadium in Kazan that will host the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup matches. Used by football club"Rubin" for holding matches of the Russian football championship and other competitions. Also took place here Universiade 2013, 2015 FINA World Championships. Capacity: 45 379. First football match: August 17, 2014 Rubin - Lokomotiv (1: 1)
Moscow is the capital of Russia, a city of federal significance, the largest settlement in the country. Population of Moscow- 12 million 330 thousand. The first mention of the city dates back to 1147. The Moscow Kremlin, Red Square, Novodevichy Convent and the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the only Russian city to host summer Olympic Games . Olympics 80 became a significant event in the history of Moscow. The largest sports competitions are held in Moscow every year. In 2017 Moscow will host matches Confederations Cup, world championship in clay pigeon shooting, tennis Kremlin Cup... Also in 2018, matches of the FIFA World Cup will be held here.
STADIUM "SPARTAK"
The stadium in Moscow will host the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup matches. At the present time, the stadium is used by the Spartak football club for holding games of the Russian football championship and other competitions. Since 2014, the stadium has hosted six matches of the Russian national football team. Capacity: 45,000 people. First football match: September 5, 2014 Spartak - Red Star (1: 1)
ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg is the northern capital of Russia, a city of federal significance. Population - 5 million 225 thousand people. Previously, St. Petersburg was called Petrograd (1914-1924) and Leningrad (1924-1991). The city was founded in 1703 by Peter I. The historical center of St. Petersburg and related complexes of monuments are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city stands on the Neva River on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. It will take place here Confederations Cup opening match, the game Russia - New Zealand June 17, 2017 and the final of the tournament on July 2, 2017. The city will also host meetings of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. St. Petersburg is one of the main sports centers in the country. Zenit (football, basketball), SKA (hockey) are based here Wikipedia: St. Petersburg
KRESTOVSKY STADIUM
Football arena in St. Petersburg, which will host the matches of the 2017 Confederations Cup, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2020. Since the spring of 2017 - Zenit's home stadium. Capacity: 67,800 people. First football match: April 23, 2017 Zenit - Ural (2: 0)
Sochi is a city in Russian Federation located in the Krasnodar Territory. Population - 401 thousand people. The city was founded in 1838. The race of the world famous Formula 1 “Grand Prix of Russia” is held here every year. Sochi is the only Russian city to host the Winter Olympic Games. Winter Olympics 2014 became a significant event for the city. Here at the Olympic stadium "Fisht" matches of the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup will be held.
"FISHT"
The stadium in Adler, built for the 2014 Olympic Games. The opening ceremony and the closing ceremony of the Olympics took place here. Closed for reconstruction after the Olympics. The arena will host the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup matches. Capacity: 40 000. First football match: March 28, 2017 Russia - Belgium (3:3).
The Confederations Cup is a football match between national teams. It is held every four years by FIFA. The winners of the world championships on the continents, held by six confederations, the national team of the host country and the one who wins the world championship participate here. Understanding what the Confederation Cup in football is, it will be easy to understand - there are eight teams participating at once.
The meaning of the competition
If the winner of the World Championship is considered the winner and the competition is on the continent, the finalist is invited to participate in the tournament. In 2005, a non-standard situation happened. Then Brazil was the world champion and won the continental battle, and Germany hosted the cup. The free 8th place in the list of teams was offered to Argentina, which at that time was the silver medalist of the American Championship.
How it all began
The origin of the cup is due to the competition of the King Fahd Cup, held in Saudi Arabia... In 1997, the first Confederations Cup was officially organized and approved by FIFA, and since then it has been held every 2 years. The Championship will be hosted by a team from the country that won the world competition last year. Since 2005, the Cup has been held every four years in the host country of the World Cup, a year before its start. Thus, the Confederations Cup is a kind of rehearsal for the World Cup.
What will happen and who will come to the 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup?
At the moment, all 8 participants in the competition are still unknown. While the official list contains
- Russia is the host of the Championship
- Germany is world champion
- Chile is the holder of the American Cup;
- Australia is the first Asian Cup team
- Mexico - owner of the CONCACAF prize
In the summer, you will find out about the two participants in the competition. These are the winners of the Oceania Cup and the famous Euro 2016. The last participant will be determined after the African Cup of Nations. If Germany is the winner of the Euro, the continental finalist will replace it.
Where and most importantly when will the game take place?
In 2017, the Confederations Cup is planned to be held from June 17 to July 2. All matches are planned in Kazan, both capitals, as well as at the Sochi stadium of the Fisht Olympic facility. The tournament draw was scheduled for November 26, and it will be held in Kazan.
Tournament grid
- Group "A" -matka - Russian team.
- Group "B" -matka - German team.
The grid consists of two groups of 4 teams. Everyone who will take the first two places in the groups will advance to the semifinals. The losers of the semi-final will fight for the third place so that the winners will meet in the final bout.
