St Petersburg (DPA) – The Russians would have liked to play this very important game on their court. But the November 2019 draw wanted things differently and gave group rivals Denmark, not Sbornaja, a third match at home in a head-to-head encounter.

Coach Stanislav Chercheso’s team will now have to travel for the match on Monday evening (9pm). But the starting position, vastly improved with a 1-0 win over newcomers Finland, gives confidence that reached the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals.

Marked improvement in Sbornaja

“It was an important victory at the right time,” said goal scorer Alexei Miranchuk. “We did the job and now it’s moving forward. This is football.” The Sbernaga did not perform well in front of about 25,000 spectators in the modern arena, but there was a marked improvement compared to the clear 3-0 defeat to fellow candidate Belgium.

On the other hand, the Finnish arrivals missed a huge opportunity after their 1-0 win over Denmark – which was overshadowed by Christian Eriksen’s collapse – and came very close to the knockout stage. “The last 16 is the goal,” said national team coach Marco Canerva. “We wanted to win here, or at least a point. I think we deserved at least a point.”

The Finns are now against the favorite group المجموعة

The 57-year-old wasn’t entirely wrong, eventually his side looked brave again and meanwhile cheered a goal for Joel Bohjanpalo, who was only withdrawn due to minimal offside. “It’s not the first time this has happened to me,” Union Berlin’s Kicker said. “It’s the way it is in football at the moment and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

After two matches away from home against the Danes in Copenhagen and the Russians in St Petersburg, a game on neutral ground against the Finns is finally waiting for Monday night (9pm). Back in St. Petersburg against Belgium candidate for the group. “Belgium is one of the strongest teams in the tournament, so it’s a big challenge. I hope we can make our dream come true,” Kanerva said.

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