1997 in Russian Football - National Team

National Team

Russia national football team came second in their qualification group for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They lost to Italy in the playoffs for the second-placed teams and did not qualify for the World Cup. Boris Ignatyev was the head coach, with Yuri Syomin assisting throughout and Leonid Pakhomov assisting from the third game on.

  • February 7, 1997 / Carlsberg Cup / Yugoslavia - Russia 1-1 (Drobnjak 40' Kocić 90' - Popov 62') / Hong Kong, Hong Kong Stadium / Attendance: 25,430
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Khlestov (Bokov, 78), Tsveiba, Chugainov, Popov, Kharlachyov, Veretennikov (Alenichev, 46), Yanovskiy, Tikhonov (captain), Simutenkov, Kanishchev (Kechinov, 88).


Penalties
Mihajlović
Savićević
Drobnjak
Ćurčić
Mirković
Govedarica 		5 – 6 Simutenkov
Tikhonov
Alenichev
Popov
Bokov
Kharlachyov


  • February 10, 1997 / Carlsberg Cup / Switzerland - Russia 1-2 (Thüler 80' - Simutenkov 23' 26') / Hong Kong, Hong Kong Stadium / Attendance: 20,167
Russia: Cherchesov (captain), Bokov, Chugainov, Tsveiba, Popov, Alenichev, Tsymbalar (Veretennikov, 88), Yanovskiy, Kharlachyov, Gerasimenko (Kanishchev, 77), Simutenkov.
  • March 12, 1997 / Friendly / Yugoslavia - Russia 0-0 / Belgrade, Stadion Crvena Zvezda / Attendance: 32,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Khlestov, Chugainov, Popov (Kharlachyov, 64), Tetradze, Karpin, Onopko (captain), Kanchelskis (Alenichev, 74), Beschastnykh (Tsveiba, 46; Bokov, 85), Kolyvanov, Simutenkov (Gerasimenko, 86).
  • March 29, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier / Cyprus - Russia 1-1 (Gogić 31' - Simutenkov 33') / Paralimni, Paralimni Stadium / Attendance: 3,199
Russia: Cherchesov, Popov, Chugainov, Tsymbalar (Gerasimenko, 69), Tetradze, Karpin, Onopko (captain), Kanchelskis, Mostovoi, Kolyvanov, Simutenkov.
  • April 30, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier / Russia - Luxembourg 3-0 (Kechinov 20' Grishin 55' Simutenkov 57' - Strasser 56') / Moscow, Dynamo Stadium / Attendance: 10,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Radimov (Zubko, 68), Kovtun, Kosolapov, Tetradze (Popov, 26), Chugainov, Onopko (captain), Alenichev, Beschastnykh (Grishin, 46), Kechinov, Simutenkov.
  • June 8, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier / Russia - Israel 2-0 (Radimov 8' Kosolapov 38') / Moscow, Dynamo Stadium / Attendance: 30,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Radimov, Nikiforov, Kosolapov, Yanovskiy, Tsveiba, Onopko (captain), Alenichev, Grishin (Yesipov, 90), Cheryshev (Kovtun, 83), Beschastnykh (Tikhonov, 61).

The next game was officially billed as "Russia All Stars vs. FIFA World XI" and does not count as an official Russian national football team game. It was held to commemorate 100 years anniversary of football in Russia and 850 years anniversary of the founding of Moscow. Uwe Gospodarek, who played in this game, never actually played a game for Germany national football team.

  • August 18, 1997 / Friendly / Russia All Stars - FIFA World XI 0-2 (Djorkaeff 55' Guerrero 82') / Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium / Attendance: 62,000
Referee: Pierluigi Collina.
Russia All Stars: Ovchinnikov (Cherchesov, 46), Kovtun (Pagayev, 46), Nikiforov (Chugainov, 46), Popov, Kosolapov (Yanovskiy, 46), Kanchelskis (Grishin, 46), Onopko (captain), Alenichev (Kharlachyov, 46), Kolyvanov (Tikhonov, 46), Veretennikov, Simutenkov (Cheryshev, 46).
FIFA World XI: Zubizarreta (Gospodarek, 46), Vega, Suárez, Verlaat, Matthäus (captain), Djorkaeff (Tsveiba, 78), Guerrero, Winter, Papin (Abédi Pelé, 46), Effenberg, Shevchenko (Beschastnykh, 58).
FIFA World XI coaches: Bobby Robson and Bora Milutinović.
  • August 20, 1997 / Friendly / Russia - Yugoslavia 0-1 (Beschastnykh 69' - Jokanović 87' (pen.)) / St. Petersburg, Petrovsky Stadium / Attendance: 9,000
Russia: Cherchesov (Ovchinnikov, 46), Tsveiba, Nikiforov, Yanovskiy, Kosolapov (Tikhonov, 46), Kanchelskis (Beschastnykh, 46), Onopko (captain), Alenichev, Kolyvanov (Grishin, 62), Khlestov (Kovtun, 62), Cheryshev (Simutenkov, 46).
  • September 10, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier / Bulgaria - Russia 1-0 (Ivanov 56') / Sofia, Vasil Levski National Stadium / Attendance: 55,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Kovtun, Nikiforov, Kosolapov (Khokhlov, 46), Yanovskiy, Tsveiba, Onopko (captain), Kanchelskis, Alenichev, Kolyvanov, Simutenkov (Cheryshev, 76).
  • October 11, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier / Russia - Bulgaria 4-2 (Alenichev 14' 57' Kolyvanov 41' (pen.) Yuran 52' (pen.) - Gruev 68' Kostadinov 78') / Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium / Attendance: 21,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Popov, Chugainov, Tsveiba, Yanovskiy, Tikhonov, Onopko (captain), Alenichev (Kosolapov, 82), Yuran (Veretennikov, 67), Kolyvanov, Simutenkov (Radimov, 46).
  • October 29, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier, play-off first leg / Russia - Italy 1-1 (Cannavaro 52' (o.g.) - Vieri 50') / Moscow, Dynamo Stadium / Attendance: 20,000
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Radimov, Chugainov, Popov (Tikhonov, 78), Yanovskiy, Kovtun, Onopko (captain) (Tsveiba, 43), Alenichev, Yuran, Kolyvanov, Kanchelskis (Khokhlov, 46).
  • November 15, 1997 / 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier, play-off return leg / Italy - Russia / 1-0 (Casiraghi 53') / Naples, Stadio San Paolo / Attendance: 76,500
Russia: Ovchinnikov, Kovtun, Nikiforov, Onopko (captain), Popov, Radimov (Semak, 66), Khokhlov, Yanovskiy (Simutenkov, 60), Alenichev, Yuran (Beschastnykh, 79), Kolyvanov.

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