Cherchesov came up against a more cunning striker than Haaland. Kazakhstan was “executed” without a chance
Georgy Ilyushchenko September 9, 2024, 23:50 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Sheshko scored three.
In November 2023, Kazakhstan and Slovenia decided in the last round of the qualifying round which of them would go to the European Championship. The latter won. And for the former, taking revenge in the League of Nations, already under the leadership of Stanislav Cherchesov, was a matter of honour. Did it work? You’re welcome.
Both teams are used to playing as number twos. But someone had to take the initiative and the Slovenians did. Unaware of the Kazakh pressure, they constantly rolled the ball through the centre of the pitch and carried it into the opponent’s penalty area. But Alip, Zainutdinov and their partners were more reliable than the Great Wall of China. It’s a pity, only at the start of the match.
The best Slovenia could manage was a long-range shot from Sheshko. At first, they controlled the ball up to 76% of the time. But what’s the point if you can’t turn it into something dangerous? The Kazakhs, however, didn’t create anything at all. The game was extremely dull.
The 23rd minute changed everything. Haaland and Norway did not score against Kazakhstan, but Sheshko and Slovenia showed how it should be done. First, Benjamin escaped from Maly, Alip and Marochkin, beautifully throwing to Shatsky. A masterpiece of individual craftsmanship. And a little later, the rebound from the goalkeeper who played poorly was “eaten” – he stopped Stojanovic’s shot right in front of him.
Benjamin Sheshko
Photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images
The Kazakhs, of course, tried to do something. During the break, Cherchesov replaced Maly and Samorodov with Kasym and Chesnokov. Then Astanova, Skvortsov and Zhaksylykov replaced Orazov, Bystrov and Aimbetov. But it was easier for the Slovenians to resist them than for a gold medalist in a mathematics school to solve an equation using a discriminant.
It would be great to see how good Kazakhstan is in attack, how Oblak saves one shot after another. But that didn’t happen. Except that Zainutdinov slightly stretched Ian once. Aspiration, yes. Moments – no. Not a single one worth mentioning. And there Sheshko scored a hat-trick, beating Marochkin in a duel on horseback. In addition, Elšnik and Drkusic almost scored. The Russian coach has a lot of work to do.
Cherchesov said that an AKM was needed to contain Haaland. Sheshko apparently needs at least one tank. After two rounds, Norway and Slovenia have four points each, Kazakhstan and Austria one each.
But before that, Kazakhstan stopped Norway and the Netherlands:
Cherchesov still stopped Haaland. And you didn’t even need a gun
