Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan!

Even the great soothsayer Nostradamus would never define three winners of the group stage of XXIII Commonwealth Cup! Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan were managed to overcome all of their opponents in groups A, B, C referring. That made two potential favorites Russia and RSA both taking second places to face in quarterfinal!

The list of the last places is even more surprising – three neighboring Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia showed a great unanimity to earn fourth places in the stage. Unfortunately to the national teams and their fans, neither Estonia or Lithuania, nor Latvia gained a single victory for any of them. In further, that non-goal period will cease for sure – Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians are to play with each other and some of them will win for sure. «That’s going to be some kind of «Baltic Cup», but with no prizes, » - head coach of Lithuania, Olympic champion – 1988 in staff of national team of USSR Arminas Narbekovas joked gloomy. However that victory (-ies) will have no sweet joy as it usually has, because the neighbours are to fight for 9-12 places in the tournament…

If not to win the specific matches you will lose in general. That is quite fair – it was Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – 4 nationals from 12 participating in the tournament failed to quit the group or to win a single game. Moldova stays aside – not with its geographical situation but with no games to be lost. Still, that kind of pacifism (three draws in three matches) defeated the team of Igor Ursachi. It was 3 gained points out of 9 that made Moldova «odd» in the list of teams taking third places in their groups. While Kazakhstan and Finland are in quarterfinals with only 4 points each.

National team of Kazakhstan tutoring by Lithuanian coach Saulius Sirmelis betted on the result and achieved the appropriate score 0:0 in the game with RSA. That is quite sensitive from the point of tactics of tournament fight, but still that’s a pity with null draw to be the only one within the long 18-matches path of the group stage.

Still there were a plenty of draws, none of them were effective. At group B there were 4 out of 6 possible scores! It is obvious, that is Moldova`s fault creating a mass compromise – their matches ended with 1:1, 2:2 and 1:1 again. Thus, Igor Ursachi`s players played by themselves and let an opponent to do so. The same scheme (score and let in back) was used by Kazakhstan (1:1, 1:1 and 2:1). It means that 27 years old Milan Eshenov and his team have only one victory against Russian youth, but that one brought them a great award – the first place in Group B!

The «desert» of this statistics is in the following. Doubtless «record leader» of the tournament is a national youth team of Belarus! Moreover they do within all criteria. Igor Kovalevich`s team won more than anyone (three victories out of three possible – only Tajikistan managed to do two), scoring more than anyone indeed – 6 goals with losing less than anyone – 0 balls. That «clean sheet» could be sewed only by Belarus goalkeeper Vladislav Vasiluchek…