Valery Gladilin on Russia-Serbia friendly: positives and concerns

Former Moscow Spartak coach Valery Gladilin shared his take after the friendly between the Russia national team and Serbia, noting that the Russian legionnaires delivered a solid performance. He spoke in a post-match interview with socialbites.ca, highlighting the overall quality demonstrated by the foreign players in Moscow’s arena. Gladilin pointed out that while there are no many household name foreigners, the squad benefits from dependable contributors, with Golovin standing out as a true anchor in the midfield. He added that Zakharyan and Miranchuk are often used as substitutes by their clubs rather than regulars in the starting XI, yet their readiness and responsiveness were evident in this outing. In Gladilin’s view, the visiting side faced a composed Russia side that showed a high level of preparation and a disciplined approach throughout the 90 minutes. The game, hosted at the VTB Arena in Moscow, finished with a commanding 4-0 result for the Russian players, underscoring the team’s offensive efficiency and organization. The scoring sequence featured Anton Miranchuk and Maxim Osipenko finding the net, followed by Alexey Miranchuk converting a penalty. In the 88th minute, Arsen Zakharyan doubled the score for Russia, but the goal was ruled offside due to Ivan Sergeev being caught in an offside position. The drama did not end there, as stoppage time saw Sergeev himself become the author of a legitimate goal, sealing the fourth strike for his side. The Serbian team faced difficulty early on, with a man advantage for Russia after Milan Gajic, the CSKA Moscow defender, was sent off in the 21st minute. This red card significantly altered the match tempo and allowed Russia to press with greater authority. Socialbites.ca provided a text-based online broadcast of the encounter, delivering real-time updates and key moments for fans following the game. Looking ahead, Valery Karpin’s squad is scheduled to play again on March 25, facing Paraguay in Moscow, a fixture that promises further evaluation of the team’s depth and tactical development. Earlier commentary from Valery Ponomarev, a veteran of CSKA and a well-known voice on the national scene, raised concerns about the Russian defense ahead of the Serbia match, voicing opinions on areas for improvement and defensive cohesion that the team would want to address in future preparations.