SPORT The Times Thursday, September 17, 2009 11 Successful rehearsal in Time to build new team Stuttgart ’ national football team plays qualifying matches for 2010 World Cup, By Kirill Karin to be held next summer in the South African Republic

Belarus’ national team wins — Andrey Shevchenko of Ukraine silver at European Mixed Table and of Belarus — Tennis Championship showed their worth. Active play Th e fi rst stage of the tournament from both sides continued after in Serbian Subotica brought together halftime, with the Belarusians 20 pairs from 10 countries, divided succeeding in creating many dan- into four groups — fi ve pairs in each gerous moments near the Ukrain- group. Two winners from each group ian net. However, they failed to received ‘tickets’ to the fi nals, where turn these into goals, bringing an ‘Olympic system’ is used. Belarus the match to a 0:0 draw. was represented by three pairs: Vitaly “Ukraine should have won Nekhvedovich and Veronica Pavlovi- and Belarus wanted to win,” noted ch; Alexander Kuchuk and Alexandra Stange at the after-match confer- Privalova; and Yevgeny Shchetinin ence. He believes that this and the and Victoria Pavlovich. Th e fi rst two previous match in Croatia demon- pairs failed to go through to the next strate that the Belarusian national round, with only Yevgeny and Vic- team can play at a high level. “We toria achieving the top eight. Aft er were showing ourselves to be the four victories in the group tourna- best twice, but failed to turn this ment, they sailed through the ¼ and into goals. In these matches, we fi nal rounds, but lost in their decisive were on the verge of scoring four match against Ruta Paskauskiene of times. This is the point where Lithuania and Aleksandar Karakase- major football begins. If we are vic of . to make the team of the future, Th e head coach of Belarus’ na- much work needs to be done.” tional team, Alexander Petkevich, is According to him, before the pleased with the results, saying, “We match, the team planned to fight viewed this event as a preparatory for third place in the group, but stage for the European championship now can only aspire to finish the and Yevgeny and Victoria have dem- tournament worthily. Before the onstrated brilliant play on its eve.” end, two more matches lie ahead: BELTA against Kazakhstan in Brest on Match between Belarusian and Ukrainian national teams in Minsk proves uncompromising struggle October 10th and against England Knocked By Yuri Karpenko especially evident in the second defeat eliminates our chance to in London on October 14th. The half, when BATE Borisov half- reach the next round. Alas, we English team has already secured out of After the unconditional defeat defensemen Igor Stasevich and haven’t achieved our target.” itself first place in its group, de- of the Belarusian team by Croatia Sergey Krivets and forward Leo- The next qualifying match feating Croatia at home 5:1 and Champions’ slightly over a month ago (1:3), nid Kovel joined the match. Three in Minsk against the Ukrainian placing itself out-of-reach of its League it seemed that nothing extraor- advantageous moments were set team didn’t give any tournament rivals in terms of points. dinary would happen at the next up by them but haste and insuf- ‘dividends’ to our squad, while Mr. Stange believes that, al- Failing to get to the match in Zagreb. The host team ficient technical mastery foiled the guests only needed three though his team has failed to Champions’ League major was too strong and a wide gap their plans. Moreover, Croatian points to continue their strug- reach the 2010 World Cup finals, round, Minsk Dynamo separated it from ’s goalkeeper Vedran Runje did an gle for a ‘ticket’ to the South it has now gained valuable expe- players switch to EHF team in the FIFA ratings. How- excellent job of defending his African Republic. The red-and- rience at a high international lev- ever, an away match at Maksimir net, deservedly winning the title green team significantly compli- el, playing against strong teams. In the Champions’ League fi rst Stadium and a further home ‘hero of the match’. The Belaru- cated the task for the Ukrainians Alexander Hleb, Vitaly Kutuzov, qualifying group, held in Mac- match against the Ukrainians sians disappointingly managed to (claiming 2nd place in Group 6). , Timofey Kalachev edonian Skopje, Belarus’ champion brought excitement for Belaru- score an own goal in the middle The teams know each other well and Sergey Kornilenko are the came second, losing to local Vardar sian fans, who were pleased with of the first half, when defenseman and immediately rushed into at- top players, leading their younger in their decisive match — 24:34. At the results. Dmitry Verkhovtsov deflected tack, both setting their sights on colleagues to the next qualifying the beginning of the fi rst half, the In Zagreb, in contrast to the a long range shot — putting the victory. Most of the first half saw stage of the European Cup. Many Dynamo players led but the hosts home match, the Belarusian team score at 0:1. a hurricane tempo and beautiful have already tested their strength gradually seized the initiative. Th e demonstrated more substantial Belarus’ head coach Bernd combinations from both teams. in the finals of the UEFA Euro- teams were fi ghting to break the play, despite the absence of lead- Stange noted that, after the match Despite the absence of scored pean Junior Football Champion- draw. During the second half, our ers Alexander Hleb and Vitaly in Croatia, his team received goals, the goalkeepers were forced ship. The Belarusian team could squad began making mistakes and Kutuzov. They deserved a draw, many compliments, adding, “It’s to keep their eye on the ball. In reach the Euro-2012 finals, held Vardar, strongly supported by its if not victory. Our advantage was pleasant when you win but this the first half, the two star captains in and Ukraine. fans, took ten points. Vitaly Kozhe- nevsky and Sergey Onufrienko were the most successful on the Belarusian team, each scoring fi ve. Crusade aiming Previously, Dynamo had beaten Budućnost of Montenegro 35:27 and Turkish Beşiktaş 32:25. for Gagarin Cup Th e handball players from Vard- ar will continue their matches in the Champions’ League while our Min- Continental Hockey League Championship skers will perform in the lower tour- nament — the EHF European Cup. kicks off, uniting best clubs from Russia, In the second qualifi cation round, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan Alexander Malinovsky’s trainees will twice meet Turkish Milli Piyango in By Yuri Kovalev games per season. 10 in the play-off s and to October. In the Bobrov Division, get through to the Gagarin Dynamo starts new CHL season with a match Th is season, the 24 CHL Dynamo Minsk is joined Cup’s second round. Dy- against St. Petersburg SKA teams were divided into four by Dynamo Moscow and namo Minsk head coach Belarusian Hockey Fed- that it’s impossible to create divisions by geography, with Dynamo Riga, as well as Glen Hanlon has appointed eration, Vladimir Naumov, a good team in a couple of Eastern and Western confer- Spartak (Moscow), SKA Finnish national team for- noted pragmatically before months, especially when it’s ences — similar to the North (St. Petersburg) and CSKA ward Ville Peltonen as cap- the beginning of the season, a hockey squad. I think, this American NHL — divided (Moscow). Th e Minskers tain while Canadian Byron “It’ll be diffi cult for Dynamo year, Dynamo will perform into two divisions each. held their fi rst match in St. Ritchie and Belarusian An- to win the Gagarin Cup or at a middling level in the Each team plays four times Petersburg. drey Mikhalev (the team’s the highest medals. It takes CHL championship. How- against the teams of its divi- Th e task of the Belaru- captain last season) will be time to put a solid team to- ever, anything is possible in sion and twice against the sian team for the forthcom- assistants. gether and this squad is in sport and we can hope for Minsk handball players attack other teams, for a total of 56 ing season is to reach the top Th e Chairman of the its infancy. Everyone knows miracles.”