RPL players on international duty: Spertsyan scores on Armenia debut, Kvaratskhelia scores second in two games

On 31 March, qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as friendly games, were held.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Europe

Group B

Greece 1-1 Georgia

Rubin winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played the entire match and scored a goal in the 78th minute – his second in the last two games. Arsenal's Gia Grigalava and Ufa's Jamal Tabidze were left out of the game.

Georgia picked up their first point in qualifying and are now fourth in the group. Georgia’s next qualifiers will take place in September: on the 2nd against Kosovo, and on the 5th against Spain.

Spain 3-1 Kosovo

Akhmat’s Bernard Berisha missed the match with Spain after being sent off against Sweden, and his team lost the third qualifier in a row at the start of the group. On 2 September, Kosovo will meet Georgia, Greece on the 5th and Spain on the 8th.

Group C

Northern Ireland 0-0 Bulgaria

Arsenal midfielder Georgi Kostadinov was named in the Bulgaria starting line-up, but was already replaced in the 43rd minute due to injury. After three games, Bulgarian are fourth in the group on one point. In September, Bulgaria will play two qualifiers; on 2 September against Italy and on the 5th against Lithuania.

Group D

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 France

Rostov defender Dennis Hadzikadunic played the entire match against France and was shown a yellow card in the 15th minute. Having scored one point in two games, his country are fourth in the group. On 1 September, they will play the return game against France, and on the 7th they will meet Kazakhstan.

Ukraine 1-1 Kazakhstan

Akhmat’s Marat Bystrov came on as a substitute immediately after the break, with his team already losing 1-0. Thanks to a draw in Kiev, Kazakhstan picked up their first point in qualifying. In September, they will play three matches: on the 1st against France, on the 4th against Finland and on the 7th against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group F

Moldova 1-4 Israel

Tambov's Catalin Carp opened the scoring in the 29th minute, and spent 62 minutes on the pitch in total. The midfielder scored his second goal for the national team, the first coming in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Romania on 14 February 2015. In the next qualifiers, Moldova will play Austria on 1 September, Scotland on 4 September and the Faroe Islands on 7 September.

Group I

England 2-1 Poland

Railwaymen Grzegorz Krychowiak and Maciej Rybus played from the start at Wembley. Krychowiak spent the entire game on the field, and Rybus was replaced in the 86th minute, right after their opponents’ second goal. In the 76th minute, Ural midfielder Rafal Augustiniak made his debut for Poland, while Dynamo's Sebastian Szymanski remained on the bench.

Group J

Armenia 3-2 Romania

Rostov’s Khoren Bayramyan was included in the Armenia starting line-up and was given a yellow card in the first half. After the break, another RPL player appeared on the pitch – Eduard Spertsyan from Krasnodar, making his debut. In the 56th minute, the 20-year-old midfielder scored from Bayramyan's pass, and in the 89th minute, he earned a penalty, from which Armenia scored the winning goal. Ural’s Eric Bicfalvi remained on the bench.

After three matchdays, Armenia top the table in Group J with nine points. They face North Macedonia on 2 September, Germany on 5 September, and Liechtenstein on 8 September. Romania will also play Iceland, Liechtenstein and North Macedonia on the same dates.

Liechtenstein 1-4 Iceland

CSKA defender Hordur Magnusson played the full game, and in the 12th minute provided an assist for Birkir Sevarsson, who opened the scoring. Club teammate Arnor Sigurdsson came on in the 63rd minute, and in the 77th assisted Viktor Palsson, who scored the team's third goal.

Iceland picked up their first win in the qualifiers, leaving them in fifth place on three points. On 2 September, they play Romania, on the 5th, North Macedonia, and on the 8th, Germany.

UEFA European Under-21 Championships group stage, matchday 3

Group D

Croatia U-21 1-2 England U-21

Croatia's youth captain Nikola Moro played the entire match against England. Despite the defeat, Croatia qualified for the knockout stages. Portugal finished top, and although Croatia, England and Switzerland each scored three points, Croatia finished higher on head-to-head goal difference. The Euro 2021 knockout stages will take place from 31 May to 6 June, where Croatia will play against Spain in the quarter-finals.

Friendly matches

Sweden 1-0 Estonia

Rubin defender Carl Starfelt and Krasnodar striker Marcus Berg were included in the Sweden starting line-up for the match against Estonia. Starfelt played the full 90 minutes, and Berg, who scored the only goal, was replaced in the 63rd minute. Two more Krasnodar players - Viktor Claesson and Kristoffer Olsson - remained on the bench. In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Sweden will play Spain next on 2 September, and Greece on 8 September.

Photo: Urartu, Football Federation of Moldova, Swedish Football Union.