On 8 October, Russian Premier Liga players took part in qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 European Under-21 Championships.
2022 World Cup qualifiers
Europe
Group E
Estonia 2-0 Belarus
Lokomotiv striker Vitaly Lisakovich played the full 90 minutes in Tallinn. Belarus suffered their fifth qualifying defeat in a row and dropped to last place in the group with three points. On 11 October, Belarus will play in Kazan against the Czech Republic.
Group G
Gibraltar 0-3 Montenegro
Rubin midfielder Sead Hakshabanovic started the match for Montenegro and was replaced in the 73rd minute. Ex-Dynamo forward Fatos Beciraj scored a double for the winners; his second goal, in the 68th minute, came courtesy of a Haksabanovic assist.
Montenegro are fourth in the group after seven matches, with 11 points. On 11 October, they will have an away game against Norway.
Group H
Cyprus 0-3 Croatia
Rubin defender Filip Uremovic remained on the bench for Croatia. Zenit's Dejan Lovren and Dynamo's Nikola Moro were originally named in Croatia's squad for the October matches, but in the end did not go to the training camp. Having taken three points in Larnaca, Zlatko Dalic's team remain first in the group, ahead of Russia on goal difference (11-1 vs 11-4, with both teams on 16 points each). Cyprus are last with four points.
Malta 0-4 Slovenia
CSKA midfielder Jaka Bijol played a full match as a central defender together with ex-Rostov, Zenit and Sochi player Miha Mevlja. After the victory in Malta and Slovakia's loss to Russia, Slovenia are third in the table with 10 points. Slovenia and Russia will meet in Maribor on 11 October, with Cyprus vs Malta and Croatia vs Slovakia the other fixtures in the group.
Group J
Iceland 1-1 Armenia
Krasnodar midfielder Eduard Spertsyan played 78 minutes and was shown a yellow card in the 74th minute. Rostov midfielder Khoren Bayramyan entered the game in the 64th minute. After seven matches in the group, Armenia are third on 12 points. They are edged out by North Macedonia on goal difference (15-6 for North Macedonia against 8-10 for Armenia). Joaquin Caparros' team will play the next game against Romania on 12 October in Bucharest.
Africa, 2nd round
Group A
Algeria 6-1 Niger
Krylia Sovetov defender Mehdi Zeffane spent the entire match on the Algeria bench. After a crushing victory over Niger, Algeria lead the group on seven points and a goal difference of 15-2. On 12 October, the return game between the teams will take place.
Djibouti 0-4 Burkina Faso
Akhmat striker Mohamed Konate scored his second goal in eight games for Burkina Faso in the 60th minute. In the match against Djibouti, which took place at a neutral venue in Morocco, the striker's goal was his team's last in the match. Having picked up seven points, Burkina Faso are now second in the group. On 11 October, Djibouti and Burkina Faso will play in Morocco again.
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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 8, 2021
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2023 European Under-21 Championships qualifiers
Group D
Belarus U-21 0-2 Greece U-21
Krylia Sovetov youth team defender Dmitry Prishchepa came on as a substitute for the hosts in the 80th minute. Belarus suffered their third defeat in three qualifiers, leaving them second-bottom fifth in the group. In the next match, which will take place on 12 October, Belarus will host Liechtenstein in Borisov.
Group F
Sweden U-21 3-1 Montenegro U-21
Rostov midfielder Armin Gigovic played 67 minutes and scored his first goal for the first time for the Swedish under-21 side. In the 51st minute, the 19-year-old Rostov player scored the second goal for the hosts against Montenegro. Sweden have 10 points in four matches, putting them first in the group. On 12 October, they will play in Monza against Italy, who are second on nine points and a game in hand.
Group H
France U-21 5-0 Ukraine U-21
Lokomotiv midfielder Alexis Beka Beka remained on the bench for France. Thanks to a big victory over Ukraine, France top the group with seven points after three games. On 12 October, France's qualifying opponents will be Serbia, with the match being held in Belgrade.
Photo: Magomed Abasov / Akhmat