On 16 November, Russian Premier Liga players took part in qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, 2023 European Under-21 Championship, 2022 European Under-19 Championship, and friendlies.

2022 World Cup qualifiers

Europe

Group D

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-2 Ukraine

Rostov defender Dennis Hadzikadunic played the entire match for Bosnia and was shown a yellow card at the end of the match. Bosnia finished fourth in the group with seven points, and Ukraine finished runners up to make the play-offs. One of Ukraine’s goals in Zenica was scored by former Ufa player Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Group G

Montenegro 1-2 Turkey

Rubin winger Sead Haksabanovic played 57 minutes for the hosts. Montenegro took the lead in the fourth minute after a goal by ex-Dynamo forward Fatos Beciraj, but then conceded two goals and lost. Turkey retained the second place in the group and advanced to the play-offs, where they could face Russia. Montenegro ended fourth with 12 points.

Twelve national teams will take part in the European playoffs; 10 group runners up, and two group winners from the Nations League. The participants will be divided into three paths of four teams each, with two semi-finals and a final in each path. The semi-final games will be held on 24 March, with the finals on 29 March.

South America

Colombia 0-0 Paraguay

Dynamo defender Fabian Balbuena picked up a yellow card in 90 minutes on the field, and will thus miss the next match. Zenit’s Colombian midfielder Wilmar Barrios was banned for the game after collecting too many bookings.

After 14 matches, Colombia are fourth in the table on 17 points, while Paraguay are ninth on 13. Qualification in South America will resume in the winter: Colombia will face Peru (at home) and Argentina (away) while Paraguay take on Uruguay (at home) and Brazil (away). Preliminary match dates are 27 January and 1 February.

Africa, 2nd round

Group A

Algeria 2-2 Burkina Faso

Akhmat striker Mohamed Konate did not play for Burkina Faso due to suspension, and without him the national team could not make it to the third round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Algeria took first place in the group with 14 points, leaving Burkina Faso two points behind.

Group B

Tunisia 3-1 Zambia

Rubin defender Montassar Talbi played 90 minutes for Tunisia against the Arsenal’s Kangwa brothers for Zambia; Evans started the game and was replaced in the 88th minute, while Kings came on in the 62nd minute. Tunisia, after topping the group on 13 points, will continue to fight for a place at the World Cup but Zambia finished third on seven points.

Group C

Nigeria 1-1 Cape Verde

CSKA striker Chidera Ejuke did not come on for Nigeria. Taking one point in the game against Cape Verde, Nigeria won the group and advance to the next stage.

The third round of African qualifiers will be held in March 2022. The 10 group winners from the second stage will be divided into five pairs by drawing lots. The opponents will play two matches against each other, and the winners will advance to the World Cup Finals.

Asia, 3rd round

Group A

Iraq 0-3 South Korea

Rubin midfielder In-beom Hwang spent 82 minutes on the pitch as South Korea defeated Iraq, for whom former Zenit and Russian national team coach Dick Advocaat works. South Korea are second in the group with 14 points, two points behind Iran but eight ahead of the UAE.

The Asian qualifiers will continue in the winter with two rounds, in which the South Koreans will play away with Lebanon and Syria. Preliminary match dates are 27 January and 1 February.

Syria 0-3 Iran

Zenit striker Sardar Azmoun scored in his second Iran match in a row. In the 33rd minute of the match with Syria, the 26-year-old striker opened the scoring with his 39th goal in 60 games for the national team. In the previous round, Azmoun's goal helped beat Lebanon 2-1.

Iran continue to lead the group having scored 16 points, with five wins and one draw in six games. In the next two games Iran will host Iraq and the UAE, with the matches scheduled for 27 January and 1 February.

2023 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers

Group D

Liechtenstein U-21 0-4 Belarus U-21

Krylia Sovetov defender Dmitry Prishchepa played the full 90 minutes against Liechtenstein. Belarus won their second game in six qualifiers, having also won the return game 6-0 against Liechtenstein at home. Belarus have earned six points and are fifth in the group. In the spring, they will play one match on 26 March, when they take on Cyprus away.

Group G

Slovenia U-21 1-1 Czech Republic U-21

Khimki defender Dusan Stojinovic played the entire game for Slovenia as captain, but after leading and playing with a man advantage from the first half, his side missed out the victory. Slovenia occupy fourth place in the group on eight points after six games. At the end of March, they will play two fixtures against Kosovo: the first will be held away, and the second at home.

2022 European Under-19 Championship qualifiers

Group 2

Faroe Islands U-19 0-5 Russia U-19

Russia’s youth side completed the first stage of Euro 2022 qualifiers with a major victory over the Faroe Islands. Krylia winger Sergey Pinyaev scored a double, with the other goals coming from CSKA’s Eduard Bagrintsev, Dynamo striker Yaroslav Gladyshev (who has scored in all three matches) and Rubin’s Ivan Savitsky.

Earlier, Stanislav Korotaev's team beat Greece 1-0 and Germany 3-1 in the group and advanced ahead of schedule to the elite round of the Euros. The next stage will take place in the spring of 2022.

Friendlies

Kazakhstan 1-0 Tajikistan

CSKA midfielder Baktiyor Zaynutdinov scored the only goal in the game against Tajikistan and played until the end of regular time. Kazakhstan’s victory was earned by the Armyman's strike in the 12th minute with what was Zaynutdinov's ninth goal in 21 matches for the national team. Akhmat defender Marat Bystrov missed the game in Nur-Sultan.

In March, Kazakhstan will meet Moldova in two Nations League play-off matches for the right to remain in League C.

Belarus 1-0 Jordan

Lokomotiv striker Vitaly Lisakovich remained on the bench for Belarus against Jordan. Thanks to the victory, Georgy Kondratiev's team broke a series of eight consecutive defeats in all games.

Georgia U-21 3-2 England U-21

Ural midfielder Luka Gagnidze made his debut for Georgia under-21s and played the full match against England. A month earlier, the 18-year-old played for the Georgian under-19 side in the Euro 2022 qualifiers and helped the team to the elite round, where Russia will also perform in the spring.

Photo: Anna Meyer / Zenit; RFU