Russian national team coach Karpin: “Peruvians did not surprise me. Their goal – not even a moment, as far as I’m concerned”

Russian national football team coach Valery Karpin stated in an interview with Match TV that he was not surprised by Peru’s performance in the BetBoom friendly match. The meeting in St. Petersburg ended in a 1-1 draw. ‘I liked [Russia’s] defense, they pressed well. I can’t remember any [opponent’s] chances. The goal – not even a moment, as far as I’m concerned. In terms of attack… It was slow, especially in the first half. There was a lack of speed in passing and ball handling. We hardly played with one or two touches.’ In the second half, they spent more time on their half of the field. Perhaps they ran out of steam somewhere, they didn’t press as they should have. Peruvians did not surprise me. As we expected, they defended with five defenders. We were prepared for that. The Peruvian national team is a solid team in terms of player level,’ Karpin stated to Match TV. On Saturday, the Russian national team will face Chile at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi. The match starts at 18:00.