Five representatives of FC Krasnodar took part in the MD 2 fixtures of the UEFA Euro 2016 group stage that have been staged in France these days.
We have already informed before on the performance of the Bulls with the Russia national team. It should be added that everything is fine with the three FC Krasnodar players there and they are preparing for the decisive match against Wales with the other players of the team, including Pavel Mamayev who had missed one training day due to an eyebrow cut. Meanwhile in this article we will share how the three foreign defenders of FC Krasnodar playing for their European national teams are doing.
Artur Jędrzejczyk played the whole match for his Poland national team against the FIFA World Cup titleholders from Germany. It was a stubborn clash with both teams worthy of each other, so the 0:0 tie became a rather natural outcome of what had been happening on the pitch. With four points obtained the Poles are confidently ranking second in the Group C leaving the first position to the Germans merely on a tie-breaker due to a worse goal difference. In the final matchday Jędrzejczyk and his partners are to play vs. the Northern Ireland. A tie in this match will secure at least the second position for Poland and a direct qualification past the group stage, but even in case of a loss the players led but Adam Nawałka will still have a big chance to get to the knockout phase from the third position.
Andreas Granqvist spent full 90 minutes on a pitch with the Sweden national team in a Group E fixture vs. Italy. The Swedish team had a minor territorial advantage during almost the whole game, but the fortune smiled at the Italians in the very end, so a precise shot by Éder brought them a minimal 1:0 win. Now the Swedes, third in the group with only a single point earned, are absolutely required to beat Belgium in the final matchday in order to qualify for the round of 16.
Ragnar Sigurðsson played from kick-off to full time in the centre of defense for Iceland in their Group F clash vs. Hungary. In this match the Krasnodar player and his teammates had a stroke of bad luck in the very end, too. Iceland scored an opener on the 39th minute when Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson executed a penalty kick that the northern team had earned with Ragnar Sigurðsson taking a direct part in the event. However, three minutes to the full time Birkir Már Sævarsson scored an own goal while interrupting a most dangerous low cross, so the game ended with a 1:1 tie. Now Iceland has two points, and they have to beat Austria in the final matchday. Still, if Portugal fails to win against Hungary, a tie will suffice for the Strákarnir okkar to advance to the knockout stage.