Verkhovtsov hails Belarus spirit

Belarus defender Dmitri Verkhovtsov hailed his team-mates for their show of character in bouncing back from their 5-1 drubbing by Sweden to claim a hard-earned draw with Serbia on Friday.

'Nothing to lose'
The tall FC Naftan Novopolotsk centre-back admitted Belarus had "nothing to lose" after their terrible start to this UEFA European Under-21 Championship, yet by holding the Serbs, they now go into their concluding Group A game against leaders Italy still in contention for a semi-final place. Verkhovtsov, who collected the Carlsberg Man of the Match award for a performance that typified his side's defensive resilience, said: "After the defeat by Sweden, when we might have been completely demoralised, we got together as a team and spoke about our performance.

Last stand
"We knew that three of the five goals were completely our fault," added the 22-year-old. "Between ourselves, and with the coach's help, we decided that this match would be our last stand. We told ourselves that we would go out and fight, and asked one another not to let ourselves down as a team or as individuals. We promised to cover each other and not to blame anyone if we lost the ball. We were so determined and that explains the result." It also helps explain how a team with only 39 per cent of possession limited Serbia to two shots on target.

Coach's return
Verkhovtsov also paid credit to coach Yuri Kurnenin, back on the bench after his suspension against Sweden. "We felt much more confident with him there. It is much easier to play when you receive instructions from your coach. He could not help us when he was in the stands, but here he passed on instructions and it was a really big advantage to have him back." Kurnenin's players followed one particular pre-match instruction – namely, to play more aggressively – to the letter. Where Belarus committed just nine fouls against Sweden, the count rose to 28 at the Malmö New Stadium.

'Very hard'
This had a downside in increasing the number of free-kicks around the Belarus box, with Verkhovtsov the busiest man on the pitch dealing with high crosses. "It was very hard, but the story was the same for every player, including the Serbs," he said. "I was calm enough, though there was one moment when my heart skipped a beat – in the final minute when Serbia earned a free-kick [that Zoran Tosić curled just over]."

'Task is clear'
Belarus forward Leonid Kovel felt the game opened up in the closing stages when Kurnenin's team began threatening on the break. "Serbia pushed us hard and we answered with counterattacks. I was afraid of conceding a late goal and that last free-kick was a very nervy moment." Now they have to beat Italy in Helsingborg on Tuesday and hope there is a winner in the group's other match. Midfielder Sergei Krivets added: "Our task is clear now. We have to play for a victory against Italy and we will do that." Hopefully, their fans might add, with the same spirit they showed in front of a couple of thousand Serbian supporters in Malmo and just a dozen of their own.