#Russian Goalkeeper

[streetreporters]

Transfer: PSG Secures Russian Goalkeeping Talent Safonov in a Strategic Five-Year Deal

In a swift move marking the opening of the transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has made a significant addition to their squad by securing Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov on a contract extending until 2029. The 25-year-old’s transition from his home club Krasnodar, where he has been a standout performer since 2017, is a testament to his impressive capabilities between the…

[snovyda]

Watched a documentary about the (now legendary) football games between the national teams of russia and Ukraine in 1998 and 1999. The sheer levels of imperialistic fascism the russians were displaying leading up to those games is just typical. And yes, both those games took place before putin came to power, russians have just always been like that.

Patches and pins "russian invasion of Ukraine 1998" were popular among the russian fans leading up to the first game in Kyiv:

The rhetoric in the russian media about Ukraine not really being a separate country intensified.

For the record, russia lost that game 3:2.

But all of this is nothing compared to the second game, in Moscow in 1999. Russia needed only to win in order to move on in the tournament. Ukraine could settle with a draw. And that is when the true madness unfolded.

Probably the best known episode was this headline in one of the biggest sports newspapers in russia:

You see, they had a player with the last name "Khokhlov". So, on the surface level, the headline says, "Kick, Khokhlov, save Russia!" However, if you read out the headline, it also says "Kick [slur word for Ukrainians], save russia!". The slogan is a paraphrase of one of the main slogans of the russian Black Hundreds (ultra-reactionary, ultra-nationalist pogromist monarchist movement in the russian empire in early 20th century), only in the original versions there was the slur for Jews there instead. The russians were very proud of that pun. It was everywhere at the time.

Vladimir Putin, who was the russian prime minister at the time, was present at the game. The way the russian commentators already went out of their way to keep singing his praises for no reason is a good indicator how russians tend to make a cult of personality around everyone who happens to be a figure of authority.

And then the game finished with a draw 1:1 after an unbeliavable goal by Andriy Shevchenko (and due to a mistake from russia's goalkeeper):

Putin got really upset. He stopped showing up at such sporting events for years after this.

The bus with the Ukrainian national team got attacked on its way to the stadium before the game (according to Shevchenko, russians threw bottles at it) and especially after the game (with all sorts of objects being thrown at it, from beer bottles to rocks).

Absolutely typical. And one of the clearest views of ruscism.

[whilereadingandwalking]

I have some new followers, so....Get to know me! Here are 11 fun facts:

If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing now, I would love to be a travel planner.

I’ve kept a journal faithfully since 8th grade.

English peas are one of my favorite foods. The big ones, that you have to shell.

USWNT star and soccer commentator Carli Lloyd has me blocked on twitter.

I showed horseback riding when I was young, and won a 3rd place ribbon on a horse named Dee.

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are weird or picky about tap water.

I'm basically white and European, but my breakdown is 1/4 Dutch/English, 1/4 German, 1/4 Spanish/Greek (Sephardic Jewish), and 1/4 Russian/French/Polish (Ashkenazi Jewish).

My favorite travel destination was Amritsar in Punjab, India. Close 2nd goes to Mexico City.

I played soccer as a goalkeeper for a decade and was a varsity rower through all of college (we rowed on the Chicago River!)

I make very good challah bread, thanks to my grandmother's recipe.

I’m obsessed with the smell of fresh lilac.

[protect-daniel-james]

He would come back to his cold appartment (the nervous habit of turning off the heating every morning as he was leaving had its effect; the ceilings were high and it took ages for the rooms to get warm once he came home and turned the heating on again), sit down to his desk and try to go through the papers of printed texts that the translator made for him, all very basic stuff about the football terms so he could at least get the simplest of messages across to the players. As long as there were parallel Spanish words and sentences listed next to the Russian ones, he felt safe, although he would always slip into reading the familiar forms instead of trying to decrypt the Cyrillic alphabet. Then he turned to the page that consisted only of the Cyrillic text in paragraphs of eight, ten lines. Not even looking at the opposition team's striker running straight at the shaky goalkeeper of his club has ever made him feel so exasperated. There, he could always hope in the sudden brilliance of his players; here, he was lonely in his fight. The lines made him feel dizzy, not even the familiar As and Os could save him. How was he supposed to ever figure out anything here? The lines of unintelligible gibberish blurred before his eyes. 

I want him gagging I want him desperaze I want him dry heaving I want ---

[ddagent]

Presents: softball coach!Sheridan

PRESENTS: John is a Girl Dad I am hosting a Birthday Month Promptathon - prompt me things!

Unfortunately, I know *nothing* about softball (or baseball) so I went with a sport I've actually competed in before. I hope you enjoy!

Thank you to Jumpnow for the Minbari dictionary; Ah'ard means 'My light'.

“Shoot it! Shoot it! Yeah!”

John Sheridan thrust his fist into the air, pulling three tugs on his whistle as his eldest daughter, Della, sunk a goal into the opposing team’s net. He applauded loudly, joining the other parents in celebrating the 2-1 advantage that the Babylon Furies had accomplished. John’s opposing number, Coach Smith, threw off his baseball cap and began yelling at the referee – and the goalie. John just shook his head. They’re twelve, John shouted over the sounds of the referee’s whistle. Such a man should not be coaching.

As gameplay took a break for Coach Smith to be admonished by the referee, number 3 of the Babylon Furies joined John at the side lines. Della wrapped both arms around his middle, squeezing him tight. He pressed a kiss to the top of her ponytail. “You did good, sweetheart. Real good.”

Continue Reading Below or Read at AO3

“Thanks Dad. Coach.” The whistle sounded again. Della, team captain, threw him a salute. “No surrender—”

“—no retreat!”

Della returned to the field, high-fiving Julie Franklin, one of her best friends, before taking a starting position. It wasn’t long before the Babylon Furies had possession of the ball and Della was, once again, striking home with a goal. If they kept this up, they would be in for another winning season. The Furies had been blessed with victory ever since John had taken over four years before. His goddaughter, Sofie, had been grateful for him to come aboard – their previous coach had not been as effective at drawing out the best in the girls. He also hadn’t cared for when Sofie muttered under her breath in Russian but John knew all the bad words by now, after years of working with her mother, Susan.

But while John had no issue with the girls he coached, their mothers were another story. He saw them, on the parent line. Whispering, waving. He had overheard more than a few comments about the tightness of his t-shirt over his arms – the tightness of his shorts during Wednesday training as he and the girls ran drills. A few waved to him now; he waved back with the hand bearing his silver wedding band. Yes, I know I’m Coach ‘Sexy’ Sheridan. Yes, you added my wife to the group chat before you realised and she accused several of you of sexual harassment. Bite me.

Thankfully, the whistle for end of game blew and John could turn his attention back to his girls. Della was diving around the pitch, high-fiving her teammates. Julie was on the back of the goalkeeper, Na’Leth. Mariella and Leah were doing some new dance they’d probably seen on social media. And John – John couldn’t have been prouder.

“Congratulations, Coach Sheridan. Another stunning victory.”

John tore his gaze away from his beaming daughter to stare at his lovely wife. She had opted for one of his football tees, the black and green of the Babylon Furies, underneath an ebony, knee-length coat. John drew Delenn into his arms, receiving the kiss he had been denied that morning when he and the team had left at five for warm up drills. Her thumb traced the smudge of leftover face paint from his cheek. He responded with a kiss.

“Good morning.” Another peck to her lips. “How’d David do?”

Their son, still wearing his denn’bok robes, had joined his sisters on the field to celebrate Della’s win. A new pin had been added to his lapel. “Won all but two of his pairings. He has now advanced. Della, she did well?”

“Three goals!”

“Ah’Ard.” Delenn turned proudly to their eldest daughter, currently playing penalty shoot-out with her siblings. David was in goal; Della was guiding Jadenn to kick the ball in the direction of their brother. “We have done well, John.”

He couldn’t agree more. “Three seems to be our lucky number. Three pins, three goals. Three kids. Three gold medals between the pair of us.”

“Three Olympics before you finally admitted your feelings for me,” Delenn teased, stealing another kiss from her husband. “How about we join our children for, uh…two-on-two before we go home for lunch?”

Grinning, John joined his wife and children on the emptying football field. He and Jadenn took one side; Delenn and David the other. Della was in goal, deflecting each and every shot. After Sheridan vs Sheridan drew nil-nil, the five of them headed home. Jadenn sat upon his shoulders, teasing the brim of his baseball cap, as David gave a play-by-play of his competition from earlier that day. Delenn and Della walked, arm-in-arm, speaking in Adronato as she, too, explained her game to her mother.

John loved being a coach. Whatever the score, he always won.

[diemauermoved]

reminder that i do have a female soccer player here <3 she's open to ships. just a wee bit about her until i get her info and all up but :

full name : daniele heidi nikol dimitrova ( goes by heidi )

dob / age : january 9th , 26 years old . ( she was born in stara zagora , bulgaria )

height : 5'4

fc : nina dobrev

position : goalkeeper for bay.ern's women's team and the bulgarian women's national team. wears the # 1 .

orientation : bisexual tho leans more towards men.

small tidbits :

she was bought by bayern for €2 million from wfc lokomotiv stara zagora in 2022 during the winter transfer.

heidi is a bit of a spitfire though , she likes to joke and have fun.

she currently has a small cabin on lake tegernsee.  her hobbies outside of the pitch include wakeboarding, gardening , snowboarding and vacationing in italy. 

bulgarian accent is VERY noticeable. she knows bulgarian ( obvs. ) , german, russian french, italian and english.

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

Magnificent five and goalkeeper! Instead they could simply play mini-football, but no, they decided to go and fight war for Kremlin: Group of dead Russian troops is on the ground somewhere in Ukraine, 2023. Source: ASLAN

P.S. Many of the villages and territories that Russian propaganda declares to have been captured are not actually under their control... 

[xdominiklivakovicx]

Also I forgot to post an ice breaker so here it is;

Name ; Ashley | Ash | Ashie | Trashley

Age range ; 15-17

Nationality ; Croatian 🇭🇷 | Russian 🇷🇺

Pronouns ; She | Her ♀️

Hobbies ; Drawing | Writing | Animating

Interests ; Art | Football | Animation in general | Rock Music

---------------------------------------------------

Since when did you start following football?

Since 2018 when the World Cup in Russia started

Favorite National Teams?

Croatia NT - because they achieved so much those past 5 years, yes I know they like to move games to penalties and play with our nerves, but I still feel like I am part of their family like other Croatia NT fans :)

Russia NT - because I simply like Russian people and I am half one, so I really fell in love with that team. They played so well during the WC in 2018 and during WC qualifiers. I was literally so miserable when I found out they will not be able to participate in Qatar

Serbia NT - idk I love them simply because they are our neighbours and I always love supporting my neighbours during EURO and WC

Who was your favorite player then and why?

(Wow wut a hard question I have asked myself) Livakovic obviously. I know he was being kept on a bench, but I always knew he would be a great goalkeeper, he is our number 1 and very important member of the National Team, yet I didn't post stuff about him at all because I didn't have Tumblr, I was a dumb kid lmfao- but yeah, I can talk about him 'till I die, so yeah I am moving to the next question before I go too far

Do you train football? If you don't, why?

Hell no I don't. First of all; I am very anti-social person (tho there is exclusion when it comes to going on matches I love rooting with other peeps), Second of all; I have very low self-esteem, Third of all; I wanted to be a goalkeeper, but I was always afraid to get goals bc people often get mad at me, fuck them

Favorite clubs?

Dinamo Zagreb - I've been following this club since 2018 after the end of WC in 2018 mainly because of Livi, I love that guy sm he is precious, but the love of this club has grown in 2021 because of its success in Europa League.

Man City - Kova plays in City and he is literally my 2nd fav football player, and one of my best friends roots for City so here we are 👌

Borussia Dortmund - Idk I just love them so much, their mascot is so cute, the club has gotten my hear for some reason 😭

Favorite pic in your gallery?

The one where I took a picture with Livi 💙

What are your favorite bands?

Nirvana

Sex Pistols

Let 3

Termiti

The Beatles

Led Zeppelin

Scorpions

Green Day

Metallica

Rammstein

Daleka Obala

Queen

Ramones

Black Sabbath

Weezer

SOCIALS:

Instagram

- WW2 drawings - x._.unteroffizier._.ashley._.x

- Normal art - punkish._.stoat._.studios

Discord

- TrASHLEY#3627

Artfight

- PunkishStoatStudios

---------------------------------------------------

Idk what to tell about myself anymore, so enjoy this short af info about myself :}

And see ya in the next post lmfao

Also check out my art acc! -> @nikitatheweasel2

[igettalk]

Nations League: Cristiano Ronaldo Scored Another Goal For Portugal Against Poland

Cristiano Ronaldo is not fading soon, as he added a goal to his career for his country side as Portugal defeated Poland 3-1 in their Nations League match that was played in Warsaw. The Al-Nassr FC star has hit the record of 133 goals for Portugal when he doubled the team's lead in the 37th minute after converting a rebound from Rafael Leão’s shot that hit the post. Bernardo Silva found the net in the 26th minute to secure Portugal's early lead after an unsuccessful attempt by Cristiano Ronaldo, where his shot hit the post. Poland reiterated with a goal in the 78th minute from Piotr Zielinski, and the game ended in 3-1 after an own goal from Jan Bednarek to Portugal's advantage. Portugal maintains a defeatless record in Group A1 after this win in their three games, while Poland remains in the third place with three points, coming after Croatia in 6 points and Scotland on 0 points. Belarus were also unable to convert their chances against Northern Ireland in Nations League Group C3 into a goal as both teams ended the match in a goalless draw. The game was played in Zalaegerszeg in Hungary due to Belarus involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has since caused a prolonged war. Liverpool's star and Northern Ireland captain thought he had helped his side secure an early win in the 10th minute after the game started, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Northern Ireland had the better chances of walking away with three points, but Belarus's goalkeeper saved the day by blocking two shots from Jamie Reid and saving efforts from Callum Marshall and Jamal Lewis. Read the full article

[sa7abnews]

‘Before a game I down a nice vodka to tone my muscles’: How the Russian ‘Black Spider’ took football to new heights

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/before-a-game-i-down-a-nice-vodka-to-tone-my-muscles-how-the-russian-black-spider-took-football-to-new-heights/

‘Before a game I down a nice vodka to tone my muscles’: How the Russian ‘Black Spider’ took football to new heights

Lev Yashin remains revered as a benchmark of goalkeeping excellence

The world of football was cast into mourning last December with the passing of Pele, one of the undisputed greats of the game. The death of the Brazilian legend led to tributes from far and wide, as fans reflected on the impact of a man who changed the face of his sport. Russia was no exception, and the men’s national team paid its respects by sharing a poignant image of a smiling Pele. But alongside the legendary forward was another man who earned revered status as part of the same generation – the late, great Lev Yashin.

Read more

The battle for African hearts and minds: Here’s why the West is upset about Russia’s growing influence on the continent

While Pele made his name scoring goals, Yashin forged his reputation by preventing them. A shot-stopper unlike any who had come before him, the Russian remains a benchmark for goalkeeping brilliance, more than 50 years after he played his last game and over three decades after his death. If Pele would be selected to spearhead the attack in many football fans’ all-time fantasy eleven, the name widely picked in goal would surely be Yashin. Nicknamed ‘The Black Spider’, ‘The Black Octopus’, and ‘The Black Panther’ because of his feats of acrobatics and the color of his on-pitch attire – topped off with a trademark flat cap – Yashin was a pioneer as an imposing Soviet shot-stopper who enjoyed a storied 20-year career. Such was his renown, Yashin gives his name to the title annually bestowed on the world’s best goalkeeper by the respected France Football magazine. Monday, March 20, marks 33 years since Yashin’s passing at the age of 60, and will be a day when many reflect on the remarkable life and times of Russia’s greatest football idol.

The Russian national team paid tribute to Pele alongside a legend of their own.

©  Twitter / Russian National Football Team

Working class hero     Born in Moscow on October 22, 1929, into a family of industrial workers, Yashin did not seem destined for footballing immortality. He was not yet a teenager when he started his own factory labors, helping the Russian effort during World War II. Yashin continued his factory work after the war, but suffered what was described as a “nervous breakdown” at age 18 as the experience took its toll.  “Was it depression? I don’t know,” Yashin wrote in his autobiography. “The fatigue accumulated over the years began to make itself felt and something in me suddenly broke. At that time I felt nothing except emptiness.”

Read more

‘He never missed a training session’- Lev Yashin’s widow on her husband’s peerless career

Sport, however, was to be a vital outlet and would open up new opportunities for the young Yashin. Already a keen football and ice hockey player, he was advised by a teammate to volunteer for military service, something which he  described as his “salvation” as he combined football with his new duties. After being scouted in 1949, Yashin was invited to join the youth ranks of Dynamo Moscow – one of the Russian capital’s powerhouse football clubs, which had caused a stir with a groundbreaking tour of the UK in 1945 during which the team impressively went unbeaten in four games against supposedly superior home opposition. Yashin, however, was not to enjoy an auspicious start when he made his debut for Dynamo in 1950, letting in a soft goal that partly contributed to him only playing two league games that year. Also in his way was Alexei ‘Tiger’ Khomich, a revered figure who would keep Yashin out of the team during the early part of his career.

Read more

The Galician genocide: How Russian identity was wiped out in what is now Western Ukraine

Rather than seek a pathway to regular first-team football elsewhere, Yashin became hellbent on making it to the top at Dynamo. He even played as a goaltender for Dynamo’s ice hockey team, winning the Soviet Cup in 1953, showing his versatility as an all-round athlete. “I ran, did the high jump, shot put, discus, took fencing lessons, had a go at boxing, diving, wrestling, skating, tried basketball, played ice hockey, water polo, and football. I spent my winters on skis and skates. I’m not sure what I was best at,” Yashin later recalled.  Hitting the big time Biding his time with his football career, Yashin finally managed to oust Khomich from the Dynamo starting eleven when the latter was injured in 1953. Yashin was to make the position his own, embarking on a glittering era for Dynamo which would ultimately yield five Soviet league titles – four of which came between 1954-59 – and three Soviet Cups. Yashin’s initial success at Dynamo meant the Soviet national team soon came calling. He received his first international call-up in 1954 in a 7-0 win against Sweden, with the next four years truly providing his breakthrough to the big time with glory at Dynamo and gold with the USSR at the 1956 Olympics.

Yashin became a legend at Dynamo Moscow.

©  RIA Novosti

In 1958, an even bigger football audience took note of Yashin at the World Cup in Sweden. His ‘sweepers-keeper’ approach – since popularized again by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Alisson, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – came to the forefront, as did his ability to read the game.  Yashin crossed paths with a 17-year-old Pele and eventual champions Brazil in the group stage. Though the Selecao won 2-0, Yashin limited the South Americans’ account from growing through a string of top saves. The USSR crashed out in the quarterfinals against the hosts, but Yashin was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, with journalists worldwide hailing him as the best in the game.

Yashin pictured with Brazilian great Pele in 1965.

©  Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Two years later, he made up for heartache in Scandinavia by leading the Soviets to the title at the inaugural European Championships in France. The tournament in 1960 was then known as the European Nations Cup, and Yashin kept a clean sheet in the semifinal as the Soviet Union beat Czechoslovakia 3-0. 

Read more

The West thought it would destroy Russia’s economy with ‘sanctions from hell,’ here’s why the plan failed

In the final at the Parc des Princes against Yugoslavia, Yashin saved two free-kicks before being beaten by a deflected shot that connected with his captain Igor Netto. In extra time, Yashin made vital interventions as Yugoslavia tried to equalize Viktor Ponedelnik’s 113th-minute winner. The celebrations were relatively tame in Paris, with runner-up Dragan Sekularac claiming that the “crowds in France wanted western European glamor, not mysterious teams from the other side of Europe” as he commented on the sparse attendance at a reception held at the Eiffel Tower. But upon their return to Moscow, the Soviet team was celebrated like heroes by over 100,000 of their compatriots at a victory parade held in the Central Lenin Stadium (now known as Luzhniki). Bouncing back Yashin’s heroics in Paris were the glory before a fall. At the 1962 World Cup, his errors against Colombia resulted in the game ending 4-4 before the highly fancied Soviets were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage once more by falling to hosts Chile 2-1.  “I was in disbelief that I’d scored past the great Lev Yashin,” Eladio Rojas, who embraced the ‘keeper instead of his teammates, said years later. “I still am. I was overcome with excitement that all I wanted to do was hug him. Scoring past Yashin was like a trophy.”

Read more

Majority party United Russia proposes ‘Russian Football Day’ commemorative date

Yashin was made the scapegoat for the exit in Arica and was branded a “fading force” by L’Equipe. He would likely have been mentally tortured by Rojas and his blunders against Colombia, once posing: “What kind of a goalkeeper is one who is not tormented by a goal he has conceded?” “He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future,” added Yashin, of whom it was later revealed had suffered a concussion in the match against Chile. As all greats do, Yashin made a comeback for the ages by first leading Dynamo to another league title in 1963 and becoming the first and only goalkeeper ever to claim France Football’s Ballon d’Or for the best player in Europe. Yashin credited the spectacular saves he made during an England versus Rest of the World match at Wembley, where Pele was mysteriously absent, with prolonging his career and earning him the award months after the 2-1 loss in a game to mark 100 years of the English Football Association.

Yashin pounces on the ball during a match between England and a Rest of the World XI at Wembley in 1963.

©  Dennis Oulds / Central Press / Getty Images

Considering it to be his greatest achievement at the time, Yashin officially received his Ballon d’Or ahead of a European Championship quarterfinal second leg against Sweden in May 1964, in a match the USSR won 3-1 in front of around 100,000 fans in Moscow. The Soviets would go on to reach the final of the tournament in Spain, but were edged out 2-1 by the hosts in Madrid. Yashin’s international journey continued at the 1966 World Cup in England, though he missed the first two matches due to injury. After returning to action, he led the Soviets to a best-ever fourth place finish following a semifinal loss to West Germany.  Hanging up his gloves Completing two decades of loyal service to Dynamo and over a decade-and-a-half to his country, Yashin hung up his gloves in 1970 after traveling to his final World Cup in Mexico, where he acted as an assistant coach and third-choice back-up. “I don’t know if one man has ever meant so much to one club,” said former Dynamo teammate Igor Chislenko, who along with Yashin was a rare breed as a one-club man. But Yashin meant more to football than simply his allegiances to one club or country. At his testimonial in 1971, 103,000 fans reportedly turned out to see him play for Dynamo one last time against a European team captained by England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton. 

Yashin became a football icon in Russia and far beyond.

©  Brennard / Mirrorpix / Getty Images

Pele and Eusebio were also present, and joined the throngs of respected figures that spoke with reverence of a man who bowed out after setting a record of more than 150 penalty saves (“the joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save,” Yashin once said) and keeping around 275 clean sheets. “Someone once said that a team with Pele started [a game] with a 1-0 lead. A team with Yashin started winning 2-0,” Pele explained. “He made me as a footballer. When you’re able to score against the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, you remember it for your whole life. You realize that you can score against anyone,” said Portuguese great Eusebio.

Yashin leads the USSR team out at the 1966 World Cup in England.

©  PA Images via Getty Images

England’s 1966 World Cup winner Gordon Banks, regarded as one of the greatest shot-stoppers of all time, likewise hailed his Russian counterpart. “Lev Yashin was first-class, a real super goalkeeper. Everything he did was top-class. He was the model for goalkeeping for the next ten to 15 years,” Banks said. “I visualized myself doing some of the things he was doing. Even though I was already playing in the top division, I used to learn from him.” One of a kind France Football agreed with Yashin’s undoubted influence, saying that he “revolutionized the role of goalkeeper like no other before him by always being ready to act as an extra defender,” and by “starting dangerous counter-attacks with his positioning and quick throws” after demonstrating his prowess through plucking crosses out of the sky. One of the original ‘sweepers-keepers’, he was also renowned for commanding from the back, bellowing instructions to teammates while often out of his area and taking part in build-ups. He could expertly read the game, anticipating the opposition striker’s movement and where his shot was destined, and his long arms earned him the nickname ‘the Black Spider’ while helping him reach top-corner shots. Despite his somewhat lanky 6ft 2in frame, Yashin was known as agile and athletic.

Yashin making a trademark acrobatic save at the 1966 World Cup.

©  BIPPA / Central Press / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

The same France Football magazine which handed Yashin the Ballon d’Or in 1963 and named its goalkeeping award after him unsurprisingly picked the Russian in its all-time Dream Team in 2020. In November 2003, to mark UEFA’s jubilee, the Russian Football Union selected him as its most outstanding player of the last 50 years to compliment the Order of Lenin award he received in 1967 for his outstanding services to his country and people. Yashin was a man of the people who fans always called by his first name, said his successor at Dynamo, Vladimir Pilguy. “To them, he was one of them like a brother or a friend. He used to walk home from matches with masses of fans – he’d let them carry his sports bag,” Pilguy added.

Yashin takes a tour of the Dynamo Stadium in 1989, at a match played in honor of his 60th birthday.

©  RIA Novosti / Vladimir Rodionov

Yet contrary to belief, Yashin wasn’t always the model pro that people thought. “My secret? Before a game I would smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves and down a nice vodka to tone my muscles,” he once revealed. Despite his achievements, Yashin reportedly fell out with Dynamo in his later years, and in particular with chairman Piotr Bogdanov who boasted political clout that allegedly made Yashin unable to leave the country due to routine refusals to grant his wife a visa.  Monuments to an icon  Nonetheless, Yashin remains a revered figure at the club. Its stadium is known as the VTB Arena for sponsorship purposes, but also bears Yashin’s name and his statue can be found outside it. Dynamo’s players wore a retro kit to honor him on would have been his 92nd birthday in 2021 and continued the tradition in 2022. In 2019, Yashin’s heroics were brought to a new generation in the form of a film based on his life, ‘Lev Yashin: Dream Goalkeeper’.

Dynamo Moscow fans unveil a banner in Yashin’s honor at a match in 2019.

©  RIA Novosti / Vladimir Fedorenko

Yashin, sadly, has not been around to witness many such tributes to his career. In 1986, a blood clot he suffered in his leg required it to be amputated, before he passed away in 1990 from stomach cancer complications at the age of 60, with his wife and two daughters by his side.  It was during a European Cup match between Dnipro and Benfica in the Meteor Stadium that Yashin’s death was announced, reportedly bringing tears to the eyes of Portuguese icon Eusebio, who traveled as part of the Lisbon club’s delegation. The striker, who is himself known as an all-time great of the game, called Yashin “the peerless goalkeeper of the century.” Many would find that hard to dispute, not only due to Yashin’s team and personal accolades, but also the sheer influence he had in his position. In the pantheon of football icons, the Russian would surely lay claim to the number one shirt.

[alexbkrieger13]

RM is so unstable yet unpredictable

The defense and goalkeeper are unstable yet still manage to assist and score

Midfielders are good actually

Attacking wise they have gained a lot with Bruun, she kicks into the net every ball that goals into the box, specially in aerial plays

Raso, Sandie, Linda and Feller are doing good, Olga finally has someone who turns her crosses into goals and Athenea is the most unpredictable of them all, she can have terrible games, bad ones where she scores or good ones. Russian roulette

Chelsea are superior in every aspect, their only issue will be defending

yea with very hot and cold

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Sunday, 15th October

Welcome, שלום, Dzień dobry, こんにちは 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 15th October through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

15th October 2021 🗓️ : Death - David Amess David Amess, British politician, member of Parliament for Southend West (b. 1952) "Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess ( AY-miss; 26 March 1952 – 15 October 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend West from 1997 until his murder in 2021. He previously served as MP for Basildon from 1983 to 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a..."

Image licensed under CC BY 3.0? by Richard Townshend

15th October 2018 🗓️ : Event - Kidnapping of Jayme Closs Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs was kidnapped from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, and held captive for 88 days. "On October 15, 2018, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson abducted 13-year-old Jayme Lynn Closs from her family's home in Barron, Wisconsin. The attack took place at 12:53 a.m. after he forced his way inside and fatally shot her parents. Patterson took Closs to a house 70 miles (110 km) away in rural..."

15th October 2013 🗓️ : Event - 2013 Bohol earthquake A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol in the Philippines, resulting in 222 deaths. "The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15 at 8:12:31 PST in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at Mw 7.2, with epicenter 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) S 24° W of Sagbayan, and its depth of focus was 12 kilometres (7.5 mi)...."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by P199

15th October 1973 🗓️ : Birth - Aleksandr Filimonov Aleksandr Filimonov, Russian footballer "Aleksandr Vladimirovich Filimonov (Russian: Александр Владимирович Филимонов; born 15 October 1973) is a former association football goalkeeper from Russia. He won the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup with the Russia national beach soccer team.During his professional career, he was best known for..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 1.0? by Dmitry Parshin

15th October 1923 🗓️ : Event - Rentenmark The German Rentenmark is introduced in Germany to counter hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic. "The Rentenmark (German: [ˈʁɛntn̩maʁk] ; RM) was a currency issued on 15 October 1923 to stop the hyperinflation of 1922 and 1923 in Weimar Germany, after the previously used "paper" Mark had become almost worthless. It was subdivided into 100 Rentenpfennig and was replaced in 1924 by the Reichsmark...."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Drrcs15

15th October 1820 🗓️ : Death - Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (b. 1771) "Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Austrian Generalissimo and former Field Marshal. He first entered military service in 1788 and fought against the Turks. During the French Revolutionary War, he fought on the..."

Image by Unidentified painter

15th October 🗓️ : Holiday - Shwmae Su'mae Day (Wales) "Shwmae Sumae Day (Welsh: Diwrnod Shwmae Sumae) is a day marked each year in Wales to celebrate and promote the Welsh language. Shwmae and Sumae are informal greetings used in the south and the north respectively to start a conversation. The day is celebrated on 15 October each year in order to..."

[soomovic]

Lev Yashin, Russian goalkeeper - World Cup Finals 1966.

[nbmsports]

'Putin is a killer,' says Ukraine goalkeeper as he sends a message of hope to his country

'Putin is a killer,' says Ukraine goalkeeper as he sends a message of hope to his country Shaktar Donetsk and Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin talks to CNN Sport about doing his part to help his nation survive the Russian invasion. Source link Read the full article

[xtruss]

‘Before A Game I Down A Nice Vodka To Tone My Muscles’: How The Russian ‘Black Spider’ Took Football To New Heights

Lev Yashin remains revered as a benchmark of goalkeeping excellence

— March 19, 2023 |RT

The World of Football was cast into mourning last December with the passing of Pele, one of the undisputed greats of the game. The death of the Brazilian legend led to tributes from far and wide, as fans reflected on the impact of a man who changed the face of his sport.

Russia was no exception, and the men’s national team paid its respects by sharing a poignant image of a smiling Pele. But alongside the legendary forward was another man who earned revered status as part of the same generation – the late, great Lev Yashin.

While Pele made his name scoring goals, Yashin forged his reputation by preventing them. A shot-stopper unlike any who had come before him, the Russian remains a benchmark for goalkeeping brilliance, more than 50 years after he played his last game and over three decades after his death.

If Pele would be selected to spearhead the attack in many football fans’ all-time fantasy eleven, the name widely picked in goal would surely be Yashin.

Nicknamed ‘The Black Spider’, ‘The Black Octopus’, and ‘The Black Panther’ because of his feats of acrobatics and the color of his on-pitch attire – topped off with a trademark flat cap – Yashin was a pioneer as an imposing Soviet shot-stopper who enjoyed a storied 20-year career.

Such was his renown, Yashin gives his name to the title annually bestowed on the world’s best goalkeeper by the respected France Football magazine.

Monday, March 20, marks 33 years since Yashin’s passing at the age of 60, and will be a day when many reflect on the remarkable life and times of Russia’s greatest football idol.

The Russian national team paid tribute to Pele alongside a legend of their own. © Twitter/Russian National Football Team

Working Class Hero

Born in Moscow on October 22, 1929, into a family of industrial workers, Yashin did not seem destined for footballing immortality. He was not yet a teenager when he started his own factory labors, helping the Russian effort during World War II. Yashin continued his factory work after the war, but suffered what was described as a “nervous breakdown” at age 18 as the experience took its toll.

“Was it depression? I don’t know,” Yashin wrote in his autobiography. “The fatigue accumulated over the years began to make itself felt and something in me suddenly broke. At that time I felt nothing except emptiness.”

Sport, however, was to be a vital outlet and would open up new opportunities for the young Yashin. Already a keen football and ice hockey player, he was advised by a teammate to volunteer for military service, something which he described as his “salvation” as he combined football with his new duties.

After being scouted in 1949, Yashin was invited to join the youth ranks of Dynamo Moscow – one of the Russian capital’s powerhouse football clubs, which had caused a stir with a groundbreaking tour of the UK in 1945 during which the team impressively went unbeaten in four games against supposedly superior home opposition.

Yashin, however, was not to enjoy an auspicious start when he made his debut for Dynamo in 1950, letting in a soft goal that partly contributed to him only playing two league games that year. Also in his way was Alexei ‘Tiger’ Khomich, a revered figure who would keep Yashin out of the team during the early part of his career.

Rather than seek a pathway to regular first-team football elsewhere, Yashin became hellbent on making it to the top at Dynamo. He even played as a goaltender for Dynamo’s ice hockey team, winning the Soviet Cup in 1953, showing his versatility as an all-round athlete.

“I ran, did the high jump, shot put, discus, took fencing lessons, had a go at boxing, diving, wrestling, skating, tried basketball, played ice hockey, water polo, and football. I spent my winters on skis and skates. I’m not sure what I was best at,” Yashin later recalled.

Hitting The Big Time

Biding his time with his football career, Yashin finally managed to oust Khomich from the Dynamo starting eleven when the latter was injured in 1953. Yashin was to make the position his own, embarking on a glittering era for Dynamo which would ultimately yield five Soviet league titles – four of which came between 1954-59 – and three Soviet Cups.

Yashin’s initial success at Dynamo meant the Soviet national team soon came calling. He received his first international call-up in 1954 in a 7-0 win against Sweden, with the next four years truly providing his breakthrough to the big time with glory at Dynamo and gold with the USSR at the 1956 Olympics.

Yashin became a legend at Dynamo Moscow. © RIA Novosti

In 1958, an even bigger football audience took note of Yashin at the World Cup in Sweden. His ‘sweepers-keeper’ approach – since popularized again by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Alisson, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – came to the forefront, as did his ability to read the game.

Yashin crossed paths with a 17-year-old Pele and eventual champions Brazil in the group stage. Though the Selecao won 2-0, Yashin limited the South Americans’ account from growing through a string of top saves.

The USSR crashed out in the quarterfinals against the hosts, but Yashin was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, with journalists worldwide hailing him as the best in the game.

Yashin pictured with Brazilian great Pele in 1965. © Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Two years later, he made up for heartache in Scandinavia by leading the Soviets to the title at the inaugural European Championships in France. The tournament in 1960 was then known as the European Nations Cup, and Yashin kept a clean sheet in the semifinal as the Soviet Union beat Czechoslovakia 3-0.

In the final at the Parc des Princes against Yugoslavia, Yashin saved two free-kicks before being beaten by a deflected shot that connected with his captain Igor Netto. In extra time, Yashin made vital interventions as Yugoslavia tried to equalize Viktor Ponedelnik's 113th-minute winner.

The celebrations were relatively tame in Paris, with runner-up Dragan Sekularac claiming that the “crowds in France wanted western European glamor, not mysterious teams from the other side of Europe” as he commented on the sparse attendance at a reception held at the Eiffel Tower. But upon their return to Moscow, the Soviet team was celebrated like heroes by over 100,000 of their compatriots at a victory parade held in the Central Lenin Stadium (now known as Luzhniki).

Bouncing Back

Yashin’s heroics in Paris were the glory before a fall. At the 1962 World Cup, his errors against Colombia resulted in the game ending 4-4 before the highly fancied Soviets were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage once more by falling to hosts Chile 2-1.

“I was in disbelief that I’d scored past the great Lev Yashin,” Eladio Rojas, who embraced the ‘keeper instead of his teammates, said years later. “I still am. I was overcome with excitement that all I wanted to do was hug him. Scoring past Yashin was like a trophy.”

Yashin was made the scapegoat for the exit in Arica and was branded a “fading force” by L’Equipe. He would likely have been mentally tortured by Rojas and his blunders against Colombia, once posing: “What kind of a goalkeeper is one who is not tormented by a goal he has conceded?”

“He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future,” added Yashin, of whom it was later revealed had suffered a concussion in the match against Chile.

As all greats do, Yashin made a comeback for the ages by first leading Dynamo to another league title in 1963 and becoming the first and only goalkeeper ever to claim France Football’s Ballon d’Or for the best player in Europe. Yashin credited the spectacular saves he made during an England versus Rest of the World match at Wembley, where Pele was mysteriously absent, with prolonging his career and earning him the award months after the 2-1 loss in a game to mark 100 years of the English Football Association.

Yashin pounces on the ball during a match between England and a Rest of the World XI at Wembley in 1963. © Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Getty Images

Considering it to be his greatest achievement at the time, Yashin officially received his Ballon d’Or ahead of a European Championship quarterfinal second leg against Sweden in May 1964, in a match the USSR won 3-1 in front of around 100,000 fans in Moscow. The Soviets would go on to reach the final of the tournament in Spain, but were edged out 2-1 by the hosts in Madrid.

Yashin’s international journey continued at the 1966 World Cup in England, though he missed the first two matches due to injury. After returning to action, he led the Soviets to a best-ever fourth place finish following a semifinal loss to West Germany.

Hanging-up His Gloves

Completing two decades of loyal service to Dynamo and over a decade-and-a-half to his country, Yashin hung up his gloves in 1970 after traveling to his final World Cup in Mexico, where he acted as an assistant coach and third-choice back-up.

“I don’t know if one man has ever meant so much to one club,” said former Dynamo teammate Igor Chislenko, who along with Yashin was a rare breed as a one-club man.

But Yashin meant more to football than simply his allegiances to one club or country. At his testimonial in 1971, 103,000 fans reportedly turned out to see him play for Dynamo one last time against a European team captained by England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton.

Yashin became a football icon in Russia and far beyond. © Brennard/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Pele and Eusebio were also present, and joined the throngs of respected figures that spoke with reverence of a man who bowed out after setting a record of more than 150 penalty saves (“the joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save,” Yashin once said) and keeping around 275 clean sheets.

“Someone once said that a team with Pele started [a game] with a 1-0 lead. A team with Yashin started winning 2-0,” Pele explained.

“He made me as a footballer. When you’re able to score against the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, you remember it for your whole life. You realize that you can score against anyone,” said Portuguese great Eusebio.

Yashin leads the USSR team out at the 1966 World Cup in England. © PA Images via Getty Images

England’s 1966 World Cup winner Gordon Banks, regarded as one of the greatest shot-stoppers of all time, likewise hailed his Russian counterpart. “Lev Yashin was first-class, a real super goalkeeper. Everything he did was top-class. He was the model for goalkeeping for the next ten to 15 years,” Banks said.

“I visualized myself doing some of the things he was doing. Even though I was already playing in the top division, I used to learn from him.”

One of a Kind

France Football agreed with Yashin’s undoubted influence, saying that he “revolutionized the role of goalkeeper like no other before him by always being ready to act as an extra defender,” and by “starting dangerous counter-attacks with his positioning and quick throws” after demonstrating his prowess through plucking crosses out of the sky.

One of the original ‘sweepers-keepers’, he was also renowned for commanding from the back, bellowing instructions to teammates while often out of his area and taking part in build-ups. He could expertly read the game, anticipating the opposition striker’s movement and where his shot was destined, and his long arms earned him the nickname ‘the Black Spider’ while helping him reach top-corner shots. Despite his somewhat lanky 6ft 2in frame, Yashin was known as agile and athletic.

Yashin making a trademark acrobatic save at the 1966 World Cup. © BIPPA/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The same France Football magazine which handed Yashin the Ballon d’Or in 1963 and named its goalkeeping award after him unsurprisingly picked the Russian in its all-time Dream Team in 2020. In November 2003, to mark UEFA’s jubilee, the Russian Football Union selected him as its most outstanding player of the last 50 years to compliment the Order of Lenin award he received in 1967 for his outstanding services to his country and people.

Yashin was a man of the people who fans always called by his first name, said his successor at Dynamo, Vladimir Pilguy. “To them, he was one of them like a brother or a friend. He used to walk home from matches with masses of fans – he’d let them carry his sports bag,” Pilguy added.

Yashin takes a tour of the Dynamo Stadium in 1989, at a match played in honor of his 60th birthday. © RIA Novosti/Vladimir Rodionov

Yet contrary to belief, Yashin wasn’t always the model pro that people thought. “My secret? Before a game I would smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves and down a nice vodka to tone my muscles,” he once revealed.

Despite his achievements, Yashin reportedly fell out with Dynamo in his later years, and in particular with chairman Piotr Bogdanov who boasted political clout that allegedly made Yashin unable to leave the country due to routine refusals to grant his wife a visa.

Monuments To an Icon

Nonetheless, Yashin remains a revered figure at the club. Its stadium is known as the VTB Arena for sponsorship purposes, but also bears Yashin’s name and his statue can be found outside it. Dynamo’s players wore a retro kit to honor him on would have been his 92nd birthday in 2021 and continued the tradition in 2022. In 2019, Yashin’s heroics were brought to a new generation in the form of a film based on his life, ‘Lev Yashin: Dream Goalkeeper’.

Dynamo Moscow fans unveil a banner in Yashin's honor at a match in 2019. © RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko

Yashin, sadly, has not been around to witness many such tributes to his career. In 1986, a blood clot he suffered in his leg required it to be amputated, before he passed away in 1990 from stomach cancer complications at the age of 60, with his wife and two daughters by his side.

It was during a European Cup match between Dnipro and Benfica in the Meteor Stadium that Yashin’s death was announced, reportedly bringing tears to the eyes of Portuguese icon Eusebio, who traveled as part of the Lisbon club’s delegation.

The striker, who is himself known as an all-time great of the game, called Yashin “the peerless goalkeeper of the century.” Many would find that hard to dispute, not only due to Yashin’s team and personal accolades, but also the sheer influence he had in his position.

In the pantheon of football icons, the Russian would surely lay claim to the number one shirt.

[sasa-chans-random-history]

January 02

[1784] Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (as Ernest III) from 1806 and then, from 1826 Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He was the uncle of Queen Victoria and the father of her husband, Prince Albert.

[1836] Queen Emma of Hawaii, Consort of King Kamehameha IV was born.

[1857] Frederick Burr Opper, American pioneering cartoonist was born in Madison, Ohio.

[1860] William Corless Mills, American museum curator was born in Pyrmont, Ohio.

[1861] Helen Herron Taft, American First Lady (1909-13) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[1920] Isaac Asimov, Russian scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot, Foundation Trilogy) was born in Petrovichi, Russia.

[1928] Vaughn Beals, CEO (Harley Davidson motorcycle) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[1947] Jack Hanna, American zookeeper and TV personality was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.

[1968] Cuba Gooding Jr., American actor was born in The Bronx, New York.

[1974] Tomáš Řepka, Czech football defender was born in Slavičin, Czech Republic.

[1981] Maxi Rodríguez, football midfielder was born in Rosario, Argentina.

[1983] Kate Bosworth, American actress was born in Los Angeles, California.

[1985] Heather O'Reilly, American soccer midfielder was born in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

[1987] Shelley Hennig, American actress and model was born in Metairie, Louisiana.

[1694] Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English politician, die at 42.

[1819] Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Charles IV of Spain, dies at 67.

[1861] Frederick William IV, King of Prussia from 1840 and Germany from 1849, dies at 67 at the Sanssouci Palace.

[1911] Kanno Sugako, Japanese anarcho-feminist, hanged for her role in the plot to assassinate Emperor Meiji at 29.

[1953] Guccio Gucci, Italian founder of Gucci fashion house, dies at 71.

[2009] Jett Travolta, son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, dies of a seizure at 16.

[2013] Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, Uruguayan football goalkeeper dies from respiratory illness at 67.

[2022] Jens Jørgen Hansen, Danish football right back, dies at 82.