MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia can still qualify for the UEFA European under-17 semifinal in Luxembourg despite Friday's 0:3 defeat to Spain, a senior coach said Saturday.
Vadim Nikonov, right hand man to Russian the team's head coach Igor Kolyvanov, said the team had failed to match the Spanish team in both strength and skill.
"[Our] players did not have enough strength to play well against the Spanish through the entire match," Nikonov said. "[Our] opponents were more skilled."
However, Russia could still take second place in Group A, which guarantees a berth in the semifinals, by defeating outsider Luxembourg, should Spain, a favorite in the eight-team tournament, at least draws with Hungary, whom Russia beat 1-0 in the opening match.
