From breakthrough to failure: what you need to know about the Syrian national team

The fall is turning out to be exotic for the Russian national team, and Syria - no matter how ironic - is the strongest of all opponents. It's enough to look at the FIFA rankings, where defeated Vietnam ranked 115th, Thailand, which did not play our team, was 101st at the time, and Brunei was 184th. Especially in comparison with the last opponent, the Syrians are almost a cosmos. A team from the first hundred of the ranking, occupying 93rd position there, and fourteenth among the representatives of Asia.

"Kasiyun Eagles", despite the situation in the country, where the fighting does not stop, in recent years at the peak of achievements.

Cooper and Lana

In winter, they managed to get out of the group at the Asian Cup for the first time at the seventh attempt. The Syrians looked very decent against the group favorites, managing to secure a zero draw with Uzbekistan and conceding the only goal against Australia. Omar Harbin's goal against India (1-0) put them into the playoffs from third place. He also scored in the 1/8 finals, where the "Eagles" fought Iran (1:1) and lost to the favorite only in a penalty shootout.

But, having climbed high, it is very painful to fall, and this is what happened to Syria in the second qualifying round of the World Cup-2026. And if it's not shameful to let forward Japan, the battle for second place with DPR Korea (they exchanged victories) was decided in favor of the Koreans because of the disaster in the game with hopeless outsider Myanmar. Even a 7-0 defeat of the same opponent could not bring back the points lost after the away draw (1:1). As a result, the famous Hector Cooper resigned as head coach.

Initially, the Argentine planned to finish the job after the Asian Cup, but extended his contract on the wave of historical success. As it turned out, only for a few months, and Cooper was replaced by 49-year-old Spaniard Jose Lana. This specialist received a three-year contract in the status of European champion, having completed the stage of work with various youth national teams of Spain with a victory in the final of the continental championship U-19. On the seventeenth day of Lana's work in Syria, his team won the tournament in India, defeating the hosts 3-0 in the decisive match. And in October, at the King of Thailand Cup, the Syrians outplayed Tajikistan (1-0) and lost to the hosts of the tournament (1-2).

"The national team has to play with the national team."

Defender Danil Krugovoy - about the defeat of Brunei, expediency of matches with weak national teams and wishes for next year's opponents

As for the Eagles' lineup, it could have included a full-fledged European star, but Syrian-born Mahmoud Daoud's romance with the national team did not work out. In March, the former Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid player, who has two matches for the German first team, asked the Germans not to take offense and announced his decision to play for his native country. However, shortly before the start of the qualifying matches of the World Cup Daud left the location of the national team. According to one version - because of dissatisfaction with the conditions and unfulfilled promises of the Syrian federation. And that in its statement announced that it was unable to provide the conditions put forward by the player's agent.

But there is a reason to talk about other players of the Eagles and how the lineup is formed, which can be conditionally divided into three groups. The first is the players who play in their home country and in other countries of the Middle East.

Group number two - naturalized South Americans who play not somewhere in Asia, but on their continent in a more competitive environment. They are predominantly Argentines, including the main goalkeeper Esteban Glellel (Kilmes), who is missing the match. But there is a chance to see Moscow-born Maxim Sarraf in goal. The 19-year-old CSKA academy graduate, who now represents Uzbek Andijan, previously played for the Syrian youth team, traveled to the Asian Cup, but has never played for the main team.

Returning to the Latin Americans, we note that the new coaching staff tested some of the players in August and October, and some of them arrived in Russia: Chilean Colo Colo defender Emiliano Amor, his colleague Ignacio Abraham from Argentina's second division, Colombian forward Pablo Sabbagh from Peru's Allianza, and midfielder Facundo Mater (Barracas Central), who is preparing to make his debut for his new country.

European contingent

But the most colorful group are the Europeans. What no footballer - a whole story. For example, the most expensive player of the national team according to Transfermarkt (€1.8 million) defender Ayham Usu was born in Sweden, played for the youth teams of this country and even played one match for the national team. He made his debut for his native country at the Asian Cup. Usu's record includes several Swedish clubs, Prague Slavia, Spanish Cadiz and Belgian Charleroi.

An injury prevented him from coming to Volgograd. Simon Amin from Norwegian Sandefjord was also excluded from the squad at the last moment. He, too, represents a whole diaspora of those who were born in Sweden or moved there as children. The November squad includes Ahmad Faka (AIK), Elmar Abraham (Shevde) and Mohamed Alsalhadi (Vernamu). The team attracted Syrian-born players from Germany, Greece and even a former player of the Finnish youth national team.

And one of the most rich biography has the son of former Syrian national team player Ammar Ramadan, who at a young age went to conquer Italy. In the Juventus youth team he played with Moise Keane, Miretti and Faggioli, who grew up to the main team. But Ramadan's path to big soccer turned out to be more thorny. There were youth Ferencvaros with one match for the basis of the Hungarian champions, rent in "Szonokszar" and real success in Slovakia. With Trnava "Spartak" midfielder won the Cup of the country. In the DAK 1904 made his debut in European competitions, and his goal against Georgian "Dila" - the first success of Syrian players in the Conference League.

"The Brunei match has to be treated as responsibly as the others"

Vitaly Kafanov, goalkeepers coach of the Russian national team, talks about the biggest victory of the national team, the meeting with one of the weakest opponents and the performance of the goalkeepers

In general, Russia will face not the toughest, but quite a worthy opponent. Of course, it will be missing a number of important players, but the Syrians are professionals, not amateurs recruited by advertisement. It is indicative that the Eagles started training camp in Volgograd last Tuesday. They have a quality coaching staff and certain ambitions. This is the right time for our team to finish the year with a competitive game. Like in 1998 in Damascus, when the USSR national team, as European vice-champion, played the only match against Syria and won thanks to goals by defenders Anatoliy Demyanenko and Sergei Gorlukovich.

At the same time, Russia will play against Syria with a squad that will be much more similar to the first one than the one that beat Brunei 11-0 on Friday. Its main star is Alexei Miranchuk of Atlanta United. A total of 23 players will be included in the application.

Goalkeepers: Alexander Maksimenko (Spartak, Moscow), Ilya Lantratov (Lokomotiv, Moscow), David Volk (Dynamo, Makhachkala). Defenders: Vyacheslav Karavaev, Yuri Gorshkov (both Zenit, St. Petersburg), Maxim Osipenko (Rostov, Rostov-on-Don), Danil Krugovoy (CSKA, Moscow), Ilya Samoshnikov, Evgeny Morozov (both Lokomotiv, Moscow), Valentin Paltsev (Dynamo, Makhachkala), Arsen Adamov (Akhmat, Grozny), Alexander Soldatenkov (Krylya Sovetov, Samara). Midfielders: Danil Glebov (Rostov, Rostov-on-Don), Artem Karpukas, Alexey Batrakov, Sergey Pinyaev (both - Lokomotiv Moscow), Danil Prutsev (Spartak Moscow), Daniil Fomin (Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Mostovoy (Zenit St. Petersburg), Lechi Sadulaev (Akhmat Grozny), Alexey Miranchuk (Atlanta United Atlanta). Forwards: Konstantin Tyukavin ("Dynamo", Moscow), Tamerlan Musaev (CSKA, Moscow).

But six "conquerors of Brunei" left the national team - Stanislav Agkatsev, Alexander Chernikov, Igor Diveev, Nikita Krivtsov, Ivan Oblyakov and Fedor Chalov did not go to Volgograd.