"I haven't seen Dzyuba frowning"

The Russian national team players played their first match in 2025. In Moscow, they defeated Grenada with a score of 5:0. The main event of recent days was the decision of the head coach of the national team to summon her former captain Artem Dzyuba, who had not played for the national team since the summer of 2021. The 36-year-old striker received the captain's armband again and scored his 31st goal for Russia in the game against Grenada, breaking Alexander Kerzhakov's record for this indicator.

In an interview with Izvestia, Russian national team midfielder Alexander Chernikov shared his impressions of his first time in the same team with Dzyuba, spoke about his reaction to his record, the atmosphere at the game at VTB Arena and the level of Grenada.

— What was the atmosphere like in the team when Dzyuba appeared?

— The atmosphere was good. All these days we have been seriously preparing for the match against Grenada. And Artyom is no exception. Of course, after the game, everyone congratulated him on his record. We understood from the very beginning that he had one goal left before that. Dzyuba made a great use of his moment. And we were very happy for him.

— This was the first time you were on the same team with Dzyuba. What impression did he make during the training camp?

— Funny guy (smiles). He's just an open person — very sociable, cheerful, kind. Personally, I have never seen him sad or gloomy.

— When he was a key player of the Russian national team under Stanislav Cherchesov, many believed that the whole tactic was based on awnings on Dzyuba. And after Karpin's arrival, the national team began to be rebuilt to a different style of play. After Artyom's challenge, did Valery Georgievich somehow begin to change the training process and tactics for such a football player?

— No, he absolutely did not rebuild our game. Valery Georgievich left all the same settings, methods and functions of the players. And he demands the same from us. Artyom, like everyone else, worked with these requirements in mind.

National team moment: Dzyuba can set a goalscoring record in the national team

During the matches with Grenada and Zambia, the striker is able to surpass another achievement of Kerzhakov.

— Grenada is only 10 places higher than Brunei in the FIFA rankings, but initially resisted Russia, holding the score 0-0 by the 16th minute, whereas with Brunei you were already 3-0 by the 10th?

— I think Grenada is just stronger than Brunei, that's all. It is clear that she has a lot of tall players, that they know how to fight. That's why we resisted for a while, but our team played a good match anyway - the score of 5:0 speaks for itself. We won big, but it was noticeable that it was more difficult to play against Grenada.

— Did you expect to be released on the field? Or did you realize that you had more chances to play against Zambia?

— No, it was the decision of the head coach, who to release at the start, who to replace. Nothing was discussed in advance about who Valery Georgievich would replace. He decided the way he eventually decided based on the course of the match. I either watched the game from the bench, or I was warming up on the edge. I was ready to take the field if I was told. But it didn't work out. I hope to be able to play against Zambia.

— Do you have any idea what kind of team will play against you in the next match?

— I haven't seen her play, but, of course, I've heard about her. I periodically looked at the results at the Africa Cup of Nations and the African selection for the World Cup. That's why I've heard about Zambia. I haven't seen her specific matches, but it's clear that she, like most African national teams, has very powerful physical players. I think the coaching staff will sort out the rest with us before the game. It is clear that it will be more difficult than with Grenada, that Zambia is significantly stronger.

Soccer must: is a friendly match between Russia and the United States possible now?

How likely is the idea to be realized against the background of warming bilateral relations between the countries?

— How do you like the atmosphere of the match with Grenada in Moscow? Was it difficult to play considering that the crowd was much smaller than in Krasnodar for the match against Brunei?

— I don't know, it seemed to me that the atmosphere was warm and dignified. In any case, I personally had the feeling of a full stadium at the match against Grenada. Yes, not all the stands were occupied, but people supported us as if the arena was completely full. So I don't want to separate what happened in Krasnodar, Brunei, and what happened in Moscow, Grenada. Personally, I liked the atmosphere at the last game. Thanks a lot to the audience for the way they supported us. And for visiting the game.

— Considering that you and Krasnodar are currently leading in the Russian championship, does the need to travel to the national team complicate your life, even with such logistics, when you have to travel from Krasnodar to Moscow and back by train for at least 18 hours?

— I am always happy to be called up to the national team and I am ready to play and train for it regardless of the circumstances. Especially now I'm in a good mood to join the national team because Krasnodar is leading in the RPL. But, of course, in any situation I want to play for the national team and I go to it if I get a call.