Kondratyev takes positives from Belarus defeats
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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Belarus U21 coach Georgi Kondratyev was upbeat after his side lost twice to a Turkey B team in two days, noting that such games should help his charges "steel ourselves mentally".
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Despite watching his side lose twice to a Turkey B team in two days, Belarus Under-21 coach Georgi Kondratyev insisted the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals contenders would profit from the experience.
The Turkish selection won 2-0 in Antalya on Tuesday, with Saffet Gurur Yazar netting the first from close range following a corner before Murat Duruer turned in Ferhat Öztorun's cross to complete the scoring. Belarus were then beaten again on Wednesday as Tevfik Köse headed the only goal of the game.
After the second loss, Kondratyev opted to concentrate on the positives for his side. "We need games like this, if for nothing else than to steel ourselves mentally," he said. "The teams are obviously at different levels of readiness, first of all in terms of their physical condition. The Turkish league is up and running, while we've only just come back to training."
Belarus will take on hosts Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland in Group A at the U21 finals, which will be staged from 11-25 June this year.
