Russia not washed up yet, says Yakovlev

Russia forward Pavel Yakovlev told UEFA.com that defeat by Spain in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship opener was a bitter blow as his team were "disciplined and worked hard" but he expects a smoother ride against the Netherlands and Germany.

Nikolai Pisarev's side produced a stubborn defensive display against the holders and were just eight minutes away from earning a point only for Álvaro Morata to clinch victory for La Rojita. It was a setback that Yakovlev found hard to take having come close to opening the scoring with Russia's best attempt in the first half.

"I feel gutted as it was very close," Yakovlev told UEFA.com. "The coach asked us to run in behind the striker as our goalkeeper will mostly aim in his direction. Denis [Cheryshev] controlled the ball with the end of his boot which is technically difficult. It then dropped to me and I decided to take the early shot as goalkeepers don't expect it. Nobody could imagine at that moment that it would be our only chance.

"Usually you can't fall asleep quickly after a match," said the forward. "When I returned to the hotel I was watching a replay of our match on TV as well as the Netherlands-Germany game. When I woke up in the morning I was still thinking about the set piece we conceded. So I decided to spend some time in the sun and go in the Mediterranean Sea, so I hope to have washed this game away."

The 22-year-old took his time to get over the defeat but was left with the feeling that Russia have played the best side in Group B. "Spain toyed with us but they do that to every team," he added, looking ahead to Sunday's game against the Jong Oranje. "It is impossible to play an open game against them. It is difficult to take, because we were disciplined, worked hard and conceded a goal after rare set piece and our mistake.

"You can play football against the Netherlands and Germany, they are not as strong in that department as Spain. [Lewis] Holtby is an outstanding player, of course." Russia will be boosted by Saturday's arrival of Alan Dzagoev and Fedor Smolov, who will join the squad after being part of the senior side's game against Portugal. "The fact that we haven't had a single training session with Dzagoev means nothing," he added. "He and Smolov are great players and we will not have problems gelling quickly."