Five capped players in Soviet team

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 34

Five capped players in Soviet team

PA Wellington Five full internationals have been included in the Dynamo Minsk soccer squad to play four matches against New Zealand later this month. The Soviet club side will bring 19 players to New Zealand. One player, the goal-keeper, Ivan Zhekiu, was in the Soviet league team which toured New Zealand early last year.

The most experienced player is Sergei Borovski, aged 31, a defender who played against Scotland, Belgium and Poland in the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. He has made nine international appearances.

Sergei Gomonov, another midfielder, aged 25, has played about 20 times for the Soviet Union. He scored one of the U.S.S.R.’s goals in its 2-0 win over England at Wembley three years ago.

Another mid-fielder with about 20 full caps is Andrei Zigmantovich. The

other internationals are a defender, Viktor lanushevski, and top striker, Georgi Kondra-. tiev.

Kondratiev has 15 caps. He scored twice in the U.S.S.R.’s 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Switzerland and got the only goal in its qualifying victory over Norway before last year’s finals. Dynamo Minsk has regularly been among the top club sides in the Soviet Union. Its sole league championship win was 1982. When it competed in the European Cup in the following season, Minsk was eliminated in the third round by a Hungarian club, Dynamo Bucharest. Dynamo Minsk has also been in the U.E.F.A. Cup competition in two of the last three seasons.

The club team will play the All Whites at Gisborne on February 8, in Wellington three nights later, at Mount Maunganui on February 15 and in Christchurch on February 18.