The worst match of his life was against South Korea.
"Igor Akinfeev, 37, CSKA Moscow, recalled the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil," Russian media outlet Le Sfiona reported on July 27 (KST).
Akinfeev is a longtime goalkeeper who has been a mainstay of the Russian national team. He was recognized as having high potential as a youngster and was often touted as an accomplished goalkeeper.
However, he's also known to domestic soccer fans as the 'greasy hand'.
This is not a good nickname for Akinfeev. 카지노사이트777
The nickname means that the goalkeeper's gloves look like they're covered in slippery oil, and it's used to describe a goalkeeper who makes a lot of mistakes.
Akinfeev got the nickname at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
At the time, Akinfeev was the starting goalkeeper for the Russian national team.
Russia was drawn in a group with South Korea, Belgium, and Algeria. Their first group game was against South Korea.
The two teams battled back and forth in the opening minutes of the game until Lee Geun-ho (Daegu FC) scored a "surprise" goal.
Lee attempted a mid-range shot from near the Russian box, and the ball went straight at Akinfeev.
It should have been an easy save for the goalkeeper, but Akinfeev made a mistake and the ball went into the net.
Russia later equalized through Aleksandr Kerzhakov, but if Akinfeev hadn't made the mistake, they could have won the game.
Nine years later, Akinfeev still remembered the day. "The match against South Korea at the World Cup in Brazil was the hardest moment of my career," he told Le Sfiona.
"I tried not to go out in the streets with a lot of people for a month," he confessed.