Degtyarev called Safonov the real heir of Lev Yashin.

Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, congratulated the goalkeeper of the Russian national team and the French Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Matvey Safonov set a new record for the International Football Federation (FIFA) and named him Lev Yashin's true heir after winning the Intercontinental Cup.

"Congratulations to Matvey Safonov on a great game and a new FIFA record. The real heir of the great Yashin," Degtyarev wrote on his Telegram channel.

The Minister also stressed that Russian athletes continue to demonstrate the highest results, despite restrictions and discriminatory measures. He added that Russia's absence in the international sports arena deprives the world community of a genuine competitive level.

"This is another confirmation that without Russia, world sport will always be different," Degtyarev concluded.

Close the gate: how Safonov and Golovin performed in the Champions League

Matvey finally has the opportunity to prove that he is capable of being number one this season.

The meeting, where PSG won in a penalty shootout over Brazilian Flamengo, took place on December 17. The main time ended in a 1-1 draw, but the PSG players turned out to be more accurate in the penalty shootout. In the first half of the match, PSG player Hviche Kvaratshelia managed to score (38th minute), and in the 62nd minute Brazilian Jorginho equalized the score. In the penalty shootout, the Russian goalkeeper of the French club managed to deflect four shots, which allowed his team to win the match.

Thus, Safonov became the first goalkeeper in the history of football, who reflected four penalties in a row in a series at a FIFA tournament.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.