Former Soviet international goalkeeper Vladimir Maslachenko, who later turned to television commentating, died on Sunday after suffering a stroke last week. He was 74. He died on the last day of the Russian Premier League season and most teams held a minute's silence in his memory.
The Ukraine-born Maslachenko made his name playing for Spartak Moscow and winning the Soviet league title in 1962. He also played for the Soviet Union in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and was named the country's best goalkeeper in 1961. After ending his playing career in 1968, Maslachenko became a coach and later worked as a television and radio commentator. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have sent their condolences.