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Russia: a sleeping giant wakes
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(AFP)
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Russia were very much the surprise package of UEFA EURO
2008. Despite having the youngest team in the tournament, they stormed
into the semi-finals before finally succumbing to eventual champions Spain.
Their incredible run in the tournament has since been reflected in the
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, with the Russians climbing no fewer than
13 spots in July to reach 11th - their highest placing in over a decade.
The last time that Russia occupied a top-ten slot was in October 1997
when they were as high as ninth, and they may soon be climbing even higher
into the upper echelons of world football. Their best ever placing since
the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was introduced came in April 1996, when
they reached the lofty heights of third. They can also hold their own
against the top ranked teams in the world, as they proved in their EURO
quarter-final, when they beat the Netherlands (currently ranked fifth)
3-1 after extra time.
Success at club level with CSKA and Zenit
One of the secrets of Russia's success has been striker Andrei Arshavin.
The 27-year-old was the scourge of opposing defences at EURO 2008, scoring
twice, laying on another goal and being involved in countless attacking
moves. He was one of the tournament's outstanding players, and was included
in the "Euro All-Star Team" along with team-mates Yuri Zhirkov,
Konstantin Zyryanov and Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Russian football has been improving for a few years now, particularly
at club level. After CSKA Moscow took home the UEFA Cup in 2005, Zenit
St. Petersburg repeated the feat this year, getting past Villarreal (2-2,
on away goals), Marseille (3-3, likewise), Bayer Leverkusen (4-2), Bayern
Munich (5-1) and then Rangers (2-0) in the final.
Hiddink: "Russian football is on the rise"
A pair of Dutchmen have been responsible for much of this success, with
Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat in charge of the Russian national team
and Zenit respectively. The two coaches have played a major part in styling
the way football is currently played in the country, namely with excellent
technique and tactics coupled with a strong physical presence.
"Russian football is on the rise," says Hiddink, "not just
at club level, with Zenit winning the UEFA Cup, but also in terms of the
national team. What Russian football has to aim for is re-establishing
itself, and getting its rightful place back on the European footballing
scene. The recent run of good results needs to be converted into the modernising
of the infrastructure in the country."
Germany as rivals for FIFA World CupT qualification
Continuing this good run will be no easy task. On 10 September, Hiddink's
team will begin its 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifying campaign
against Wales. A mere four weeks later, on 11 October, they will travel
to Dortmund for a showdown between the two favourites in group, with three-time
world and European champions Germany lying in wait for the EURO semi-finalists.
No-one in Russia is in any doubt, however, that their team will on the
plane to South Africa in less than two years time. "This is just
the beginning. Russian football has a great future ahead of it,"
said Vitaly Mutko, president of the Russian football association, after
this summer's event in Austria and Switzerland. "We gave it our all
at the EURO," added team captain Sergei Semak. "We proved that
Russians can play football, and now we're going to try to give the fans
something to cheer about in the years to come."
Aiming high at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
The former superpower is looking to return to the world stage and recapture
the glory days of the Soviet Union team which won Olympic gold in 1956
and 1988, and were European champions in 1960. It is now up to Arshavin
and Co. to follow in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors -
and they certainly have all the right ingredients in place.
After years spent in the wilderness, Russian football is now definitely
on the rise, and hopes are high of another good performance at the forthcoming
FIFA World Cup. As the Sovetski Sport newspaper so eloquently put it:
"Our team may have missed out on the final, but they achieved so
much more: they gave Russia new hope and a bright footballing future."
FIFA.com, 17 July 2008
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