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RUSSIA VS WALES: ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Yesterday Russia won the first match of the qualifying round of theWorld
championship 2010 with Wales 2-1 showing an unconvincing game.
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Photo: english.sport-express.ru
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Let's confess: we were not worried about the result of
that match before it started. We looked through the list of the Welsh
players with a forbearing smile and thought: "who can resist us,
the semifinalists of Euro 2008?" Moreover nothing has changed in
our team - neither squad, nor atmosphere, nor coach.
But life again showed that we could not make conclusions resting on such
things as "atmosphere" or "attitude". These all are personal that means
subjective impressions. Only the game can answer the question if anything
has changed in the team.
Two previous qualifying rounds began for us with draws - with Slovakia
and Croatia (then Israel). That should have put us on the alert. But no
- we have started a new life!
But that cannot be true. The problems that our team has had for decades
cannot have disappeared at once. The situation with Turkey that after
winning bronze on World championship 2002 did not manage to get into Euro
2004 or World championship 2006, as well as with Greece that after gold
of Euro 2004 missed out on World championship 2006 set one thinking. You
should learn how to "digest" your success. Not everybody is capable of
it.
The first half of the yesterday's match looked as if we managed to "digest"
excluding the penalty that was wonderfully saved by Akinfeev. This penalty
seemed absurdity. Pavlyuchenko was the best on the field, he shot at the
goal from every possible point. He scored the penalty though adventurous,
but success is never blamed. And the winner in this episode was not only
forward but also the coach. Everybody told Guus not to add Pavlyuchenko
into the starting eleven. But I again convinced myself how good that our
coach does not know Russian. He is doing the way his experience tells
him. Pavlyuchenko was one of the heroes on Euro, and he did not let the
team down yesterday.
But his might-have-been partner in Spurs Andrei Arshavin looked frustrated.
He tried to get the ball but everything failed. We know - why. He was
deprived of his dream, and he himself said to abstract away from that
he had to "turn over his head" but obviously yesterday his head would
not turn over.
After the first goal everybody wanted our team to score another one before
the break that would have ended the torment. But at the end of the first
half we have loosened our grip and in the second half looked the way the
used to be not of the Euro time, but of three or four years ago. And the
goal of Wales was not at all an accident. Everybody ran cold and began
recalling other results: Austria - France - 3:1, Romania - Lithuania -
0:3.
Though Hiddink does not know the word "panic". He let Pogrebnyak play,
though his feelings to the national team were not at all known after his
story with Euro 2008. It took him seven minutes to allay all doubts.
All is well that ends well! Maybe that is good for us that this match
turned to be so difficult. That would make our team to look in the mirror
and say that we are not afraid of anybody.
Igor Rabiner. Sport
Express Daily, 11 Sep 2008
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Russia 2 - 1 Wales
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World Cup Qualifying - UEFA
(Group Stage 2010) (Group Four)
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| Match Information |
| Stadium: |
Luzhniki Stadium |
| Attendance: |
28,000 |
| Match Time: |
16:00 UK |
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| Match Stats |
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Russia |
Wales |
| Shots (on Goal) |
13(6) |
8(3) |
| Fouls |
16 |
15 |
| Corner Kicks |
5 |
3 |
| Offsides |
1 |
4 |
| Time of Possession |
54% |
46% |
| Yellow Cards |
0 |
4 |
| Red Cards |
0 |
0 |
| Saves |
4 |
5 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| Russia |
Wales |
Roman Pavluchenko
(pen 22) |
Gareth Bale
(pen miss 17) |
| Pavel Pogrebniak (81) |
Joe Ledley (67) |
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| Russia |
| No. |
NAME |
POS |
| 1 |
Igor Akinfeev |
(G) |
| 2 |
Aleksandr Aniukov |
(D) |
| 3 |
Denis Kolodin |
(D) |
| 4 |
Sergei Ignashevich |
(D) |
| 18 |
Yuri Zhirkov |
(M) |
| 17 |
Konstatin Zurianov |
(M) |
| 7 |
Dmitri Torbinsky |
(M) |
| 8 |
Igor Semshov |
(M) |
| 11 |
Sergei Semak |
(M) |
| 10 |
Andrei Arshavin |
(F) |
| 9 |
Roman Pavluchenko |
(F) |
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| Wales |
| No. |
NAME |
POS |
| 1 |
Wayne Hennessey |
(G) |
| 2 |
Chris Gunter |
(D) |
| 5 |
Craig Morgan |
(D) |
| 6 |
Ashley Williams |
(D) |
| 3 |
Gareth Bale |
(D) |
| 7 |
Simon Davies |
(M) |
| 4 |
Carl Fletcher |
(M) |
| 8 |
Carl Robinson |
(M) |
| 10 |
David Edwards |
(M) |
| 11 |
Joe Ledley |
(M) |
| 9 |
Sam Vokes |
(F) |
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| Russia Substitutes |
| No. |
NAME |
POS |
| 16 |
Viacheslav Malafeev |
(G) |
| 5 |
Vasili Berezutsky |
(D) |
| 6 |
Alexei Berezutsky |
(D) |
| 13 |
Renat Yanbaev |
(D) |
| 15 |
Vladimir Bystrov |
(M) |
| 12 |
Ivan Saenko |
(F) |
| 14 |
Pavel Pogrebniak |
(F) |
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| Wales Substitutes |
| No. |
NAME |
POS |
| 12 |
Boaz Myhill |
(G) |
| 13 |
Steve Evans |
(D) |
| 16 |
Samuel Ricketts |
(D) |
| 15 |
Brian Stock |
(M) |
| 14 |
Ched Evans |
(F) |
| 17 |
David Cotterill |
(F) |
| 18 |
Robert Earnshaw |
(F) |
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| Russia Substitutions |
| Substitutions |
Ivan Saenko
for Dmitri Torbinsky (59) |
Pavel Pogrebniak
for Sergei Semak (74) |
Vladimir Bystrov
for Roman Pavluchenko (90) |
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| Wales Substitutions |
| Substitutions |
Samuel Ricketts
for Carl Robinson (46) |
Ched Evans
for Sam Vokes (62) |
Steve Evans
for David Edwards (77) |
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| Russia Yellow Cards |
| Name |
Min |
| No Yellow Cards |
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| Wales Yellow Cards |
| Name |
Min |
| Carl Robinson |
(20) |
| Ashley Williams |
(46) |
| David Edwards |
(72) |
| Samuel Ricketts |
(76) |
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