By Matthew Day ⋅ July 15, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Euro 2008

Andrei Arshavin shone against the Dutch

How did they do? Excelled in reaching the semi-finals, especially after being thrashed by Spain in their opening match. They would later be hammered by the Spaniards once again, but not after impressing the continent with victories over Sweden and particularly the Netherlands. Andrei Arshavin shone brightest as playmaker and leader, but the plaudits went to Guus Hiddink for yet another triumph with an unfancied nation following successes with South Korea and Australia.

High Underdogs in their quarter-final against an in-form Netherlands side, favourites for the ultimate crown, Russia utterly dominated the game and although suffered a setback after Ruud van Nistelrooy’s late equaliser, Hiddink’s side regrouped admirably to dominate the extra period, scoring twice more to secure a 3-1 win. The result put them into the last four and firmly established Russia on the European map of top footballing nations.

Low The two games against Spain brought Russia back down to earth with a bang. The first game quickly extinguished the euphoria of qualifying for the tournament - but Russia nevertheless managed to recover. The second beating was particularly hard to take, especially with Hiddink seemingly failing to learn the mistakes of the opening match. Another three-goal defeat demonstrated the gap between the two sides and the distance Russia must go to become real contenders.

Coach Guus Hiddink is renowned for his success with unfancied nations, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to see Russia rattling towards the last four. His job is not over though, with two more years on his contract and even greater pressure will be on his shoulders come 2010. Constantly targeted by Chelsea and numerous other top clubs, Hiddink looks set to see out his contract with the Russians.

Key player Andrei Arshavin: Although he went gardening in the semi-final against Spain, Arshavin’s excellent performances in Russia’s previous two matches (he was banned for the opening pair of games) were enough to gain Barcelona and Arsenal’s interest. The 27-year-old was integral in guiding Russia to key victories over Sweden and the Netherlands and will surely move from Zenit St Petersburg this summer.

What next? With Hiddink and Arshavin, Russia’s prospects are excellent. Paired with Germany in World Cup qualifying, they may face a play-off to make South Africa in 2010 while Wales and Finland are also in their group. If they do qualify, they will again be outsiders but could provide a surprise - Hiddink is the master at those.

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Tags: Andrei Arshavin, Euro 2008, Guus Hiddink, Russia

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