Yes. The Russians are through to the semi-finals of Euro 2008 with a 3-1 win over Holland. Or rather, roar into last four as what the FIFA website said. Playing around the fact that the bear is Russia's national symbol.
Russia coach Guus Hiddink became the only Dutchman in Basel who has the last laugh. The number of Holland fans totally outweigh the Russia ones. St. Jakob Park was almost totally decked in orange (it's the colour of the Dutch royal family) for the match between the Oranje and Russia. 'Lucky Guus' (that is what Hiddink is nicknamed in Russia) may be from Holland, but he has a job to do. Bringing Russia to the semi-finals of the tournament. He has no time for sentiments. He may used to be the Oranje coach from 1994 to 1998, but that is in the past.
Guus Hiddink may have regretted saying about being the 'traitor of the year' back in his homeland after the match (given he felt it was harsh), the performance of his players showed like from the first whistle why his coaching pedigree has risen once more. Hiddink has...done it again!
It's the match the neutrals have been looking forward given of two teams who play football...the Dutch way. From the first whistle, it has been the Russians on the attack. Holland goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar (and on the night of the match, he equalled France's Lilian Thuram's record for appearances in European championships finals) was tested more than once. Even if I am watching it as a neutral (actually I was secretly rooting for the Oranje partly on their performance so far and partly my father have always like them after England since his schooldays where the era of 'Total Football' began), I really sweat for van der Sar. He is the one who is at goal for my club Manchester United. If the first-half is already nail-biting enough, same goes for the second-half. By then, the deadlock has been broken.
Roman Pavylyuchenko was the one who broke the deadlock. My heart almost sank when it happened. Then minutes before the end of the normal time of play. Ruud van Nistelrooy equalised. Count on the man who once had a public fallout with coach Marco van Basten to deliver the goods and still give the Holland fans some hope. Then extra-time. But before that, there was some sort of a mini controversy in terms of handing out the yellow card before referee Lubos Michel (who also refereed the Champions League final) decides to check with his linesman on whether the ball has gone out of play.
van Nistelrooy's equaliser had meant that it's still game on for the Oranje. But I wondered if they were simply outclassed by the energetic Russians. It showed again during the extra-time. I say energetic given the Russia's domestic football season began in March whereas in major European leagues, all ended around May (the tournament began in early June) and given except for one who plays abroad, all of those in Hiddink's squad all play in the domestic Russian league. Level of fitness is one thing, the coach's tactics is another.
Super sub Dmitri Torbinsky got in the second goal at the 112th minute and the damage had been done by playmaker Andrei Arshavin. 116th minute. Unless Holland pull off a Turkey, Russia are marching on. And they did in the final whistle. Holland, the favourites (the tag only came into being after how they dismantled the World Cup finalists Italy and France during the group stages in the so-called 'Group of Death')...out. Russia are through. Many had thought it will be exactly 20 years since Marco van Basten's goal against the then-Soviet Union in the 1988 final which will make him lift the trophy first as a player then as a coach (like Franz Beckbenbauer for Germany). He destroyed the Soviet Union's hopes of an honour back then (that is the last time the Soviet Union had ever accomplished something major in football until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991)...they are back this time as Russia 20 years on.
It is the now-Russia coach Guus Hiddink who first gave Edwin van der Sar his Oranje debut in 1995 when he was the coach of the Oranje. Now it's also him who ended the career of the goalkeeper. van der Sar had said before that this tournament will be his last on the international stage. Marco van Basten's tenure as the Oranje coach has ended in Basel. He had already said before that he will step down at the end of the tournament (and return to coach his former club Ajax). Okay...post-match reactions. Russia coach Guus Hiddink said his side still had room for improvement after they outclassed Netherlands 3-1 on Saturday to reach the semi-finals while the now-outgoing Holland coach Marco van Basten said that Russia deserved to win.
The press back in Holland was, deflated. There was genuine belief that the class of 2008 will finally end the 20-year drought of a major trophy after the performances in the group stage. Gone. At the hands of another compatriot. Holland winger Arjen Robben (who had to sit out of the match because of a groin strain) summed it up what his teammates had felt - They blew it. For Russia coach Guus Hiddink, he knew the win will mean a lot to the Russians back home. Arrests were made after the match and Swiss police said 30 fans were arrested for rioting.
It's ironic. When I think back of Russia's Euro 2008 qualifying journey, they almost didn't make it to Austria and Switzerland. They were in the same qualifying group as England and Croatia (amongst others). I don't know which qualifying match became the turning point in the race to qualify for the tournament in the group but for Russia, it came about after Russia beat England in Moscow (after an initial England lead even). I did watched the match then. A certain Roman Pavylyuchenko was also part of the squad which beat England then. To imagine when Russia was playing England at the Wembley before that, they lost.
Then on the final day of the qualification, they were playing Andorra away while England was playing Croatia at the Wembley. Then news came in from London that England has been beaten. Russia are through. At England's expense. And now they are in the semi-finals. If Holland had amazed everyone at the group stages but still managed to lose to Russia, Europe have better watch out now.
Portugal, Croatia, Holland. All three topped their respective groups. All out. It's Spain versus Italy next. Will the curse strike again? And we are talking about Spain, always being termed as the perennial underachievers. That will be the final quarter-final match.
Euro 2008 thought of the day (sort of): Especially after Zenit St. Petersburg managed to beat European veterans Bayern Munich out of the UEFA Cup semi-final, I know it's a new dawn for Russian football. Coincidentally Zenit is also coached by another Dutchman in the form of Dick Advocaat. But other than that, if anyone thinks Russian football is still in the doldrums, they haven't watched the Holland-Russia match yet.
Future looks to be no longer Oranje for veterans (Holland's elimination from Euro 2008 on Saturday by Russia looks certain to have brought down the international curtain on several of their older players - even if some have yet to admit it. With a new coach Bert van Marwijk set to take over from Ajax bound Marco van Basten and their first match under his command not until August 20 against of all countries Russia, it gives several of them time to reflect and to see if they can absorb yet another disappointment and last another two years of World Cup qualifiers.)
Group winners pay the price for rotating at Euro 2008 (Three drama-filled quarter-finals and three group winners are gone. Spain should be worried. Three of the four sides that qualified for the knockout stages after two games are out of the championship. Spain, the fourth, face world champions Italy on Sunday hoping to avoid completing the quartet.)
Turkish emperor Terim just loves hard work (Hard work and passion are bywords for Turkey coach Fatih Terim as the "Emperor" closes in on his biggest throne -- the top of European international soccer and ultimate professional recognition.)
Ageless Lehmann proves doubters wrong (Germans worried that Jens Lehmann was too old, too slow and too unreliable for Euro 2008 but the 38-year-old keeper has proved that reports of his decline were wildly overplayed. Lehmann looked so distracted in Germany's final two matches ahead of the tournament that he became an obvious target.)
