| The defender of the Russian national team in Wales will now scare children The Russian team will go to the European Championships in Portugal. This is just what everyone around is talking about now. The play-off match with the Welsh national team, won by our team with a score of 1:0, threatens to become almost historical, inscribed in golden letters in the history of domestic football. It's a shame if that's the case. I would like to expect, if not demand, more from the Russian team.
I would also like that in a couple of years they won’t even remember about Wales. Yes, there were play-offs, and it seemed like we beat an average Welsh team without any problems, only scoring one goal for the “dragons” due to a misunderstanding. It came and went. But on Wednesday, for some reason, this match seemed almost the most important.
Here, first of all, the Welsh themselves tried, having managed to spread the word all over the world about the “match of the century” at the Millennium Stadium. And these people accused us of simulation and provocations? Giggs, who pretended to be an innocent victim of Evseev, and then showed the whole world what his talk about gentlemanliness was worth? Wales captain Speed, who gave a bunch of interviews before the match and then, unable to stop, commented on all the episodes to the referee? Hartson, whose appearance was not at all deceiving? All of them, as well as the rest of their teammates, complained so much about the rudeness and treachery of the Russians that they themselves believed in their own “fluffiness” and felt offended.
But it was precisely this fever, complicated by hysteria and delusional accusations, that played against the Welsh team. The thirst for revenge is a bad help. And if nothing is attached to it in terms of skill, then it’s a pest. So the Welsh should not have talked to the referee, throwing sneaky blows in between, but played! In particular, Hartson and Giggs should score in those two dangerous moments that did happen at the goal of the Russian team.
There is no point in discussing the tactical plan and the main composition for the game of our team. Moreover, if you want, it’s easy to find errors there. Still, the main task that Yartsev faced was the psychological preparation of the team: it was necessary to remove that imposing attitude and sense of self-superiority with which our team entered the first match, and at the same time not to instill fear in front of a not at all formidable opponent. It seems to have worked out. Moreover, the absence of Mostovoy and Ovchinnikov in this regard was only to the benefit of the head coach. The others held back. And even Vadim Evseev, whose every touch of the ball was met with the roar of the crowded Millennium, stood until the very final whistle and only then gave his brief commentary directly to the television camera. A comment that in a certain situation is worthy of becoming a headline. “They made us very angry,” Vladislav Radimov said in a telephone conversation yesterday, “hence all the emotions. Although I later talked to Vadim, and he told me that he didn’t even notice the reaction of the stands.”
Now Evseev in Wales has been elevated to the rank of an evil genius. And if in fairy tales the knight who kills the dragon becomes a hero, then for the Welsh he is the evil that destroyed all their bright dreams. Now I even feel a little sorry for them. Waiting for almost half a century to participate in a major tournament, being one step away from it and, having believed in success, stumbled at the last moment. The Welsh have only one small consolation: the head coach of the national team, Mark Hughes, in whom they believe so much, promised not to leave. The RFU workers made another modest gift to Wales, promising that they would not insist on Giggs' disqualification. So the Welsh will experience grief along with their failed heroes.
But it’s still great that the tragedy that the people of Wales elevated their defeat to was not ours.
Russia will not meet with Holland, Croatia and Denmark
The draw for the final stage of the 2004 European Championship will take place on November 30. The 16 championship participants are divided into four pots based on the results of the last two qualifying cycles for the European Championship and the World Championship. One team from each basket will be included in each group of the European Championship.
Basket A: Portugal, France, Sweden, Czech Republic. Basket B: Italy, Spain, England, Germany. Basket C: Netherlands, Croatia, Russia, Denmark . Basket D: Bulgaria, Switzerland, Greece, Latvia. Andrey VDOVIN |
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