Without feats, but with bronze

8 ambassadors from Russia returned home from Poland and Ukraine

The European Championship has once again demonstrated remarkably that our club bosses overestimate the Czechs and various other Swedes, their professional skills and, as a result, their value. But it is unlikely that any of the “messengers” will have their wages reduced after their “gatherings” at Polish and Ukrainian shops. Although it would be necessary - after all, you can’t drive them to rich European teams yet

Despite the participation of Arshavin and company in EURO 2012, our fans worried about their club legionnaires for three weeks. Army fans clenched their fists for Pontus Wernbloom and Tomasz Necid, Spartak fans specially gathered at the bar to support the Irishman Aiden McGeady.

The Polish national team has acquired an additional torso from Grozny, where Maciej Rybus sometimes indulges with his technique. St. Petersburg tiffosi turned into fans of Portugal for a while, in the national team of which Bruno Alves cements the defense. Dynamo closely watched the Ukrainian Andriy Voronin, who staged a demarche and confusion in March, because of which the blue-and-whites failed the end of the season. Even in Rostov, people had an object of adoration in the person of the Croatian goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa. And only admirers of Lokomotiv turned out to be deprived in this regard. True, they had every reason to worry about the new coach Slaven Bilic, who completed his work in the drafts camp at the EURO.

We started separate collections from the Russian Premier League for health. Which, in fact, is not surprising: in the "contractual" championship, they also take right off the bat ... So. Unexpectedly for himself, Maciej Rybus came out in the starting lineup of the Poles and adequately ran 70 minutes. McGeady provided an assist to St. Ledger against Croatia. And this was the only episode when the goalkeeper Pletikosa blundered. Voronin was a meteor in the duel with the Swedes and contributed to the strong-willed victory of the hosts of the tournament. Bruno Alves did not spoil the mass in the battle with the Germans, although Cristiano Ronaldo's team lost.

As a matter of fact, the last four basically supported the image of the Premier League for half of June. However, with mixed success. The most expensive player of the Irish national team did not perform more feats, but took part in two more meetings of the “guys in green”. Voronin, as it turned out, was enough for another half in the game with France, after which the angry Blokhin seconded him to the reserve. Stipe Pletikosa, nicknamed the Octopus, although he criticized the referees after each fight, looking for the cause of failure in their “whistles”, fought like a lion and repeatedly saved his partners in hopeless situations. And the CastrolEdge system, which captures all the useful actions of the players, put him on the sixth line in the ranking of goalkeepers who took part in the tournament. Stipe, for example, was ahead of Portuguese goalkeeper Ruy Patricio and Englishman Joe Hart.

... "Russia will not score a single goal against the Czech Republic!" - Spartak Marek Suchy said before the match with Advocaat's friends. As you know, the Russians awarded Petr Cech with four "buns". True, it was not the fault of the defender: he remained on the bench. Like his friend Tomasz Necid. So they polished the shop for 10 days.

At the end of the group stage, Pontus Wernbloom finally managed to feel the ball - he worked for 12 minutes in a meaningless, albeit victorious show with France.

In general, in the playoffs, only Alves has already ignited. Other plenipotentiaries went home. In the quarter-finals, the Czechs failed to inflict a single blow on Patricio's goal, which is also the merit of Zenit's Alves, who fought well on the "second floor". The Portuguese and the Spaniards did not “load the Troika”, in the language of Valery Karpin. That's just Bruno was one of two losers who did not convert the penalty shootout. But happiness was so close. Nevertheless, it is Bruno Alves and Stipe Pletikos who should be singled out with a plus sign.

What is the reason for such a frail march? Yes, everything is simple: almost all the rest of our legionnaires, in general, were taken as a substitute in case of force majeure. Therefore, they almost did not give them playing time and miracles, respectively, were not expected from them. So, by and large, only two deserve censure: Andrey Voronin and Aiden McGeedy, who did not show their best qualities. They were seriously counted on and hoped for, but they were not justified. And Voronin, moreover, on such a minor note, completed his performance in the national team.

... The European Championship has once again demonstrated that our club bosses overestimate the Czechs and various other Swedes, their professional skills and, as a result, their value. Throwing a ball between the legs of the Berezutsky brothers and the Kombarov brothers or meeting Semshov or Zyryanov hard is one thing. But to beat Sergio Ramos or John Terry, to stop Pirlo or Balotelli is a completely different story. But it is unlikely that any of the “messengers” will have their wages reduced after their “gatherings” at Polish and Ukrainian shops. Although it would be necessary - after all, you can’t drive them to rich European teams yet.

PS Dinamo Croatian midfielder Tomislav Dujmovic spent half a year on loan at Spanish Zaragoza and therefore didn't make it to the table. To be fair, his EURO playing time was 1 minute.