Football!

RUSSIA - CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!
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RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!

Commentator Gennady Orlov, a great guy, supported the country in a difficult moment - his grandmother's saying turned out to be very appropriate!

Added 31 minutes ago
Here is a good pre-match article by Vasily Utkin...


FOOTBALL. EURO 2008. TODAY. 22.45 (MSK)
QUARTERFINALS. NETHERLANDS – RUSSIA
COMMENTARY BY VASILY UTKIN

Perhaps the most interesting thing before the Euro was that both skeptics and optimists (they were more divided than ever regarding Hiddink's period) agreed on one thing: reaching the group stage would be a success for the Russian national team.

This almost unanimous opinion, as I see it, was very eloquent. Because the assessment of the coach's work turned out to be nothing more than a vector of development – in the eyes of some, positive, in the eyes of others – the opposite. And we all looked at the role and place of our team in the European ranking in a generally similar way. Without being overly optimistic.

But now we have made it out of the group. This discussion about Gus's role in the Russian national team is now over, with an absolute defeat of the "Club of Defeated Pilots," who, with rare exceptions, did not bother to look for purely football arguments "against" and were content with political ones. And now we understand: in fact, we were not interested in this very exit itself. But in the opportunity to change the status of our football in Europe and in the world. To strengthen its position.

Reaching the top eight is just a step. Although an important one. But it is desperately interesting to see what will happen next. Including because we will play against the strongest team in the tournament so far. It doesn't matter that our coach knows all of their players well and even the coach almost since childhood. Everyone knows them – they play in the best clubs in the world. And this knowledge in itself is not a recipe for playing against them.

I don't know about you, but I'm not worried about the result. That is, whether we will pass. And not at all because it is enough – no, it is not enough, and categorically! We need more. And in general, great things are done step by step. It is not necessary to set high goals for yourself in a pompous way...

I'm not worried about the result because it's not about that. We know that any team can win (even win) the European Championship. And in four years, to be considered the weakest in the same tournament – this is how a respected colleague, Sevidov, characterized the Greeks the other day. Although I don't agree with him; in my opinion, the Poles were the weakest. But that's not important, just so you know.

No matter how far we go now, there is no guarantee of new positions in the result itself. In the fall, we will start a new tournament, the qualifying round for the World Cup. And that result, which we achieve, will go down in history. The higher it is, the more pleasant... But in order for the changes, having entered history, not to fade away in it, I want to see the game. And, wishing our team to get out of the group, wishing it passionately, I still consider the most important result not the actual entry into the playoffs, but how we achieved it. Through a major defeat at the start – a test of character. Through skepticism. Through a wonderful attacking game, with that touch of recklessness that our teams have never had at the level of national teams – at least the file of my impressions, which has been accumulating for twenty-six years, does not contain anything like that. There are no words – we have been stronger. But we have not been THIS strong – unless it was a long time ago.

And now I know for sure: although the Dutch had almost a week to rest their leading players, and we had two days; although the Dutch are really playing the best here, and they simply crushed the finalists of the last World Cup, – I know for sure that we will play against them and we will have the opportunity to score, and, most likely, not just once. And if there is an opportunity to score, then there is a chance to win. But this is not the only problem in a match with such an opponent.

Together with the silly claims against Hiddink's national team, the previous positive assessments, which were much more fair and accurate, have actually gone down in history. A new countdown of our team's life begins. And everything new is alarming. We need to live up to it, we need to demonstrate what you are worth as a professional.

This is a completely different story. How great that we have it now!