Ohh no! Can not be! Come on, the last minutes … One return goal! But hands and teeth, clenched in tension, unclench. A forgotten feeling of a child's bitter resentment rolls over, as if a bright balloon burst or a favorite toy was broken by someone else's hands. The holiday is over, the fluttering banners have fallen off - the wind of hope that filled them has disappeared.
How wonderful it all began. A victory over the Czechs, a draw with Poland, the general alignment in the matches of Group A - but a draw with the Hellenes would suit us. The prospect of reaching the quarterfinals was clearly visible not only for fans from Russia and the post-Soviet countries, many sports observers were confident in the outcome of the match. Repeatedly assurances were made about the excellent physical shape of the players, well, except that Arshavin had problems due to a recent injury.
It is not known what the Greeks thought, but they played in a collected and organized manner. A dry count showed that the Russian team had good indicators in terms of the percentage of ball possession - 62 of ours against 38 of the Greeks, and of the number of shots on goal - 24 of us and only 5 of the Greeks. But the spectacle of scoring goals, which would confirm the advantage of the Russians, expressed in the figures given, was not.
After the Greek start, expressed in active attacks on the Russian gate, the initiative passed to the Russians. The defense of the Greeks was tested more than once by the attacks of the enemy. But almost at the very end of the first half, after a throw-in from an out-of-bounds, the Greek midfielder Karagunis “unsealed” Malafeev's goal. From the shock associated with a missed ball, the Russian national team players were never able to recover. In addition to the declared ideal physical form, something else was required: perseverance, willpower, character, luck, maybe.
The second half, despite the large number of shots on goal by the Russians, was held under the control of the Greeks. They perfectly defended the penalty area, did not give the Russian players freedom in passes, persistently took care of the opponent in their own half. Several moments that tickled the tense nerves of the fans included a powerful and dangerous blow from Dzagoev - but in all cases the ball went over the post.
Observers noted that Zhirkov's passes at the entrance to the penalty area did not bring the desired result, it seemed that he did it without looking at the arrangement of the players. The other full-back Anyukov did not do this either; there was not much benefit to be seen from his flank breakthroughs. Arshavin repeatedly took up the sole decision of the attacks, ignoring the possibility of collective action with Dzagoev, Shirokov and other players, and was stopped.
The Greeks reached the quarter-finals, punishing the Russians for self-confidence with one unanswered goal. Dick Advocaat said that the team as a whole showed good football. From 1 July 2012 he will return to training with PSV Eindhoven. Arshavin, who sharply responded to the fan's reproaches, is at the center of the scandal: for sure, there is only one step from love to hate. But how will you react if someone pokes a finger into your bleeding wound … Forgive us, Andrei, and we will forgive you: we all have pain in the place where the hope of victory lived for so long … At least in the 1/8 finals Euro 2012.
